This tuna noodle casserole is a hot dinner for 8 made from pantry staples. I skip the can of cream soup and make a quick cheddar sauce with butter, flour, and whole milk while the egg noodles boil. Then everything goes into a 9×13 dish with canned tuna and frozen peas, gets a buttered panko topping, and bakes at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a medium saucepan for the sauce. I’ve made it in a small one, and it takes much longer to thicken.
If you want to keep the tuna theme going, Tuna Melt Quesadillas and Tuna Macaroni Salad are both worth keeping on the rotation.
That golden, crackly panko topping on Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole is what gets everyone to the table — and underneath it is a thick cheddar sauce you made yourself, coating every noodle and pea in something genuinely rich. The wide egg noodles hold onto that sauce in a way thinner pasta doesn’t quite manage, and the frozen peas scattered throughout break up the richness in every bite. This is the kind of dinner that belongs on a cold weeknight — when you want something hot and filling that fills the kitchen with a warm, savory smell while it bakes and comes together without hours of work.
The real difference here is the sauce. Instead of opening a can of condensed cream soup, you build a quick butter-and-flour sauce with whole milk on the stovetop — it takes 10 to 15 minutes to thicken properly, but that time overlaps easily with boiling the noodles so nothing is waiting on anything else. A medium saucepan is the right choice for this step; the sauce thickens much faster in a wider pan than in a narrow one. Once the sauce is ready, you stir together the noodles, drained tuna, sauce, the remaining cup of milk, frozen peas, and shredded cheddar in a large bowl, spread it all into a 9×13-inch baking dish, add the cheddar-and-panko topping, and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
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Reader Love
I used elbow macaroni instead of egg noodles, and it turned out great! Really creamy and delicious. Plus, I had most of the ingredients already, so it was super easy to make.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Homemade cheddar sauce — built from butter, flour, and whole milk so it’s creamier and less salty than condensed soup, and it coats the noodles the way a from-scratch sauce should.
- Feeds a crowd for less — eight generous portions from canned tuna, frozen peas, and a short list of pantry staples keeps the cost per serving genuinely low.
- Under an hour start to finish — the oven time is only 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F, and because the sauce and noodles can run at the same time, the active prep goes faster than it looks on paper.
- Real texture on top — buttered panko over a layer of shredded cheddar bakes up into a golden, crunchy crust rather than a soft, uniform top.
- Leftovers reheat well — the casserole stores covered in the refrigerator and comes back to good, saucy consistency in the microwave or oven with a splash of milk stirred in before reheating.
- Easy to adapt — the noodles, protein, vegetables, cheese, and topping all have straightforward swaps, so you can run this recipe with whatever is in the pantry.
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make this recipe
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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- Cook Noodles: Cook the egg noodles following the package instructions until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
- Make Sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add 2 cups of whole milk, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened into a sauce, which may take upwards of 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Recipe Tip: You can cook the sauce simultaneously while the noodles cook, or cook them separately based on your preferences. Make sure not to use too small of a saucepan when making the sauce. A medium-sized pan will make sure that the sauce cooks evenly and thickens properly. I’ve made this sauce in a small saucepan before, and it takes a lot longer for it to thicken compared to when cooking it in a larger pan.
- Combine Casserole Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the cooked noodles, drained tuna, prepared sauce, remaining 1 cup of whole milk, frozen peas, and shredded cheddar.
- Transfer Casserole Mixture To Baking Dish: Spread the noodle mixture in the prepared baking dish.
- Prepare Topping: Sprinkle shredded cheddar atop the casserole. Then, in a small bowl, microwave the butter until melted, then stir in the bread crumbs. Spoon that atop the cheese on the casserole.
- Bake: Bake the casserole until the top is golden brown, which should take about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve: Allow the casserole to cool slightly before spooning out servings.
👉 Easy ingredient swaps
- Egg noodles: Elbow macaroni is a direct swap and performs just as well — one reader used it and reported the casserole came out just as creamy.
- Canned tuna: Canned chicken works for a milder protein swap. Canned salmon also works well, though it has a slightly stronger flavor than tuna, so taste and adjust the seasoning as you go. Canned, pouch, or cooked and flaked frozen salmon (fully thawed before using) all work fine.
