Tuna Noodle Casserole (Favorite Childhood Recipe Series)
This Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe classic comfort food at its best!
For our Favorite Childhood Recipe series, we asked our Hip2Save Facebook readers to weigh in on their favorite throwback recipes. Spoiler alert: Tuna Noodle Casserole was the most popular response!
This classic dish earned its place in the family recipe hall of fame because it’s super easy to make any night of the week and it requires only inexpensive pantry ingredients.
The result is creamy casserole perfection!
Everyone may have their own version of tuna noodle casserole, but this is the one my family loves. I use egg noodles, cheddar cheese, peas, and crispy onions on top. The sauce is perfectly creamy and the onions add a nice crunch on top, but you could always use breadcrumbs if preferred.
Hip tip: Not a tuna fan? Substitute with canned or leftover shredded chicken.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
yield: 6 SERVINGS
prep time: 15 MINUTES
cook time: 25 MINUTES
total time: 40 MINUTES
Creamy pasta mixed with chunks of tuna, peas, and topped with crunchy fried onions! YUM!
Ingredients
- 6 oz. dried wide noodles
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2- 5 oz. cans tuna, drained
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- 1/2 cup crispy onions
Directions
1
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions on the stove. Drain.
2
Mix together cooked noodles, soup, tuna, milk, cheese, and peas.
3
Pour mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.
4
Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered. Top with crispy onions and bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool and serve warm.
Additional Notes
Loosely adapted from Better Homes & Gardens: New Cookbook
My family loves this retro dish!
I didn’t personally grow up eating too many casseroles as a child, but I came to love them after marrying someone from the Midwest! 🙂 When we were first married, I was looking for simple meal ideas, and my hubby’s mom gave me this easy recipe because it was his favorite. I LOVE a great casserole now, and this is definitely one of our family’s faves! ❤️
Do you own The New Cook Book?
This Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe is loosely based on the one featured in the classic Better Home & Gardens: New Cook Book. If you enjoy cooking classic dishes, or if you’re a beginner cook, I definitely recommend this one!
I bought a version of this cookbook when I got married, and it’s definitely one of my favorite cookbooks to refer to. I use the waffle recipe, the macaroni and cheese recipe, salad dressings, cake and frosting recipes, and more!
My all time favorite recipe as a kid was Beef Stroganoff! My mom made it with sliced strips of steak, sour cream, butter, spices and egg noodles. I still ask for it every birthday 🙂
YUMMY 👍! I love that also.
This is definitely my childhood favorite! So glad to see it here, I will be making this one soon!
Thanks Lissa! Enjoy 😉
We just use a box of mac n cheese….fix it according to box, add mushroom soup, peas and 2 cans of tuna. Way better than any Tuna Helper!
Wow! Great tip – thanks for sharing 👍
that’s how we did it. a box of kraft, the cheese, mushroom soup, tuna fish, peas, crush up potato chips bake for a few minutes
My mom used this same basic recipe but substituted cream of chicken since none of us like mushrooms. She would also use crushed potato chips on top instead of the fried onions.
I’ve been wanting to make a GF & Keto versions of Tuna Noodle made with zucchini noodles. I just need to find a recipe for the canned soup since I can’t find any GF in our area. Anyone have a recipe?
You can make a GF version that’s also compatible w/ keto by using xanthan gum or guar gum…but be careful b/c miniscule amounts go a very long way!
My Mom always used potato chips on the top. That was my favorite part!
Oh YUM!
progressive makes gluten free cream of mushroom and cream of chicken
I was so craving this a few weeks ago and had to make a keto version. Basically just tuna, mayo and cheese heated up 😂 not the same without peas
Haha I understand. By the way, kinda related, I shared these great Keto tuna melts on Hip2Keto you may like! https://hip2save-com-develop.go-vip.co/hip2keto/recipe/spicy-keto-tuna-melt-cups/
I have that red and white checkered Better Homes cook book. I thought you some how took a picture of mine:) because mine looks just like that (well loved). I too got it as a wedding gift in 1975. My favorite cook book. When I was starting out cooking so many years ago I loved the measurement section and the substitute section. Both were very helpful.
That’s awesome! And this happens to be my sweet mother in law’s well loved book that I photographed recently ❤️ I love her version.
I knew so many friends that grew up eating Tuna Noodle casserole. All I can say is YUCK. And I tried my fair share of those casseroles over the years. I would be polite and take a small spoonful and pretend to eat it, by moving the noodles around and taking a bite of the peas.
Sorry, but you know there’s that ONE dish that you can’t stand. This one, along with Hamburger Helper are the dishes that I turn my nose up at!
