Tuna noodle casserole
like Grandma used to make
Tuna noodle casserole is so underrated and underappreciated. It is a creamy pasta comfort food. When I was young it was a family favorite in many homes. Maybe we can help bring it back.
Like grandma used to make, really?
When I hear the term “like grandma used to make” my perception is the recipe will be made “from scratch”. That’s probably one of my outdated concepts. I know grandmothers my age that don’t cook at all, never mind from scratch! In any case, granny is not cooking this one from scratch. When she is cranking out this casserole she is using a whole lot of prepared food items. 👵
When prepackaged foods started appearing on grocery store shelves, recipes like this one were born. It was a new era. Home cooks could open a can and have what otherwise would take a lot of work!
Recipes, like everything else cycle in and cycle out, but this one is too good to leave behind.
You always remember your first
Tuna noodle casserole was the very first dinner recipe I ever made. Yes, recipe. What did you think I was talking about. 😉 It was a 4H cooking project. I was pretty young. I am sure Mrs. Tower started us with this recipe because it is so easy to make. You don’t need cooking skills. For the most part all you need to know is how to open a can and turn on the oven. Honestly.
I’ve liked tuna noodle casserole from that day on and it’s still a favorite of mine. Three generations of my family have enjoyed it too.
True confessions
This recipe is not Ricky’s. It’s nothing like any of Ricky’s. We have tried to fashion most of our recipes around those he grew up eating, with the goal of giving you easy meal recipes using fresh unprocessed foods. His mother’s cooking was delicious traditional Mediterranean cooking.
Not this recipe. This recipe didn’t come from the “old country”. This recipe is all American circa 1950’s.
So let’s get started on our tuna noodle casserole, one of the easiest recipes you will ever make.
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 5 tablespoons butter or margarine (for casserole and topping) |
| 8 ounce package of mushrooms |
| 3 size 5 ounce cans of white albacore tuna packed in water (or any other canned tuna you like) |
| 1 size 15 ounce can of peas |
| 3/4 cup jarred roasted red pepper cut into small strips (or a small jar pimento) |
| 2 size 10.5 ounce cream of mushroom soup |
| 1/2 teaspoon pepper |
| 8 ounces medium width egg noodles (usually half a bag) |
| 1 cup panko crumbs |
| NOTE: You don’t need to add any salt. There is plenty in the canned ingredients and butter. |
Tuna
I usually use solid white albacore tuna packed in water in my tuna noodle casserole. But I have used other types of canned tuna too. White tuna has a milder taste than those marked as light. If you like the stronger taste of light canned tuna, by all means use that. You can use solid, chunks or flaked tuna. You can use tuna packed in oil also. Whatever you usually use will work in this recipe.
I do not drain the tuna. The water or oil it is packed in has some tuna flavor. We might as well make the most of it and use it.
Roasted red pepper
Jarred roasted red peppers and/or pimento are found in the canned vegetable section or where you get pickles and relishes. You can also find jarred red peppers in the Italian specialty area if your store has one and I have seen pimento in the Latin food section.
So what is the difference? As I understand it, a pimento is a type of pepper that is red and sweet but your everyday sweet red bell pepper is not a pimento. In the past I have used a small jar of pimento in this recipe. The size and flavor is perfect. These days I usually have a larger jar of roasted red peppers in my fridge for other recipes, so I cut some into strips and use them instead of pimento. In this recipe, it makes no difference.
Assuming you don’t use bottled red peppers for anything else, just buy the small jar of pimento.
Canned peas and soup
Any 15 ounce can of peas will do. If you want less peas in the casserole add a smaller can. You can use frozen peas if you want. I would substitute 1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas.
As for the soup, while I usually have a brand name on hand, the store brand is fine for this recipe. As a side note, in days gone by I only had to use 1 can of soup. Older recipes you might find for tuna noodle casserole will probably call for 1 can. But the cans are smaller now. Not quite half the size, but smaller enough that you need to use 2 cans.
This casserole was once one of the cheapest things you could make for dinner. That is not true today. 🙁
PS: If you are looking for a super cheap pasta meal check out our BROCCOLI AND RIGATONI, or our LENTILS WITH PASTA. They are ridiculously inexpensive meals and delicious too.
8 ounces of white mushrooms sliced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine for sautéing
Or you can add one small can of mushrooms, drained
You can skip adding mushrooms all together is you want.
Mushrooms & butter
The original recipe did not call for extra mushrooms. This is a good example of me making more work of a perfectly fine recipe. But I like the extra flavor I get from the mushrooms sautéed in butter.
If you just want more mushrooms without the extra work, you can add a small can of mushrooms and skip the sautéing. I have done that too.
1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Panko crumbs and butter for a crust on top
When I made that very first tuna casserole, our 4H leader had us use crushed potato chips for the crust on top. I have to say that worked great and I made it that way for many years. The crushed chips had it’s own oil and saltiness plus they are crunchy. But I don’t keep chips around the house any more. To have them is to eat them, so since I am usually making this recipe from ingredients I have on hand I have experimented with other toppings.
