Tuna Noodle Casserole
January 11th, 2011 § 48 Comments
If Tuna Helper and green bean casserole decided to steal away to Vegas and get hitched, this would be their someday baby. A little hybrid bundle of joy.
The thing about tuna noodle casserole is that it’s so delightfully classic, so proudly retro, that I’m happy to let it be. Most comfort food recipes, especially those that rely heavily on canned foods and convenience, give me pause. I bite my lip, look upstairs to by brain, and ask, “Can we make this more homemade? Can we make it healthy? [Most importantly] Should we?”
And the truth is, sometimes we should not. Cans of Campbell’s condensed soup, like cans of Aqua Net hairspray, make me smile with nostalgia. And while it’s not quite the olden days, but more just the dayglow surrounding the ’80′s, they remind me of my childhood- an era of fabulous perms and legwarmers.
I’m comforted by this dish. Creamy verging on gooey, warm, and hearty. It has all the savory depth of green bean casserole, from cream of mushroom soup, a sharpness from grated parmesan cheese, and a gentle zing of garlic. But it’s the little pops of sweet peas between my canines and the saltiness of flaked tuna that really dazzle my taste buds. I topped it all with french fried onions because I feel like those trump bread crumbs in nearly every circumstance. I dare you to find something more lovely than a crisp, buttery crust atop a melting cheesy center.
Let me know if you find something. I’ll be here eating things that taste like 1985. And getting a perm.
In a large bowl, stir together 5 cups of cooked pasta, 2 cans of tuna fish, and 2 cups of frozen, unthawed, peas.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Pour that mixture on top of the pasta.
Stir it all together until well combined. Pour it into a lightly greased casserole dish (I used a 13×9″ pan). Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375°F. Remove the foil, sprinkle crushed french fried onions evenly over the top and bake, now uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes.
30 Minute Tuna Noodle Casserole
serves 5
5 cups cooked pasta- I recommend rotini or egg noodles
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked with a fork
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely crushed french fried onions (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the pasta, tuna, and peas in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder, and pepper, and pour over the top of the pasta mixture. Stir to combine and pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the french fried onions evenly over the top and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
I could never let my mother see this post or she’d insist I make it for her. Her two favorite foods are pasta and tuna salad sandwiches, and this seems like a holy union of the two.
Make it for your mom!
I lost my mom a few years ago due to a motorcycle accident. I WISH I could make her this dish.
Make it for your mom this weekend!
You had me at tuna helper. My husband has always made fun of my love for the boxed casserole, but I cannot help myself. I think this is going to have to become my lunch tomorrow!
This takes me back to my childhood and college. One of my college friends knew she could get me to come over if she promised me tuna noodle casserole for lunch, except I’ve always used egg noodles. Whole wheat noodles sound really delicious too.
I don’t eat a lot of casseroles, but I LOVE tuna casserole and this looks delicious. I always put a little bit of chopped jalapeno peppers in my tuna casserole for a little extra kick.
I will be making this soon. Thanks!
Wow, jalapeno sounds like a fabulous addition!
How terrible is it that I’ve never had tuna noodle casserole? I think I missed out on my childhood
Heather! You are missing out, come over for dinner!
You’re after my own heart. SO making this tonight. Tuna noodle casserole is my number one comfort food!
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That looks good!!! With out the peas for me though!!!
I love makin unhealthy foods healthy!
I had never had tuna casserole until last week (I know, shocking!) and I really like it! This is a great version, I like that you added green peas in there too!
I’ve never had or made tuna noodle casserole either. I grew up in England and hadn’t heard of it before I moved to the States. This recipe sounds wonderful and I’m going to try it out this weekend.
Quick question…what size cans of tuna? the small 6oz or the larger 12oz?
Thanks XO
Hi Karen- sorry I should have been more specific. Use 2 of the 5 ounce cans!
Mmm…comfort food at its finest. And I love how you placed it in individual ramekins.
I love canned mushroom soup. There I said it. I know there has to be some group I can join to help me with this. But, in all fairness, I’m only buying the 98% fat free version. I’m ok with that. Is that what one would define as denial? This casserole looks great. Just right for a chilly day.
I’m with you- some traditions should not be messed with. This is how I feel about pretty much any of my dad’s “recipes”. Mostly because they aren’t written down. You just have to watch him, the way he watched his mom, and repeat. Classic. And no- there is nothing in the world known to man more wonderful and comforting than a crunchy, buttery top over cheesy carbs.
so now you are really messing with me.