Oh funny – ya sometimes folks are casserole fans and sometimes not. I understand! 😊
Have you ever tried a casserole that’s made from scratch, using fresh ingredients and is seasoned well? That makes all the difference in the world IMO. I used to *hate* it when people would serve me green bean casserole, but one day I decided to make it myself using crisp-tender green beans that I had blanched briefly, homemade cream of mushroom soup that I made w/ roasted chicken broth and fresh mushrooms, and seasoned it w/ a bunch of herbs and spices (salt, shallots, garlic, chives, and pepper), and topped it w/ homemade fried onions…it was FANTASTIC.
Canned tuna is pretty underwhelming by itself but if you made this w/ chicken, used a cheese like sharp cheddar or pepper jack for more flavor, and made the cream soup base yourself then it has the potential to be REALLY good!
I like tuna casserole. My husband does not. When he asks me ‘What’s for dinner’ if I tell him tuna casserole he asks if I am mad at him. Haha.
It’s a super budget friendly meal so if you are watching your grocery budget it’s nice to have lots of ideas.
Lina ,this is so funny. My husband just ordered the anniversary CorningWare casserole dish for me for my anniversary which is today I told my husband the first dish I want to make when I get it is my mom’s tuna noodle casserole. thanks so much for the throwback. And my mom’s cookbook looks like that one ..lol..keep up the good work and God bless
YES!!! Happy Anniversary and here’s to some great meals in that CorningWare! I love it <3
This looks yummy! Lina, what state is your husband from in the midwest? I live in Minnesota and we grew up on casseroles and hot dishes too!!!😁
Aw yay! He’s from Lafayette, Indiana 😊
Lafayette, Indiana. Home to Purdue Boilermakers and a fabulous community.
The best farms and hard working people.
Arni’ s Pizza King and Seyfert’s potato chips.
I lived in California for 17 years and it was a huge culture shock!
Indiana says,
pop or Coke instead of soda.
A brown paper grocery bag is a “sack”.
No freeways here, just interstates.
No carpool lanes.
Indiana has tornados, ice storms and blizzards, California has earthquakes and wildfires.
I lived a lifetime I California.
Thank God I’m home again in Indiana!
Wow! Yes I know all of what you are saying! LOL He can’t live without Arni’s <3
was going to mention that! not saying healthiest but so good!
thx ☺
It’s basically my moms version of Shepards pie but it has been fed to and shared with so many over the years. Basically just a pound of hamburg mixed with two packets of mushroom gravy powder until it is like a beefy gravy. Then we serve it over fresh mashed potatoes and throw some corn on top! Every now and then I throw this combo into a pie crust for my kids, because they looooove pie crust. It’s so easy and just makes me smile that we’ve made it almost the same way as my mom!
I have some older cookbooks, they are just to look at. But I make tuna casserole for my husband. I haven’t thought about cheese, but I will try that. He likes the fried onions or crushed potato chips, the ones at the bottom of the bag are perfect to top his casserole.
Off topic a bit- but I tried your 5 meal Aldi plan this week, and it was awesome!! I did the chicken stuffing casserole the first day, but doubled the chicken boiled, my son made the chili the second day, then I used his leftover chili and the doubled chicken to make the enchiladas. Such a delicious and no stress week! (The other two days were steak and veggies and a homemade tomato soup) thanks again!
Oh my gosh this made my day Melissa! I’m so happy that was a success ❤️
MelissaS please tell me about your homemade tomato soup!!
Hi Lina! I used to have this cookbook, it was given to me by my sweet neighbor as a bridal shower gift in 1973. Sadly it has disappeared …I have bought two other books that I thought would replace mine but neither is the same publication and many of my loved recipes aren’t included in the newer books. Can you please tell me the publication date of your Recipe Book? I truly love tuna so Tuna Casserole is one of my favorite casseroles.
I loved my mother’s tuna casserole but none of my children liked tuna as youngsters. So instead of tuna I used diced ham. That is still one of their favorite casseroles. They also didn’t like tuna sandwiches but I if I used 1 can of tuna and 1 can of chicken and told them it was chicken salad, they ate it. Anyway, as adults they all love tuna now, but I still have to add the chicken for the sandwiches.
Hi – Quick question . . . I’m making this as we speak . . Is it only using SIX ounces of dried egg noodles?? That just doesn’t seem like it’s very many noodles. So I just want to make sure.
Ya I just looked it up in the BHG cookbook and they say 3 cups – cooked (4 oz. dry) so I have 6 oz. listed which is slightly more. But you can do more if you think!
Thank you!