I have found that plain panko crumbs with some added melted butter or margarine works for me. It’s just crunchy enough. If you don’t have panko crumbs you can use plain bread crumbs with melted butter. Because the flavors in the casserole are bland, I do not use seasoned crumbs because they would add a bunch of other flavors the casserole doesn’t need. We are not adding the topping for flavor. The topping keeps the top layer of noodles from getting hard and dry.
1/2 pound medium wide egg noodles (usually 1/2 bag)
Noodles
Medium or wide egg noodles are traditionally the pasta used in this casserole. But you can use anything you have on hand. I have even used spaghetti broken into pieces. Whatever pasta you are using, I suggest you use 1/2 pound. The casserole is going to be baked. During the baking time the noodles will continue to absorb moisture and swell. Too much pasta produces a dry casserole with very little flavor or texture.
This is WHAT TO DO:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Ladies and gentlemen … Get your can openers ready. 😂
Yup, we are going to open a lot of cans.
Sauté the mushrooms
I didn’t always make this tuna noodle casserole with fresh mushrooms. I added one small can of drained mushrooms instead. Yes, one more can to open. You don’t even have to do that. I like mushrooms and since there is so little mushroom in cream of mushroom soup, I add some. I like the additional flavor of the butter that I use for sautéing also. None of the ingredients in this tuna noodle casserole are stand out flavors, they just meld together nicely to make a satisfying creamy pasta comfort food.
Slice the mushrooms if you bought them whole. Sauté them in 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine until they are slightly browned.
Turn the heat off when the mushrooms are done. The remainder of the ingredients will cook when the casserole is in the oven.
Boil the noodles
Get salted water on the stove to boil the noodles. I don’t start boiling the noodles until I have mixed all the other ingredients together. If you are using the medium noodles they are only going to take about 5 minutes to cook. The casserole is going to be baked and you don’t want mushy noodles. On the package directions they usually suggest how long to cook the pasta. Use then shortest time suggested when you make this recipe.
Save the pasta water!
We need the pasta water to thin out the mixture. The cream of mushroom soup is really thick. There is nothing in this casserole which is going to render any moisture, so we need to add some liquid and pasta water is perfect for this.
Bring on the cans
Add the canned/jarred ingredients. Then add the soup, ground pepper and noodles.
Adding the pasta water
I use this metal mesh spoon to ladle the noodles into the skillet. You can use any slotted spoon. It doesn’t matter if some of the pasta water is going in with the noodles. We are going to add more pasta water as you mix the casserole ingredients together in the skillet.
When you get the noodles spooned into the skillet, measure out 2 cups of pasta water. Add 1 cup of the pasta water before you start mixing the noodles in with the other ingredients. The soup is thick, you need to thin it out before you start stirring. As you mix, add in the other 1 cup of pasta water. The soup will be much thinner, more the consistency of a bowl of soup.
Pour the ingredients into a casserole dish
If you opted to use a small can of mushrooms rather than to sauté fresh mushrooms in butter, you can just mix all the ingredients together right in the casserole dish. There will be no need for a skillet. The only thing you are cooking in the skillet are the mushrooms.
Use any baking dish or casserole dish that will hold the ingredients. You don’t need to grease the dish first.
Get your topping ready
We are adding melted butter to the crumbs so they will turn golden brown in the oven. Adding moisture to the crumbs also helps to keep the topping from soaking up moisture from the casserole.
Melt the extra 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. I usually use defrost power for 30 seconds at a time. It generally takes 1 minute.
Add the melted butter to the panko crumbs
Cover the top of the casserole with the panko crumbs.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees
Serve
TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
Ingredients
- 3 cans tuna 5 ounce cans white albacore or your choice
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounce cans
- 1 can green peas 15 ounce can
- 3/4 cup roasted red pepper jarred or small jar pimento
- 8 ounces egg noodles medium width (usually half a bag)
- 8 ounces mushrooms white or your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoons butter or margarine for sautéing and topping
- 1 cup panko crumbs
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Slice the mushrooms if you bought them whole
- Open the cans
- Get salted water on for boiling noodles
Cooking Instructions
- In a large skillet saute the mushrooms in 3 tablespoons butter until lightly browned. Turn the heat off when the mushrooms are done. The rest of the ingredients are going to cook in the oven.
- Add the tuna, peas, and roasted peppers or pimento to the skillet.
- Boil the noodles. Don't overcook them. Cook for the least time suggested on directions. Save the pasta water.
- Add the soup and ground pepper to the skillet.
- With a slotted spoon, scoop the noodes from the water and add them to the skillet with 1 cup of pasta water. Gently mix everything together. Add 1 more cup pasta water to the mixture while you are mixing.
- Pour or ladle the mixture into a baking dish or casserole dish. You don't need to grease it first
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and mix it into the panko crumbs.
- Top the casserole with the buttered crumbs.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.