Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuna Noodle Casserole is a great vintage recipe and budget meal for any season! Take your canned tuna up a notch with this pasta casserole filled with a sour cream sauce for a moist and delicious dinner.
It took me years to love Tuna Noodle Casserole, and this recipe is the one that made it one of my favorite cheap dinners! This vintage casserole is super creamy and cheesy and is ready in just 30 minutes for a cheap and easy weeknight dinner.
Growing up, we ate a lot of baked pasta casseroles, and this Spaghetti Casserole was also constantly on the rotation.
My reaction to tuna casseroles used to be one of indifference. I would eat it, but it wasn’t something I craved. I remember my mom making Tuna Helper when I was a kid. I never cared for it, and as an adult, I didn’t make it for my family.
Now, my outlook on Tuna Noodle Casserole has changed, thanks to this simple recipe! A friend suggested I use chip dip as the sauce. It worked out beautifully! Since then, this is how I’ve been making my tuna casserole. No box mixes here!
Ingredients
- Canned tuna
- Pasta — your choice of noodles! I use penne for this recipe.
- Your favorite sour cream-based dip, like sour cream and onion or ranch
- Cornflakes
- Swiss cheese
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
What I used for my Tuna Noodle Casserole
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- Cheese grater: I love that this box cheese grater has different size options on every side. Plus, the rubber base keeps it in place and my countertops unscratched!
- Mixing bowls: These mixing bowls are always being washed in my house because I use them for everything. The multiple size options are handy from prep work to cake mixing, and they nest inside each other to save space!
- Baking dish: Everyone has this casserole dish. It’s perfect for roasted dinners or baked treats!
How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole
- First, preheat the oven and grease your baking dish. I use a 9×13 for this tuna noodle casserole recipe.
- Then, stir together your noodles, tuna, dip, salt, and pepper and spread the mixture into your dish.
- Now, mix the cornflakes crumbs, butter, and cheese together. Spread the crumb mixture over the noodle mixture.
- Finally, bake until golden brown and serve!
When you are mixing up the tuna noodle mixture, it will look like you have a lot of dip in there. You do, BUT it will soak into the noodles during cooking. I’ve tried it with one tub of dip and found it wasn’t enough.
The topping is my favorite, cornflake crumbs! I buy them in a box already crushed. You could also crush cornflakes yourself or swap for breadcrumbs instead.
How to Moisten Dry Tuna Noodle Casserole
The sour cream dip should keep this casserole nice and moist during cooking and as leftovers.
However, if it gets a little dry, you can always parboil your pasta — or partially cook it — before adding it to the casserole dish. This lets it absorb the pasta water and leaves your creamy sauce in the dish. I also recommend rinsing it before baking pasta in a casserole to remove a little of the starch, which will absorb more liquid.
If the casserole looks to be drying out during cooking, cover it with foil to keep the moisture in tact. Worst case scenario, you can always add a little chicken or vegetable broth to the casserole when reheating or during cooking.
How to Reheat Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuna Noodle Casserole leftovers will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator or a few months in the freezer.
If your casserole is frozen, let it thaw in the fridge a few hours for one serving or overnight for a whole casserole.
To reheat, put the casserole in a baking dish and reheat at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until it’s evenly reheated. Keep it covered with foil during reheating to retain all the moisture.
Other amazing casserole recipes to try…
- Keto Brussels Sprouts Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Overnight Bacon Breakfast Casserole
- Tortellini Casserole
- Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
- 5 Soup Pasta
- Tater Tot Casserole
Do you have any amazing vintage recipes? I’m always looking for more recipes to try! Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, on Facebook at Simply Stacie, and on Pinterest @SimplyStacie and let me know how you liked this and my other recipes!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 can tuna 170g can, drained
- 4 cups pasta noodles cooked
- 2 tubs your favorite sour cream based dip 250g tub
- salt and pepper
- ¾ cup Cornflake crumbs
- ½ cup Swiss cheese shredded
- 2 tbsp salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Stir together noodles, tuna, dip and season with salt and pepper. Spread noodle mixture in the baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix together Cornflake crumbs, butter and cheese. Spread evenly over noodle mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until topping is browned.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Yours looks delicious! I liike tuna cassorole but have never ever ade it- my husband detests it and refuses to even taste it. Like you I had Tuna Helper and wasnt a fan but I love going to potlucks and having the tuna cassarole.
Yummy!
Yum! Maybe I can get the 5year old to eat this!!
I love tuna but I gave it up a few years ago…boycotting canned goods. I do miss it though and will keep this wonderful recipe in mind for that day when the BPA comes out of can linings.
I love that this is so easy to make! Good recipe for the upcoming cold weather.
Sounds like a simple, appetizing and nutritious recipe.
I am not a big tuna fan unless it’s a cold dish.However since I love all the recipes that you post I am giving it a try at least once.It actually looks delicious in the photo.
Weight loss regiment getting a little tired of Tuna Wraps – this looks so tempting – but guess I have to cut back on the cheese. Looks delicious – it always happens, don’t have any remaining. Off to shop yet again…..lol
Eva Mitton-Urban
this casserole looks good. Thanks for the info
I am craving for this,will make it soon