Cheesy Tuna Casserole is yummy family fare. The casserole is easy, affordable, kid-friendly, and goes from pantry to table in under 30 minutes. Using an oven-safe skillet makes even less clean-up for this creamy, cheesy tuna casserole. No separate bowls or casserole dishes to wash. It's easy comfort food!
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Time needed
If you mix all the other ingredients while the egg noodles are cooking, you can have this tuna noodle casserole in the oven in under 10 minutes. Cheesy Tuna Casserole needs to bake for about 20 minutes, so it goes from pantry to table in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients needed for Cheesy Tuna Casserole
- frozen peas and carrots
- vegetable oil
- celery
- small onion
- dry medium egg noodles
- condensed cream of chicken soup
- condensed cheddar cheese soup
- canned tuna
- shredded cheddar cheese
- garlic salt
- black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Cheesy Tuna Casserole
Start cooking the egg noodles as directed to attain an al dente texture.
While the noodles are cooking, finely dice the celery and onion.
In a large oven-proof skillet, sauté the celery and onion in the vegetable oil until tender but not brown.
Remove from heat and add the soups, tuna, peas & carrots, garlic salt, and pepper to the celery and onions. Gently mix well.
Gently fold in the cooked and drained egg noodles into the sauce mixture and sprinkle the top with shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Variations
Meat. The tuna can be swapped out with chicken if you have picky eaters, or for a vegetarian option, increase the amount of veggies and omit the tuna.
Vegetables. Mixed vegetables can be used in place of peas and carrots.
Noodles. Swap out your favorite cooked pasta for the egg noodles: spiral pasta works well, or use seasonal shaped pasta (pumpkins, snowmen, leaves, etc.) when available.
Sauce. Switch up the soup used in the sauce if you like. Cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup can be used in place of cream of chicken soup.
Storage
Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days. I have never frozen Cheesy Tuna Casserole, but when freezing pasta dishes a best practice is to undercook the pasta and freeze before baking. To use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake for 20 minutes at 350ºF. Eat within 3 months for best texture.
To freeze, print label and attach between layer of freezer wrap.
Cheesy Tuna Casserole Date____________________
Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake uncovered at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Common questions about Tuna Casserole
How do I keep tuna noodle casserole from getting dry?
The longer that noodles sit in sauce, the more they absorb the sauce and the casserole becomes dry. Try not to make the casserole too far ahead. If you need to prep ahead, try combining the sauce ingredients and storing separately from the cooked noodles until just ready to bake. If the sauce seems too dry, you can add chicken broth or water a little at a time to attain the consistency you want.
Is tuna casserole good the next day?
Absolutely! In fact, we really like the way the noodles crisp up when heating it a second time. You can reheat leftover cheesy tuna casserole in the microwave or a 350ºF oven.
What kind of tuna should I use?
I like to choose my seafood based on sustainable practices, and pole and line caught albacore limits by-catch as well as being a species of tuna that is not overfished. I usually purchase Wild Planet Albacore, but you can use your favorite canned tuna.
Can tuna casserole be frozen?
Cheesy Tuna Casserole can be frozen. See our "Storage" section above for best practices when freezing pasta dishes.
Recipe
Cheesy Tuna Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces water-packed tuna, drained & broken up
- 1 small onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces frozen peas & carrots, thawed & drained
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 12 ounces dry medium egg noodles
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Cook 12 ounces dry medium egg noodles as directed to an al dente texture.
- While noodles are cooking, thaw 12 ounces frozen peas & carrots and finely dice 1 small onion and 1 stalk celery.
- In a large oven-proof skillet, sauté the celery and onion in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until tender but not brown.
- Remove from heat and add 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup, 10.5 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup, 10 ounces water-packed tuna (drained), peas and carrots, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper to the celery and onions and mix well.
- Gently fold in cooked and drained noodles.
- Top with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Cata
Delicious, nice, and easy!! Used with food I already ahd in cupboard. Missed onions because out, but still delicious! Thank you!
Mary Ann
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting.