Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole with Parmesan Topping

Classic comfort food at it’s best. This easy to make tuna noodle casserole with a Parmesan topping will become a family favorite for a great weeknight meal.

Tuna noodle casserole has been on my to-do list for several years. Anytime I ask for suggested recipes, it comes up. But I had a problem. I wanted an easy everyday recipe with great taste. I wanted less than 16 ingredients (yes, there was one). I didn’t want to feed an army. And no hour mixing things.

But my biggest issue was the can of soup. I made several attempts. Nothing I really want to discuss but let’s just say I couldn’t get where I wanted to go without the can of soup.

Now the can of soup is not evil, but I tend to over react to cooking with cans of soup. I enjoy reading recipes, and the classic crock pot recipe has at least two cans of soup, an envelope of onion soup mix and several cans of something else. I find it very irritating they are calling this cooking.

So to give in to the can of soup is a bit painful but in this case necessary. Any from scratch effort would be at least twice this size.

The “inspiration” recipe is the classic tuna casserole recipe at the Campbell site. Think of it as the basic recipe America loves. Add in my wife’s memory for the buff-up version of the basic recipe, and we have an excellent tuna casserole.

My Rating

A nice solid every day 4. That is as high as tuna casserole goes.

Recipe Notes for Tuna Noodle Casserole

Now, what is my classic tuna noodle casserole? We like to add celery and onion along with peas, but mostly we love a Parmesan bread crumb topping. I have accused my wife of using a bigger pan so there could be more topping. Some people like mushrooms, but not really in our house. There are food allergies and just not a taste we normally add.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook 2 cups pasta to Al Denta per package instructions. Two cups is half of a 1 pound box.

Chop one stalk of celery and 1/2 medium onion. Saute in 1 teaspoon butter over medium-high heat until they are becoming a bit transparent. About 5 minutes.

Mix drained pasta, the sauteed onion, and celery, 1 can cream of celery soup,  1/2 cup milk, 1 cup frozen peas, salt and pepper to taste (I suggest 1/2 teaspoon each), and 2 – 5 oz cans tuna drained.

Place 9 by 5 baking dish. Mix 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Spread the topping over the casserole.

Bake until nicely browned. About 30 minutes. Remove and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

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4.44 from 16 votes

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

Classic comfort food at it's best. This easy to make tuna noodle casserole with a Parmesan topping will become a family favorite for a great weeknight meal.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Author: Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Course : American, Main Course

Cuisine : American

Keyword : Tuna Casserole, Tuna Noodle Casserole

Servings/Adjust Amount: 4 servings

4

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry pasta - about 8 oz, about 4 cups cooked
• 1/2 onion - medium chopped
• 1 stalk celery - chopped
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 cans tuna - drained
• 1 can cream of celery soup - 10 oz can
• 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup frozen peas

Topping

• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter - melted
• salt and pepper to taste - about 1/2 teaspoon each for me

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cook 2 cups pasta to Al Denta per package instructions.
• Chop one stalk of celery and 1/2 medium onion. Saute in 1 teaspoon butter over medium-high heat until they becoming a bit transparent. About 5 minutes.
• Mix drained pasta, the sauteed onion and celery, 1 can cream of celery soup, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup frozen peas, salt and pepper to taste (I suggest 1/2 teaspoon each), and 2 - 5 oz cans of tuna drained.
• Place 9 by 5 baking dish.
• Mix 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix well and spread over the casserole.
• Bake until nicely browned. About 30 minutes. Remove and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

Amount Per Serving

Calories 373 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 40mg 13%

Sodium 1172mg 49%

Potassium 446mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 47g 16%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 6g

Protein 20g 40%

Vitamin A 26%

Vitamin C 13%

Calcium 14%

Iron 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Nutrition is for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.

All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated.