This cheesy tuna noodle casserole recipe is budget-friendly and easy to make from scratch for the perfect weeknight meal! For a slight twist on classic tuna casserole, it has Old Bay Seasoning and a buttered toast topping.
It’s just a fact of life: anyone growing up in the late ‘80s and/or early ‘90s most likely had to endure some variation of tuna casserole. Frequently, in my case.
Specifically, I remember my mom making three different kinds of tuna casserole.
Different Types of Tuna Casserole
The first type of tuna casserole my mom made growing up was our family favorite. It's a vintage recipe straight from the Depression Era that also happened to be a favorite of my great-grandfather. It was a creamy tuna mix topped with brown sugar-sweetened potato chips. Its legacy deserves to live on, and I definitely need to share this heirloom recipe with you at some point.
Mom also made a layered toast and tuna casserole with cream of mushroom soup and peas. Even though I didn’t outright hate it, this was my least favorite tuna casserole growing up.
Of course we couldn’t claim to be a family familiar with tuna casserole if there wasn’t also a cheesy tuna noodle variation in our dinner rotation! There was, and we were in fact familiar with it.
The good thing about eating a lot of tuna casserole growing up is that we all loved tuna, lol. I can see why mom mom made it so much; canned tuna is an affordable source of protein!
Cheesy Tuna Casserole From Scratch (aka Homemade Tuna Helper!)
Until recently, it had been years since I even thought of tuna casserole. And then out of nowhere, I was suddenly craving Tuna Helper something fierce!
I saw an opportunity to take a classic childhood comfort food and up the ante a little. I wanted to make it entirely from scratch and give it a fresh spin and a slightly more grown-up flavor profile.
Living in the DC area, we have access to some fabulous seafood and Old Bay Spice is pretty common. I thought incorporating a little bit of this seasoning would be a fun flavor twist on tuna casserole.
The cheese sauce for this old-fashioned tuna casserole starts off pretty basic here, but is turned into something special with a little Dijon and Worcestershire in addition to Old Bay.
This casserole is super cheesy; most of the sharp cheddar gets melted into the sauce, but some gets cubed and stirred in with the noodles so you end up with gooey areas of melted cheese.
And the buttered toast topping adds crunch and depth of flavor. It’s similar to breadcrumbs, but just a little different.
In the end, this dish is a wink and a nod to my mom’s tuna and toast casserole, as well as her cheesy tuna noodle casserole. It’s gooey, cheesy, savory, nostalgic comfort food that deserves to be brought back.
Ingredients in Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas. For the full recipe (including ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Casserole Ingredients:
- Egg noodles - or you can use any shape of small pasta you like, such as elbow noodles, shells, bowties, etc.
- Butter - this is what we cook the onion in, and then use to make the roux that thickens our quick cheese sauce
- Onion - for savory flavor and aroma
- All-purpose flour - along with butter, the flour forms a roux to thicken the sauce
- Milk - whole milk adds a rich, creamy flavor but low-fat milk will also work
- Bay leaf - don't sweat it if you don't have bay leaves in your pantry
- Old Bay Seasoning - you can substitute with seasoned salt if you prefer
- Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce - for depth of flavor
- Black pepper - to season the dish (don't add salt because Old Bay is salty!)
- Cheddar cheese - I like to use sharp cheddar here
- Canned tuna - look for canned tuna in water; drain it well for this casserole
- Green peas - use frozen green peas and thaw and drain them well; steer clear of mushy canned peas for this casserole recipe
Topping Ingredients:
- Bread - you can use any type of bread that you like, it doesn't have to be fancy; this is to make our buttered toast topping to sprinkle on top of the casserole
- Old Bay Seasoning - this spice blend adds a ton of flavor
- Butter - for rich flavor and to help our toast breadcrumbs brown
How to Make Tuna Casserole From Scratch
It's easy to make a cheesy tuna casserole! The method is very similar to making homemade macaroni and cheese. Here are the basic steps:
- Make the cheese sauce.
- Cook the pasta.
- Mix everything together!
- And some recipes have you bake it with a breadcrumb or cheesy topping.
Storage
Store leftover tuna casserole in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe FAQs
Can You Freeze Tuna Noodle Casserole?
