Best Tuna Noodle Casserole Ever (Just Like Mom Made!)
This tuna noodle casserole from scratch has zero canned soup and is just like my mom (and grandma!) used to make, with a creamy sauce, egg noodles, green peas, and tuna, topped with buttery breadcrumbs.
Recipe Makes (Approximate): servings
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large wooden spoon
- colander
- 8x12 casserole dish 2 ½ quarts
- Oven
- medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
- whisk
- Small microwave-safe bowl
- Spoon or small silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- 8 cups water
- ½-1 tablespoon salt
- 8 ounces uncooked egg noodles (see Notes)
For the Cream Sauce
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour (see Notes)
- 2 ½ cups whole milk (at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
- 1 cup shredded fresh cheddar cheese (at room temperature)
For the Casserole
- 1 5-ounce can chunk light tuna in water (drained, flaked; see Notes)
- ¾ cup frozen green peas
- ½ cup shredded fresh cheddar cheese (at room temperature)
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (plain or Italian seasoned; see Notes)
- 1 large pinch salt (more or less to taste)
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
For the Noodles
- Add 8 cups water to large pot and place pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. Bring water to boil, then add ½-1 tablespoon salt. Stir to incorporate.
- When salted water begins to boil, add 8 ounces uncooked egg noodles and stir to incorporate. Boil noodles for shortest amount of time indicated on noodle packaging.
- Once noodles have boiled for desired length of time, immediately pour noodles and water into colander. Drain noodles very well, then transfer noodles to casserole dish. Set dish aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit while preparing cream sauce.
For the Cream Sauce
- Add 5 tablespoons unsalted butter to medium saucepan and place pan on stovetop over low heat. Heat saucepan until butter is almost completely melted, stirring butter occasionally.
- Cook flour mixture over low heat approximately 1 minute, stirring constantly, until mixture turns golden and begins to bubble.
- When all milk has been added, return saucepan to heat and increase heat to medium. Simmer mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened and begins to bubble.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Add 1 cup shredded fresh cheddar cheese in small increments, whisking constantly, until all cheese has been incorporated and melted.
For the Casserole
- Place casserole dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole 15 minutes while preparing breadcrumb topping.
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- Place 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter in 15-second increments, stirring well between each burst, until butter is melted but not bubbling or boiling. Carefully remove bowl from microwave.
- Add 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and 1 large pinch salt to bowl with melted butter. Stir ingredients together until well blended, with all breadcrumbs completely buttered.
To Serve
- Return baking dish to oven. Bake casserole 5 minutes more or until cheese layer is melted and bubbly, then carefully remove dish from oven and set aside. Let casserole rest 3 to 5 minutes.
- Garnish casserole with chopped fresh parsley if desired and serve warm with preferred sides.
Recipe Notes
Tuna: A 5-ounce can of tuna only contains about 3 to 3 ½ ounces of actual tuna once the liquid is drained. You're welcome to use 2 cans instead of just 1 to make sure there's plenty of protein.
Cheddar Cheese: Instead of using prepackaged shredded cheese, I recommend buying a block of fresh cheddar and shredding it yourself. Prepackaged shredded and grated cheeses typically contain starches and other fillers to prevent clumping, but they can make the cheese grainy and keep it from melting like it should.
Dairy Products: To ensure your dairy products don't seize, separate, or curdle, bring them to room temperature before starting this recipe. Remove the saucepan from direct heat before incorporating any dairy ingredients, to prevent heating them too quickly.
Make it Gluten Free: Substitute egg noodles with the same amount of gluten-free noodles. Use gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of regular flour. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs, make some out of gluten free bread, or omit the breadcrumb topping entirely.
Nutrition Information (Approximate)
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 371calProtein: 17gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 831mgPotassium: 280mgTotal Carbs: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gNet Carbs: 30gVitamin A: 730IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 276mgIron: 1mg