We love a good tuna noodle casserole. Giada De Laurentiis has a good recipe and that’s the last one I made a while ago, so now I am ready to make another one.
After a night of heavy soul searching and careful consideration, I have decided that I am going to make everything (or attmept too) you post (recipe wise) this year.
Did you think you would get away with double daring me? NO.
If stuffed shrimp wasn’t bad, a comforting bowl of tuna noodle casserole put me over the edge.
So let the Can You Stay For Dinner Challenge Commence.
Oye, what have I gotten myself into???
Bring it!
I’ve never had tuna noodle casserole, but it reminds me of the 60s ha. I will have to try this soon! It looks like a good Friday in Lent type of meal.
Oh, goodness. YUM. There seriously is no better comfort food than tuna casserole. Love this!
Thank you Autumn!
[...] here for her [...]
Thanks for an idea for next week’s menu. love the french fried onions idea. Yum. I agree too, I could use a perm again. It really was quite easy.
Before I saw the ingredients, the dish looked so creamy in the pictures. It doesn’t look healthy at all, but once I started reading the rest, I’m glad your cream of choice is cream of mushroom. Easy enough, hopefully I will be able to make it soon.
Glad you approve
It’s super easy and you can modify it with low fat versions of soup, milk, etc!
I just had breakfast but now I’m hungry again. Ha, ha. Looks SOooo good!!!!
[...] #1 from my make every recipe she posts for a year challenge. I have now made that, plus the Tuna Noodle Casserole and have Chicken Cordon Bleu hot off the press waiting for next week’s [...]
Wow – this looks incredible. Love your blog – I don’t know what is better – the recipes or the writing. both are delectable.
Wow, what a sweet and thoughtful comment! Thank you so much, you’ve made my day
I wanted to come back to let you know that I finally got to try this tonight and it was sooo good and comforting! Even my husband (the Tuna Helper Hater) liked it a lot. His issue with Tuna Helper was that it’s too salty and this was perfectly seasoned. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi
Just wondering, is your oven fan-forced?
Only I cooked this for 20 minutes and its still cold in the middle, so am wondering if I should be doing something differently (my oven isn’t fan forced).
Ooo, I do have a convection oven
Hope it still turned out OK!
It turned out great
Just needed to cook it for around another 15 minutes.
We made this for dinner the other night and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing! I love your blog and not just for the recipes and photography!
[...] With apologies to Andrea for messing with perfection. [...]
I love tuna noodle casserole,I just try to find ways to cut back now on calories, fat and carbs. I use Dreamfields pasta, the 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom soup and fat free half and half to dilute the soup. I’ve never used french fried onion rings, I guess because I associate that with the infamous green bean casserole.
I top my tuna casserole with fat free shredded cheddar. And of course I use peas as you do. It still tastes yummy, it really does.
Hi Andrea, Im wondering how many people can you feed with this recipe? Will 6 people be sufficient?
Thanks.
How many calories is this, tuna noodle casserole?
This yummy looking dish is in the oven as we speak, thanks! Found it on Pintrest! I just wondered if you wanted us to use 1/2 t or 1 t of black pepper… the top recipe with pictures says 1t and the bottom says only 1/2…. I went with 1/2 and can add more later if it’s needed!
I made this last night, and holy cow that’s a lot of food. My family of three ate, one of us had seconds, and there’s easily almost half left, so I’d say it yields 6 generous servings (esp when paired with a veggie on the side).
Here’s the nutrition info for 1/6 the recipe (note: I used skim milk and 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, and omitted the onion topping, plugged ingredients into an internet gadget, so YMMV, etc.): 463 cals, 7 g fat, 70 g carbs, 31 g protein.
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Just made this for lunch…very yummy. I added some bacon and used cream of celery soup (don’t like mushrooms). I also added some red pepper flakes for a little kick. Big hit and it make a ton!!
Nice recipe. You can use cream of celery soup if you’re not crazy about the cr. of mush.- a little herb doesn’t hurt. Dill is good or the standard Mrs. Dash is very good in it. I’ve never thought about using the fried onions on top. It was really good. I also use panko crumbs mixed with parmesan and held together with a little (or alot) of butter or margarine and spread on top. YUM!
I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!
I can’t seem to get enough of your inspiration and I find I glean more every time I read one of your posts. I believe I have read everything (so I apologize if I’m making a request that might already be out there) about how you dealt with portion control. For me, if something is good – I want more… and I tend to give in, even though it won’t taste as good as the first bite. -Diane, who worries she’ll make the TNC and eat the whole damn thing! 