Yes! To freeze tuna noodle casserole, wrap it well, label it with the contents and the date, and put it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How Do You Reheat Cheesy Tuna Casserole?
This casserole reheats very well!
To reheat it, thaw it to room temperature first. Then reheat it in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave, or in an oven-safe dish in a 375F oven topped with foil until warm throughout.
Why Is My Tuna Noodle Casserole Dry?
If your tuna noodle casserole is dry, it's likely because it was over-baked. We only need to bake this casserole for about 15 minutes.
More Recipes with Pasta and Canned Tuna
- Low-Carb Broccoli Tuna Casserole Bake from Grassfed Mama – This one has all the comfort of tuna casserole using broccoli and cauliflower instead of pasta!
- Mediterranean Tuna Pasta from Sarah’s Cucina Bella – One of the classiest tuna/pasta combos I’ve come across!
- Tuna Noodle Casserole from Rachel Cooks – Great weeknight meal and wonderful use of water chestnuts here!
- Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower, Tuna, and Egyptian Roumy Cheese – This is a grown-up twist on a classic favorite, with cauliflower added to bump up the nutrition.
Let's Connect
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Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Casserole:
- 6 ounces wide egg noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter plus more to grease the dish
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese divided (6 oz shredded, 2 oz cubed)
- 12 ounces can tuna in water drained well
- 1 ½ cups frozen green peas thawed and drained well
Topping:
- 2 slices bread toasted
- ⅛ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Cook the noodles to al dente according to the package directions; drain well and set aside.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, bay leaf, Old Bay Spice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Stirring frequently, bring up to a boil. Turn off the heat and whisk in the shredded cheddar. Remove and discard the bay leaf and stir in the noodles, tuna, peas, and cubed cheddar. Pour the tuna noodle mixture into the prepared dish.
- For the topping, pule the bread in a food processor until crumbled. While processing, pulse in the Old Bay Spice, and then gradually the butter. Sprinkle the topping on the casserole.
- Bake until the casserole is warm throughout and golden on top, about 15 minutes.
- Serve.
Faith's Tips
- Storage: Store leftover tuna casserole in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer-Friendly: To freeze tuna noodle casserole, wrap it well, label it with the contents and the date, and put it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: To reheat this casserole, thaw it to room temperature first. Then reheat it in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave, or in an oven-safe dish in a 375F oven topped with foil until warm throughout.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on April 13, 2015. I updated it with more information on March 24, 2020.
polly says
Would this double easily? Would I have to use less than twice the spices?
Faith says
Polly, Yes, this recipe should be very easy to double! I would use double the amounts of everything except the Old Bay Spice - I'd use just 2 teaspoons of that so it doesn't get overpowering. I hope you enjoy this if you give it a try!
Bill says
You've reminded me of the cheesy tuna casserole I used to eat in the mid-'80s. It was made with a mix and noodles from a box. I loved that stuff although there's no telling what kind of chemical stew I was eating. This recipe looks great and has me craving tuna casserole for the first time in decades!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
I definitely grew up eating (and loving!) tuna casserole - but I love this twist of adding Old Bay Seasoning!! Yum!
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
I grew up on tuna casserole and have not made it in years and now, I'm completely craving it. I'm sure the Old Bay Spice gives it such a great boost of flavor. Bookmarking this recipe to try later.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Now I have a tuna casserole craving! This sounds amazing! Love the addition of the Old Bay to this dish. Can't wait to see the recipe for the version w/ potato chips -- sounds great, too!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
What a coincidence - I was just thinking about the fact that I never had tuna noodle casserole growing up, but learned to love variations on it as a college student, when up popped your post. A friend gave me her sisters pasta with canned tuna, garlic and parsley recipe, but it has no sauce - sophisticated perhaps and definitely wonderful, but not the comfort food that you've created. Love your use of Old Bay (a favorite around DC/MD) combined with Dijon and Worcestershire.
Sloan @ Life Food and Beer says
Tuna Casserole is one of my favorite comfort foods and I love your addition of old bay and cheese!
Christie says
I haven't had a tuna casserole in years. I love the way you have updated it. This is absolutely perfect for a weeknight meal.