Tuna Noodle Casserole

Name: Tuna Noodle Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 12 oz wide egg noodles; 2 cans (5 oz each) solid white tuna in water, drained and flaked; 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup; 3/4 cup milk; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1 cup frozen peas; 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar; 1 tsp lemon juice; 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, pepper; Topping: 1 cup crushed butter crackers + 2 tbsp melted butter

Tuna noodle casserole earned fifty years on the family dinner rotation for one reason: it turns pantry staples into real dinner in forty minutes.

Jump to recipe ↓

Creamy tuna noodle casserole with a golden crumb topping

AI-generated recipe illustration

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings

Tuna noodle casserole earned fifty years on the family dinner rotation for one reason: it turns pantry staples into real dinner in forty minutes. Egg noodles, canned tuna, and peas in a creamy sauce under a buttered-crumb top — humble, yes, and completely beloved. Our version adds sharp cheddar and a splash of lemon juice, which cuts the richness and quietly modernizes the whole thing without scaring off the traditionalists at the table. Keep two cans of tuna in the pantry and this dinner is always twenty minutes of prep away.

Ingredients

How to make tuna noodle casserole

Heat the oven to 400°F. Boil the noodles 2 minutes shy of the package time; drain.
In the same pot, stir the soup, milk, sour cream, lemon juice, and seasonings until smooth.
Fold in the noodles, tuna, peas, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Transfer to a greased 9x13.
Top with the remaining cheese, then the cracker crumbs tossed with melted butter.
Bake 20–25 minutes until bubbling at the edges and golden on top. Rest 5 minutes.

Make it your own

Ingredient	Swap	Good to know
Canned tuna	Canned chicken or salmon	Same amounts, same method
Butter crackers	Crushed potato chips or panko + butter	Both classic toppings in their own regions
Cream of mushroom	Cream of celery	For mushroom skeptics
Frozen peas	Frozen peas and carrots	The retro diner version

Storage & leftovers

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Add a spoonful of milk when reheating so the sauce loosens back up.

Freezes acceptably up to 2 months, though the topping softens — re-crisp uncovered in a 400°F oven rather than the microwave.

A few helpful answers

Which tuna is best for casserole?

Solid white albacore in water holds together in visible chunks. Chunk light works and costs less; it just flakes finer into the sauce.

How do I keep the noodles from going mushy?

Undercook them by 2 minutes — they finish in the oven. Fully-boiled noodles plus a bake equals baby food.

Can I make it on the stovetop only?

Yes: use fully cooked noodles, warm everything through in the pot, and skip the topping or toast the crumbs in a dry skillet to sprinkle on.

My family swears by potato chips on top — is that wrong?

It's regionally sacred. Crushed ridged chips, cracker crumbs, buttered panko, even canned fried onions — all correct answers.

ESTIMATED NUTRITION · PER SERVING

460 calories · 28g protein · 46g carbohydrates · 19g fat · 890mg sodium