Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch is a quick and easy recipe loaded with tuna, egg noodles, peas, and a creamy, cheesy, homemade white sauce. That's right...this is a recipe for tuna casserole without soup!
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When I need to get dinner on the table in a flash but didn't exactly plan ahead, I often find myself throwing together a one-pot, stovetop recipe based around ground beef. But {gasp}...sometimes there's nary a pound of ground beef to be found in the fridge or freezer! And on those occasions, it's nice to have a recipe in my arsenal that relies on a common, nonperishable, pantry staple instead. Canned tuna just so happens to be perfect for making Tuna Noodle Casserole from scratch!
Who didn't eat tuna casserole as a kid? I remember my mom making it, and I remember enjoying it. But for some reason, I've only sporadically thought to cook it for my own family over the years. So a few weeks ago, when I had one of those it's-5-o'clock-and-I-don't-have-anything-planned-for-dinner moments of panic, I spied two cans of tuna in the pantry...and it was easy Tuna Noodle Casserole to the rescue!
I decided I wanted to keep things as simple as possible and assemble everything on the stove rather than popping a dish in the oven.
I also wanted said simple recipe to be homemade, with nary a can of condensed cream of X to be included...AKA, tuna casserole from scratch and without soup!
How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
So I put a big pot of water on to boil and got the egg noodles going while I started a basic bechamel sauce in another skillet.
I know, I know...bechamel sounds all fancy and frou-frou and French.
But y'all...it's so, so easy. In fact, it involves nothing more than melting butter, whisking in flour, and ultimately adding milk to make a creamy, dreamy white sauce.
Once the sauce was thick and silky, I seasoned it and stirred in a big handful of grated cheddar cheese plus two cans of drained tuna.
In the meantime, my noodles were almost done, so I dumped some frozen peas into the boiling pasta water to cook for the last minute or two.
Then I drained the noodles and peas, stirred them into the cheesy, tuna-flecked, white sauce...
...and sprinkled the whole skillet with a mixture of crushed butter crackers and grated Parmesan.
In less than 20 minutes, dinner was on the table!
The BEST Easy Tuna Casserole
So did my kids love this from-scratch Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole as much as I recall enjoying the recipe from my childhood? Well, both of my boys scarfed it down. And my (pickypickypicky) daughter actually allowed it to occupy space on her plate. Believe me...that's a win around these parts.
But the greatest affirmation came later that evening, when I went to put away the paper where I'd scrawled down the recipe as I made it. I saw that my 9-year-old had written "YUMMY" at the bottom, along with a big smiley face and his signature. Hey, it's not often that something I cook garners legit graffiti on my recipe notes.
With Lent upon us, my family will be avoiding meat on Fridays and putting Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch into regular rotation instead. But I have no doubt that this recipe's popularity at our house will continue long after Easter!
After all, such an easy, tasty, comforting meal deserves to be enjoyed year-round! I mean, I've got recipe graffiti to prove it. 😉
Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- You may use your favorite type of canned tuna, but I prefer water-packed to keep the calories down. I also prefer chunk light (skipjack/tongol) over chunk white (albacore) because of lower mercury levels.
- The way the recipe is written is the fastest way to make it. However, if you don't mind it taking a little longer and you'd prefer to conserve on dirty dishes, you can make everything in the same pot. Start out by boiling the noodles and peas (as directed) in a large pot or Dutch oven. Drain them into a colander, rinse with hot water, and set aside. Then proceed with the recipe by melting the butter in the same pasta pot and making the white sauce (as directed). Finally, add the noodles and peas back to the pot at the very end.
- The first time I made this easy Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe, we really enjoyed the addition of fresh parsley. But I didn't have any on hand when I made the recipe again and took the pictures for this post. So parsley is included as an option in the recipe...even though it's not shown in these photos.
More Easy Seafood Dinner Ideas
- Classic Tuna Pasta Salad
- Baked Halibut with Lemon Garlic Butter
- Baked Salmon with Garlic & Parsley
- Salmon Patties
Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 2 (6-ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, optional
- ½ cup crushed butter cracker crumbs, optional
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the egg noodles and cook per package directions. A minute or so before the noodles are done, add the frozen peas to the boiling water. Once the noodles are cooked to your liking, drain the noodles and peas and set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking, set another large pot, pan, or skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and swirl until melted. Stir in the flour and continuously whisk for 2 minutes. Continue to whisk vigorously as you slowly and gradually pour in the milk. Stir until smooth and bring to a simmer, whisking regularly to prevent the bottom from burning. Cook for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Gradually blend in the cheddar until melted, and then stir in the drained tuna and the parsley, if using.
- Stir the drained noodles and peas into the sauce and mix until everything is well coated. If desired, combine the cracker crumbs and the Parmesan in a small bowl and evenly sprinkle the mixture over the entire skillet. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The way the recipe is written is the fastest way to make it. However, if you don't mind it taking a little longer and you'd prefer to conserve on dirty dishes, you can make everything in the same pot. Start out by boiling the noodles and peas (as directed) in a large pot or Dutch oven. Drain them into a colander, rinse with hot water, and set aside. Then proceed with the recipe by melting the butter in the same pasta pot and making the white sauce (as directed). Finally, add the noodles and peas back to the pot at the very end.
Nutrition
Originally published on March 2, 2017.
I make a casserole like this with two small additions — a chopped stalk of celery and small chopped onion added to the melted butter and sauteed until soft before adding the flour. (I add veggies wherever I can!)
Also, I read somewhere that we should not drain the liquid around tuna before using it, since it comes from the tuna itself as it heats up during the canning process. It contains good nutrients from the tuna, including the good fats from the fish, so we should just stir it back into the tuna and eat it. This makes sense to me, so that is what I do.
My kids really enjoyed this and requested that I make it again! We used a mix of frozen peas and carrots. Also added a bit of onion powder as well. Thanks for a great recipe.
Excellent and easy recipe.
This was not good. I figured if I gave it one star, they wouldn't post m comment.
Hi Nick! I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy this recipe. I moderate comments to prevent spam/hateful speech from coming through, but I do publish 1-star comments just the same as I publish 5-star comments. I'd love to help you troubleshoot, though, if you could give me any details about what made this recipe "not good"?
Just made this for dinner tonight. I loved how quick and easy it was to make. I has to use what I had on hand for substitutes, but it worked! I used almond milk, frozen broccoli instead of peas, and nutritional yeast for the grated Colby. My husband, absolutely loved it, and he is a far cry from a health nut. Thank you so much for this recipe! I will be making it often.
Hi! I have been given some smoked salmon...will it work in the white sauce ? Thanks!
I don't see why not! 🙂
Super simple.i used almond milk instead of real milk due to allergies and no cheese . The sauce came out creamy and like it would if used with normal milk. I also added a bit of onion and garlic to my melting butter. My kids loved it .
Can I replace egg noodles with spaghetti in this dish?
Hi Denise! You can swap out the pasta in this recipe, but if necessary, just be ready to make slight adjustments during cooking to the liquid ratio and cooking time. 🙂
I don't eat tuna because of the mercury . So I substituted Costco Kirkland Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon (boneless and skinless). It came out absolutely delicious!
No sweet onions, no garlic????......I used macaroni pasta and added chopped Artichoke hearts as well as a 1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, and a generous handful of sliced Crimini mushrooms sauteed in the butter before making the bechemel. A little extra work perhaps, but elevates this recipe, and only adds another 5 minutes or so to prep !