This post contains affiliate links.
Our old-fashioned Tuna Casserole recipe is simply the best, made with noodles, a creamy white sauce, tuna, peas, and celery, and baked with crushed crackers on top.
I promise this Tuna Casserole is better than Grandma's.
I promise this Tuna Casserole is better than Grandma's.This recipe is proof that you can elevate even the most old-fashioned casserole recipes by making them with better ingredients, and from scratch.
Instead of using canned soups, we make a quick creamy white sauce. We boost the flavor with sautéed peas, celery, and onion, and don't forget to use good quality white albacore tuna. It may cost a bit more, but the quality really makes a difference in taste! You can use egg noodles for tuna noodle casserole, but we prefer medium shells since each one fills with the creamy sauce.
How to make Tuna Noodle Casserole:
Cook noodles according to package instructions.
Sauté Veggies: Melt butter in pan. Add celery, onion, peas, and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
Make Sauce: In a separate pot, make a roux by melting the butter and then whisking in the flour. Cook for a minute or two. Gradually pour in the chicken broth and milk, whisking until smooth. Keep stirring constantly until it bubbles and thickens. Add lemon juice, salt, dill, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
Combine: Add cooked pasta, sautéed vegetables, and tuna to the sauce and mix to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with cheese and crushed crackers.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Sauté the veggies, make the sauce, and cook the noodles. Store everything in separate containers in the fridge until ready to assemble the tuna casserole.
To Freeze: Cook the noodles so they are slightly undercooked. Follow the recipe and assemble casserole (don't add cracker topping) in a freezer-safe container or disposable aluminum pan. Cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then sprinkle with crushed crackers and bake until hot and bubbly.
Sides for Tuna Casserole:
- Roasted Vegetables
- Salad
- Balsamic Roasted Carrots
- French Green Beans
- Broccoli Salad
- Garlic Rolls
- Artisan Bread
- Fresh Fruit Salad
More Casserole Recipes:
- Pizza Casserole
- American Goulash
- Chicken Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Overnight Breakfast Casserole
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Hawaiian French Toast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole
- One Pan Meatball Casserole
- Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Browse all of our easy pasta recipes
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium-size shell pasta
- 5 Tablespoons butter, , divided
- 2 ribs celery, , diced
- 1/4 cup onion, , diced
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 clove garlic, , miced
- 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk, , warmed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, , more if desired
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, , minced
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, , divided
- 5 ounces canned albacore white tuna, packed in water, , or more if desired
Topping:
- 1/2 cup Ritz crackers*, , crushed
- 1 Tablespoon butter, , melted
Instructions
- Cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package instructions.
- Sauté the veggies: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Add celery, onion, peas and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Make Sauce: Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the pan. Once melted, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly, until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and add salt, dill, lemon juice, parsley, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Taste and add additional seasoning, if needed.
- Combine: Remove from heat and stir in the pasta, vegetables and tuna. Pour mixture into a 9×13’’ or similar size baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of parmesan cheese.
- Add Topping: Crush ritz crackers and add melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over the casserole.
- Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
Original recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated April 2021 and December 2024.
If I wanted a parmeson cheese casserole recipe and wanted to spend at least an hour using all my kitchen equipment and making an unneccessary lot of work to make a casserole, maybe it would be good. Never tasted the tuna and I only used half the parmesan cheese called for. I’ll go back to my mom’s basic noodles, cream of mushroom soup and tuna recipe. Much easier and tastier.
Hi. Like other commenters I find this recipe to be excellent and it will be my go to from now on. I did make a couple of changes–not out of any desire to improve the recipe, just a couple of things I’ve discovered/learned over a life time of cooking. (I’m a former professional chef, now retired). 1. I’ve never been a huge fan of canned tuna. Years ago I discovered canned “red salmon” (not to be mistaken for “pink salmon” with all the bones and cartilage). Red salmon is essentially Sockeye salmon from Alaska, one of the healthiest and tastiest aquatic species. It does have skin and some cartilage which are texturally insignificant when used in a casserole. It comes in 14.75 oz. tall cans slightly larger at the top than the bottom. Brand names available in SE Wisconsin include Pillar Rock and Rubensteins. But I digress. Drain as you would tuna and proceed as directed in Lauren’s recipe. 2. Not having any chicken broth on hand, I saved the drained liquid from the salmon, added some lobster base and water to reduce salinity and bring it up to the specified volume and eliminated the Kosher salt. 3. I added chopped fresh mushrooms (about a cup?) And subbed ground white pepper for the black. 4. I switched sharp white cheddar for the Parm (cause I didn’t have enough Parm on hand). Finally, the topping. 5. Not having any Ritz crackers, I sauteed Panko crumbs in butter ’til lightly browned, removed from heat, added about 1/2 c. freshly minced curly parsley and about 1/4 c. freshly grated Romano and mixed well. Removed casserole from oven, spread Panko mixture over top, covered and let sit for 5 min before serving. That’s it!
Yes, so delicious, I believe the dill and lemon juice make this, we haven’t had tuna noodle casserole since our girls left and my husband loved it
This recipe is excellent! The only things I did differently from the recipe were use regular canned tuna (what I had on hand) and I actually used a can of beef broth instead because somehow I was out of chicken broth 🤦🏻♀️. The beef broth made it a slightly darker color sauce, but it was still delish! I will make sure I have chicken stock for next time. I also substituted the peas for broccoli since it’s my son’s favorite veggie. I just toss a bag of frozen broccoli in the pasta water when the pasta is 1/2 way done. Thank you for this recipe, it was a hit with the family!
This is the BEST tuna noodle casserole ever! I didn’t have dill so used fresh rosemary, thyme and herbs de Provence. I happened to have some leftover garlic butter so used it to saute the vegetables, and took another cooks advice and added apple cider vinegar. Plus, I only had whole wheat saltines and some potato chip crumbs for the topping! My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it – so it only served two!
This was our toddler’s first time to ever try tuna and she loved this dish! All of us loved it and it was really easy to make. We will be keeping this in our recipe vault of family favorites! Next time I will also try the frozen peas & carrots like one reviewer mentioned. More veggies are always welcome in our house!
My husband said this was the “best tuna casserole” he had ever had! I used egg noodles, frozen peas & carrots, apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice & tarragon instead of dill because that is what I had on had. And because our foreign exchange son does not like the crunchy toppings of casserole I used provolone cheese slices to cover it. Score! Thank you for sharing.
Not bad! I followed the recipe pretty close. I cooked bit more shell pasta and boosted the other ingredients to match. I did use the expensive good quality canned tuna. Chopped up fresh dill and parsley. I graded a block of Parmesan Reggiano cheese, and not the graded stuff in the green can. Had organic lemon to squeeze. I have a deep dish casserole pot I use and covered it with the glass lid so the casserole would not dry out in the oven. Used Ritz crackers and butter for the topping. Came out great! Not much trouble, even making it for the first time. I am sure I will make it again.
It’s one of the best recipes I’ve used. I added a bit more lemon, dill and salt, and I used lime beans. Outstandong recipe, simply outstanding.
It’s one of the best recipes I’ve used. I added a bit more lemon, dill and salt. Outstandong recipe, simply outstanding.