This simple tuna noodle casserole recipe combines tender egg noodles with creamy sauce, flaky tuna, inexperienced peas, and melty mozzarella cheese. Baked below a golden, buttery cracker topping, it’s traditional consolation meals for a cold day.
This isn’t your grandmother’s tuna noodle casserole. That’s, except hers was wealthy, creamy, tacky, and completely DELICIOUS! Right now’s tuna casserole recipe is a type of comfort-food dinners from my childhood that I discover myself craving within the colder months. A bit like hamburger stroganoff, this recipe makes use of a can of condensed soup tossed with tender egg noodles and canned tuna as a substitute of floor beef. Every little thing will get baked like a pasta casserole beneath a blanket of crunchy crackers and melted mozzarella cheese.
Causes You Ought to Make This Tuna Casserole Tonight
- Prepared in below an hour. This casserole comes collectively shortly on a weeknight. Put together the sauce when you cook dinner the noodles, then add all the things collectively and bake.
- Creamy, tacky goodness. Layers of tender noodles, tuna, and creamy sauce bake collectively beneath a crunchy cracker topping. It’s wealthy, savory, and comforting.
- Scrumptious leftovers. This casserole shops and reheats properly, and leftovers style even higher the subsequent day.
Collect Your Elements
This old-school tuna casserole is fast to drag along with widespread pantry substances. Listed here are the essential ones, and you’ll discover the printable recipe particulars within the recipe card under the put up.
- Egg Noodles – Any type, together with large, extra-wide, or medium egg noodles. Asian noodles, or Italian pasta like fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle, may even work.
- Cream of Rooster Soup – Decide up a can of low-sodium cream of rooster soup from the shop. If in case you have a favourite selfmade recipe, go forward and use it!
- Milk – Complete milk, 2%, or any milk you’d like. For an excellent richer sauce, use half-and-half.
- Bitter Cream – Plain Greek yogurt makes a great substitute in case you want one.
- Canned Tuna – I like to recommend canned tuna that is available in water or brine, and never oil. Drain the tuna properly beforehand.
- Frozen Peas – Ensure that to thaw them first. Be happy to make use of contemporary peas when you’ve got them.
- Shredded Mozzarella – Freshly grated mozzarella melts extra easily than pre-grated mozzarella. Provolone cheese or cheddar are good substitutes.
- Crackers – You can also make a crushed Ritz cracker topping just like the one I take advantage of in my Ritz rooster casserole recipe. Or, any crackers you’d like. You could possibly additionally use Panko breadcrumbs, cornflakes cereal, or crushed potato chips.
- Butter – Melted and cooled, to mix with the crackers and extra shredded cheese for the casserole topping.
Suggestions for a Good Casserole
- For the very best outcomes, use tuna packed in water. Tuna in oil might make the general casserole too oily.
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Because you’ll bake the casserole afterward, take care to not overcook the egg noodles. In the event that they’re overcooked, they’ll grow to be mushy.
- Swap the soup. As a substitute of cream of rooster soup, use cream of vegetable or mushroom soup (or selfmade cream of mushroom soup).
Incessantly Requested Questions
Certain factor. If canned tuna isn’t your factor, you may substitute cooked shredded rooster, floor beef, or pulled pork. Attempt cooked mushrooms or broccoli for a meat-free model.
Sure! I like to recommend assembling the casserole and refrigerating it the day earlier than you intend to bake it, however go away off the crunchy topping. If you’re able to bake, combine the cracker topping, add it to the casserole, and bake as directed.
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Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray and put aside.
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Cook dinner your noodles. Cook dinner the noodles in line with package deal instructions. Drain the noodles as soon as cooked and put aside.
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Make the bottom. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the cream of rooster soup, milk, bitter cream, salt, and pepper.
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Add the principle substances. Stir within the tuna and peas. Add the cooked egg noodles and ¾ cup of mozzarella and stir properly to mix. Switch the combination to the baking dish.
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Put together the topping. Mix the crushed crackers with the melted butter and ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella, then add the combination over the casserole.
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Bake. Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, or till bubbly.
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Cool and serve. Take away the tuna casserole from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes earlier than serving.
- Noodle choices: For this recipe, you should use any sort of egg noodles, together with skinny or flat Asian noodles, or fettuccine.
- Topping: As a substitute of crackers, you should use panko breadcrumbs.
- Tuna decisions: For this recipe, I like tuna packed in water. The one packed in oil could also be too oily for the recipe general.
- Canned soups: As a substitute of cream of rooster soup, you should use cream of vegetable or mushroom soup.
Energy: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 31g | Fats: 27g | Saturated Fats: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Trans Fats: 0.3g | Ldl cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 461mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1051IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might differ in line with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
The way to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole
See the recipe card above for the total recipe, and observe the step-by-step pictures under so you understand what to anticipate when making this creamy tuna casserole.
- Cook dinner the noodles. Boil the egg noodles in line with the package deal instructions, then drain them. When you’d like, toss the noodles with slightly olive oil to maintain them from sticking when you set them apart. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400ºF when you put together the casserole.
- Make the sauce. Mix cream of rooster soup with milk and bitter cream. Season to style with salt and pepper, then add the drained tuna and peas.
- Add the principle substances. Stir within the cooked egg noodles and shredded mozzarella. As soon as that’s well-combined, unfold the combination right into a greased baking dish.
- Add the topping. Combine the crushed crackers with melted butter and extra mozzarella. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole.
- Bake. Bake the casserole at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Let it relaxation for a couple of minutes earlier than serving.
Storing and Reheating Tuna Casserole
- Refrigerate. Cowl the baked and cooled casserole hermetic and preserve it refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
- Reheat. Heat the tuna casserole within the oven at 350ºF till it’s scorching all through. It’s also possible to reheat particular person servings within the microwave.
- Freeze. Wrap the baked tuna casserole in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. Freeze it for as much as 2 months. Thaw the casserole within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
