Dinner is simple when you make this easy, cheesy and delicious tuna noodle casserole! No boxed noodles and powdered cheese here! Try this tuna casserole as is or use chicken instead! It’s the perfect frugal dinner recipe any family will love!
Does anyone else remember the days of tuna noodle casserole being served for dinner? It was that famous blue box, a can of peas and a can of tuna. I loved my Mama but bless her heart, she could not cook. As a result, we ate a lot of blue box and tuna for dinner.
I can’t even eat the blue box by itself these days for this reason.
Part of the reason why I can’t stand it is that these days, my tastes are a bit more complicated. I love food and when I eat, I want plenty of flavor; especially when I make a tuna noodle casserole recipe. This super easy casserole recipe has the ease of a classic tuna casserole recipe with the flavor that everyone; grown ups alike, will love!
What Are The Ingredients in a Tuna Casserole?
That’s why this particular recipe uses what I would say are grown up ingredients. Egg noodles, olive oil, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup and so on all come together to make a creamy sauce that may just make you want to lick the casserole dish!
I kid. Maybe.
Just be sure to let the skillet cool before you lick it.
Can I Make This Tuna Noodle Casserole with Chicken or Turkey?
If you don’t like the taste of tuna, you can easily swap it out and make this with chicken or turkey. The flavor stays the same no matter which one you use.
Tuna does tend to be a little cheaper though so if you’re looking to stretch your food budget, I would opt to keep tuna as the protein. However, if you do have a picky eater, there’s no worry about changing things up.
What Can I Top Tuna Noodle Casserole With?
The recipe itself calls for your casserole to be topped with fried onions. However, not everyone likes them or keeps them in their pantry. Luckily, you can top yours with things such as crushed potato chips, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, Italian seasoned bread crumbs or crushed Ritz cracker crumbs without changing the flavor too much.
Keep in mind that the onions do add some flavor to the final dish. If you change the topping, you will change the flavor somewhat. It just shouldn’t be enough to really matter much.
How Long Can Tuna Noodle Casserole Sit Out?
Like any dish that includes seafood, you will want to store any leftover tuna noodle casserole in the refrigerator in an airtight container as quickly as possible once dinner is done. At the absolute max, it can sit out around an hour and half to two hours.
After that, you run the risk of it making your family sick from bacteria that can settle in the tuna.
Can I Make Tuna Casserole Ahead of Time?
Somewhat. There are things you can do ahead of time to make the prep work easier, but unless you are planning on freezer cooking, I suggest you make it fresh for the most part for the best flavor.
Prepwork such as dicing the onion and sauteeing the mushrooms can be done ahead. However, I would cook noodles and make the sauce only when you’re ready to put the casserole itself together. If you do plan to freeze this tuna casserole, cook the noodles barely al dente so that they don’t become mushy later on when you reheat it.
Can you freeze tuna noodle casserole?
Yes! This casserole recipe is freezer friendly too! If you’re planning on freezing it, use a 8 x 8 foil baking pan with lid like THESE. Make the tuna noodle casserole recipe as written but stop before adding the french fried onions and freeze instead.
It’s super simple!
How to Reheat Tuna Noodle Casserole?
To cook your frozen tuna noodle casserole, thaw completely before you bake it. Add the french fried onions after it’s thawed and bake as directed. Whether you freeze it or not, this tuna casserole recipe really does come together for a cheap family meal very quickly!
Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Knife
- Mesh Strainer
- Large Skillet
- Medium Stockpot
- 8×8 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Tuna drained or 1.5 c. shredded chicken or turkey breast
- 3 tbsp. Olive oil
- ½ lg. White onion diced
- 3-4 med. Bella mushrooms washed and sliced
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- ½ c. Sour cream
- 1 10.5 oz can Cream of mushroom soup
- ¾ c Milk
- 8 oz Egg Noodles or Rotini
- 1 c Colby jack cheese shredded
- 1 c French fried onions
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees then slice the mushrooms and dice the onions. Lightly grease your baking dish with cooking spray. Start water for pasta. While the water is heating, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and mushrooms and saute until the onions are translucent. After the onions are done, cook pasta until al dente (7 minutes or so).3 tbsp. Olive oil, 1/2 lg. White onion , 3-4 med. Bella mushrooms, 8 oz Egg Noodles
- Add mushroom soup, cream cheese, sour cream, milk and garlic powder to the frying pan and heat until it’s hot. Season with salt and pepper to your tastes once its hot.4 oz Cream cheese, 1/2 c. Sour cream, 1 10.5 oz can Cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 c Milk, 1 tsp. Garlic powder, Salt, Pepper
- Drain the pasta well and add to the pan and stir to mix. Make sure your pasta gets covered well.
- Once you’ve mixed the pasta well, add the tuna (make sure it is well drained) or cooked chicken to your pan and mix it all up again. Pour the mixture into your baking dish.8 oz. Tuna
- Add the shredded cheese on top.1 c Colby jack cheese
- Sprinkle the french fried onions on top.1 c French fried onions
- Bake at 375° F for 10 minutes or just until the onions are golden brown. Serve hot.
Notes
- To freeze: Stop just before adding fried onions and freeze. To cook from frozen, thaw fully, add the onions and bake as directed.
- Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not be correct. Please use discretion if you have a special diet.