- Frozen peas: Frozen corn, diced frozen carrots, or a general frozen vegetable mix are natural swaps that won’t change the prep.
- Shredded cheddar: Mozzarella or Colby jack both melt smoothly into the sauce and over the topping.
- Panko bread crumbs: Regular bread crumbs, crushed Ritz crackers, crushed potato chips, or gluten-free panko all work as the crunchy topping.
✨ Variations
- Stir sautéed mushrooms into the casserole filling before it goes into the baking dish — they soften into the sauce and add an earthy depth that complements the tuna well.
- Add heat with diced jalapeños mixed into the filling or a pinch of ground cayenne stirred into the sauce. Smoked paprika and garlic powder are also good additions that deepen the flavor without changing the character of the dish.
- Swap the panko for crispy French fried onions, added in the last 5 minutes of baking — they give the top a savory, different kind of crunch.
- Fold in extra vegetables with the noodle mixture before spreading it into the baking dish — diced bell peppers, chopped onion, or a handful of spinach all mix in without requiring any extra prep work.
〰️ How to serve
- A Creamy Dill Cucumber Onion Salad is a natural pairing — the cool, acidic notes cut right through the richness of the cheddar sauce.
- Baked Sliced Zucchini is an easy side that can go into the oven while the casserole finishes baking.
- Crusty bread or dinner rolls alongside are useful for getting every bit of sauce from the dish.
- A simple green salad with a light vinaigrette rounds out the meal without any extra cooking time.
💬 FAQs
What is tuna noodle casserole made of?
This version uses wide egg noodles, four 5-ounce cans of tuna in water, and frozen peas, all brought together in a homemade sauce made from butter, flour, and whole milk, seasoned with salt and pepper. Shredded cheddar gets stirred into the filling and layered over the top before baking, and the crust is buttered panko bread crumbs spread over that top layer of cheese and baked until golden brown.
Do you have to cook the noodles before making tuna noodle casserole?
Yes — cook the egg noodles to al dente following the package instructions, then drain them well before combining with the other filling ingredients. The casserole bakes for only 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F, which is not enough time to properly cook raw noodles through. Starting with noodles cooked to al dente means they’ll finish at the right texture in the oven rather than coming out crunchy. Drain them well too, so the excess water doesn’t thin out the sauce when everything gets mixed together.
How should leftover tuna noodle casserole be stored and reheated, and can it be frozen?
Let the casserole cool completely before storing, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat in the microwave, covered, stirring every 30 to 45 seconds until heated through — or in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce has thickened after sitting in the refrigerator, stir in a splash of milk before reheating to bring the creamy consistency back. For freezing, transfer the cooled casserole to an airtight container and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating as described, adding extra milk as needed. Keep in mind that the texture of the pasta and sauce may change slightly after freezing.
What is the best way to make sure the sauce thickens properly?
Two things make a real difference. First, use a medium saucepan rather than a small one — the sauce spreads over more surface area and thickens much faster in a wider pan than in a narrow pot. Second, give it the full 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat after adding the milk, stirring occasionally. It will look thin at first and then gradually come together until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Rushing the heat or using too small a pan can mean a much longer wait, and you may end up with a sauce that is too thin to hold the filling together properly once the casserole comes out of the oven.
Can I make tuna noodle casserole with elbow macaroni?
Yes. Elbow macaroni is a direct swap for the egg noodles. Cook it al dente and drain it well, the same as the noodles. A reader made it this way and said it came out creamy.
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Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
Tuna Casserole:
- 16 ounces wide egg noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk, divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cans (5 ounces each) canned tuna in water, drained
- 1 cup 133 grams frozen peas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Topping:
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Cook Noodles: Cook egg noodles following package instructions until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
- Make Sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, melt butter (see note below). Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add 2 cups of whole milk, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine Casserole Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix cooked noodles, drained tuna, prepared sauce, remaining 1 cup of whole milk, frozen peas, and shredded cheddar.
- Transfer Casserole Mixture To Baking Dish: Spread noodle mixture in prepared baking dish.
- Prepare Topping: Sprinkle shredded cheddar atop casserole. Then, in a small bowl, microwave butter until melted, then stir in bread crumbs. Spoon that atop the cheese on the casserole.
- Bake: Bake casserole until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve: Allow casserole to cool slightly before spooning out servings.
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