Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole is the ultimate comfort food. It’s full of cheesy goodness with a crunchy breadcrumb topping that can be made ahead of time. Also, leftovers are just as good the next day.
As its title suggests, Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole is a snap to make, and tastes just as good reheated as it does fresh from the oven. Substitute leftover turkey for the tuna, and you have a delicious Turkey Noodle Casserole that’s just as good.
An interesting tidbit here is that even though I live on the Gulf Coast, I’m not a fan of fish at all. Maybe it stems back to my childhood days of eating rotting fish. Why rotting? Because that day’s catch sat all day, in the heat, in a burlap sack, in the back of my father’s boat, while we played on Ono Island. Thus, the aversion to fish, except for canned tuna. Go figure.
Ingredients
I used the following ingredients for this delicious and satisfying casserole: Egg noodles, unsalted butter, chopped onion, chopped celery, cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese (the Master Taste Tester swears that Velveeta is not cheese – rather it’s low polymer rubber), canned tuna, shredded cheddar cheese, and dried bread crumbs. If you like, you can dress it up with some frozen green peas.
Making the Tuna Noodle Casserole
As a first step, I cooked the egg noodles to the firm stage in salted boiling water for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, I drained the noodles in a colander.
I rinsed and dried the pan I used for the noodles. Next, I sautéed the onions and celery in some melted butter over medium heat until they began to soften. This took 6 or 7 minutes.
After that, I added the cream of mushroom soup and Velveeta cheese. I cooked the mixture over medium heat until the Velveeta cheese melted.
I added the canned tuna, which I had drained, to the pan and stirred to combine everything.
Finally, I added the cooked egg noodles to the tuna mixture and stirred to ensure that the noodles were well coated.
I transferred the mixture to a greased casserole dish, then topped it with shredded cheddar cheese and dried breadcrumbs. Before putting the casserole in the oven, I dotted the top with some butter.
Into a 350° F oven the casserole went for about 30 minutes, until it was bubbly and golden brown. My ultimate comfort food – satisfying and delicious. Yum!
If you’re looking for some more comfort food casseroles, check out this Ultimate Make Ahead Macaroni and Cheese or My Mother’s Southern Style Scalloped Potatoes.
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Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (4 ounces) uncooked medium egg noodles
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 10 ½ ounce can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 4 ounces Velveeta Cheese
- 5 ounce can tuna packed in water, drained well
- 1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (I use Extra Sharp, but the choice is yours)
- 4 Tablespoons dried bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Cook noodles in boiling salted water to firm stage, according to package directions. Drain well; set aside.
- In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Sauté onions and celery until tender, about 6 minutes. Add soup and Velveeta cheese; cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Add drained tuna; stir well to combine. Add cooked noodles; stir well to ensure that noodles are well coated.
- Transfer to a greased 2-quart oven proof casserole dish. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Dot with remaining tablespoon of butter.
- Bake uncovered at 350° F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
- Yield: 4 servings.
Elena says
No Velveta, What can i substitute?
Ellen
Chula King says
Ellen,
My first choice would be American cheese. My second choice would be mild Cheddar cheese.
Chula
Marianne says
Your ingredient list does not say how much velveeta to use. I had to guess. I am trying this out tonight. So far it looks good and the sauce tasted yummy before i put it in the casserole.
PudgeFactor says
Yikes. I’m so sorry Marianne. I use 4 ounces of Velveeta. I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
Chula