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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.
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Original recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated April 2021 and December 2024.
A little dry and not a lot of flavor. Maybe add some sour cream and more seasonings.
I live far outside the US but I was yearning for comfort food. I can’t get canned soup here and was thrilled to find this recipe. It’s delicious! I made it as written for 2 of us and I’ve got my fingers crossed for leftovers.
Thanks!
Yum! prepared as described. Very good. Will try with an ounce or two less pasta and some broccoli too next time, for a bit more veg…, probably steaming it lightly before stirring into the celery onion mix. Thank you for this recipe without the usual canned soup.
Made it twice. Very good. Added more tuna and some moz cheese second time around. Recipe is a keeper.
Could this be prepped and then frozen before baking? Looking for freezer meals.
Yes! See my notes about that in the post 🙂
I made this splendid recipe and tweaked it with a few of my own ideas, some out of necessity.
Because we like dishes that have more vegetables in general, I added about a quarter more of each of the veggies in the initial sauté
I used a good commercial cream of mushroom soup as the base sauce, sautéed in butter, then added less chicken stock & milk, and no flour.
The twists I added: a good helping of worcestershire sauce (1 + tbsp) and a tbsp of Sriracha for a double flavorful boost. I added both until I liked the balance of the flavors without being overt. You don’t notice the new ingredients in the final product in an overt way, but the subtly of the additions are super.
Lemon juice brightens the flavor of the casserole in ways I didn’t expect. An absolutely inspired ingredient, it really makes the dish. I used fresh lemons, definitely the way to go.
My former professional chef hubby was very impressed. Could not recommend this recipe more.
Thanks Lauren!!
I’m not a huge fan of tuna helper so I was wary of making this. But honestly it was a 10/10 recipe. I didn’t have Ritz so I used ripple plain chips crushed and I used whole wheat penne noodles instead aswell. Very very tasty and the chips had a real nice crunch in every bite
What is the serving size?
Best recipe ever!!! Easy to follow and delicious
Wonderful! Not your normal tuna noodle casserole! However, a true lent recipe cannot contain CHICKEN broth, so I used vegetable broth!