Food doesn’t get much more comforting than this tuna noodle casserole! Easy to make, this baked casserole is wonderfully creamy and is a great family meal that you can make ahead of time (and with pantry staples).
Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Noodles, creamy sauce and a crunchy topping – life doesn’t get much better! Tuna noodle casserole is a traditional comfort food and it’s a classic for a reason.
This is a great pantry recipe, and it’s a great freezer meal too. So prep this delicious dish, then grab a fork and dig in!
How To Make Tuna Noodle Casserole
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Prep: Pre heat the oven. Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray and cook the noodles al dente.
- Combine: Process the cheese, chips, bread, butter and seasonings in a food processor. Mix the tuna, oil, lemon juice and seasonings together in a bowl.
- Cook: Sautee the onion until soft and add to the tuna mixture. On a medium heat whisk together the flour and butter and add the milk, broth and wine and boil until thickened. Add the cheese and soup and mix well.
- Make: Add the milk and cheese mixture to the tuna and then stir in the cooked noodles. Add the frozen peas and pour into the casserole dish.
- Bake: Bake until golden and bubbly.
What are the best noodles to use?
I like to use wide egg noodles for this tuna casserole. Use nice wide ones that are able to collect all of that wonderfully creamy sauce. If you are in a pinch you could use a long pasta such as linguini or spaghetti.
Can you make it ahead of time?
This tuna noodle casserole can be made ahead of time and also frozen for make ahead meals.
Store in the fridge: Let the casserole cool to room temperature. Cover it in plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the casserole in a pre heated oven at 325F for 20 to 30 minutes.
To freeze: Let the casserole cool, wrap it a couple of times in foil and place in the freezer. Once frozen (about 2-3 hours) transfer it to a freezer safe bag to prevent freezer burn. You can cook the casserole from frozen at 325F for about an hour or you can thaw it in the fridge overnight first.
The Perfect Comfort Food!
This tuna noodle casserole is the perfect family dish – I’ve never had a complaint! The sauce is so wonderfully creamy and the topping is wonderfully crispy.
Oh, did I mention cheesy?! It’s a real crowd pleasing supper and everyone will ask for it again!
Tips!
- Make this casserole in a 9×13-inch oven proof casserole dish and grease it before you add the ingredients.
- Bake the casserole in a preheated oven so that it cooks evenly.
- If the top of the casserole starts to brown too quickly you can cover it with foil.
More Casserole Recipes
- Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
- Turkey and Rice Casserole
- Frito Pie Casserole
- Cheesy Sausage and Potato Casserole
- Taco Casserole
- Sour Cream Noodle Bake
- Loaded Cornbread Casserole
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Loved this recipe!!! It was delicious. Just took a little long to prep. Excellent freezer meal!! You have the nutrient information but what is the serving size??
Hi Rebecca, it’s difficult to give an accurate serving size, but a serving is about 1/8th of the finished pan!
I haven’t made this yet. But what can I subsitute for the white wine?
You can use more chicken broth or just plain water!
Being in a family of 9 kids, I practically grew up on tuna noodle casserole. I can’t wait to make this version!
I hope you enjoy it!!
Hi Becky,
I’m a diehard fan of all your recipes but this one stumped me a little. Your instructions call for onion but there is none listed on the ingredients. I winged it and added a large onion. Turned out delicious!!
I’m sorry about that! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe still!!
This recipe is soooo delicious!! I will be making this for the rest of my life!! Only thing is, there is onion in it, but not listed in the ingredients aspect of it..only if you read the directions it says to saute the onion….I’m like, what onion..so I chopped one medium! Also, I used chopped water chestnuts! Loved it!!!
I’ll look into that!! I’m glad you still enjoyed it!!
I haven’t made this recipe yet but purchased all the ingredients for tonight. In reading the directions step 9 says “In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, add 1-tablespoon oil, 1-tablespoon butter and chopped onion. Cook and stir occasionally until onion is translucent and soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add the onions to the tuna mixture.” But, I don’t see onions in the ingredients and would like to know how much/many “chopped onions” you suggest I use.
Had to rate it before I could enter any comments…might be better than 3 stars?!
One large onion will be enough!
this recipe sounds amazing! I have to let you know that in the directions, step #9, you have chopped onions sautaing ( do not know how to spell, sorry) in melted butter. there are no onions listed in the ingredients. how much onions do you use in this recipe? I would really like to try this!!!
One large onion will work!
I really like to try and cook new recipes for my family ,they really love it and i enjoyed cooking and eating new recipes food .
I’m glad you all enjoyed it so much!!