No lie—when I used to think of tuna casserole, I was like, “1954 called; they want their recipe back!”
But then I decided to give it a fresh upgrade, and now I’m hooked! My secrets are simple—no canned soup, good quality tuna, a splash of wine and lemon for brightness, and lots of fresh herbs.
And for fun, I top it with crispy kettle chips! The result is a retro dish that feels anything but stodgy. I guess I owe 1954 an apology!
What’s in this Easy Tuna Casserole?
This super comforting casserole is made with simple, easy and wholesome ingredients that deliver big flavor;
- The sauce – the sauce is made with a base of sauteed garlic, butter, milk, white wine, and stock.
- Fresh herbs – fresh dill and chives add so much flavor – don’t use dried herbs because they won’t have the same impact. Lemon zest is the secret ingredient that adds extra zing to this retro dish!
- Pasta – you can use egg noodles or your favorite short pasta shape.
- Tuna – can’t have a tuna casserole without tuna after all!
- Pea – frozen peas for sweetness and adds texture.
- Cheese and Chips – yep, these extra indulgent additions make are what makes this tuna casserole such a classic family favorite recipe!
The Best Tuna to Use
I use canned tuna to make this tuna casserole, it’s delicious, easy and a store cupboard staple.
So what type of canned tuna works best?
For me, I prefer to use tuna chunks in my casserole. Tuna flakes tends to go a bit mushy and doesn’t have a bite to it as tuna chunks do.
I love to use Albacore tuna fillets because it has nice big chunks of tuna and has a great taste and quality!
How to Make Tuna Casserole
First, saute garlic in a little butter then add flour and stir to combine.
Add the milk, wine, and stock and whisk until there are no lumps and thickened slightly.
Add the fresh herbs, lemon zest, and seasoning.
Add the pasta, peas, and tuna and stir to combine.
Transfer to a casserole dish and top with cheese and potato chips or topping of choice.
Make this Tuna Casserole in Advance
You can prep this casserole 1 day in advance and store it in the fridge. If you are doing this I recommend not pre-cooking the pasta first and adding the noodles uncooked straight to the casserole.
By the time it has sat in the fridge, the noodles will have softened slightly and will be perfect for baking.
Can You Freeze Tuna Casserole?
Yes, you can freeze this tuna casserole. I don’t recommend adding the chips because once the casserole has thawed the chips will turn soggy.
After freezing, thaw the casserole in the fridge overnight then top with potato chips and bake!
Other Topping Ideas
I absolutely love topping this casserole with kettle chips it just makes this casserole supe fun and retro but I totally understand if you don’t want to use them.
If you replace the potato chips with breadcrumbs, panko crumbs work great and are extra crispy. You can also use crushed crackers or your favorite crunchy casserole topping!
Top Tips for Making Tuna Casserole
- Even though the package of pasta says to cook 8 to 10 minutes, you’ll want to undercook it so that it doesn’t get mushy in the oven.
- Be sure to pick a dry, crisp wine like Pinot Grigio for this recipe. A sweet white wine wouldn’t work with the lemon and herbs.
- Don’t worry about thawing the peas first; they’ll warm right up in the oven.
- I like using albacore tuna, because the filets come out in nice big chunks. I recommend using a fork to break up the chunks into bite-size pieces.
- If potato chips aren’t your idea of a proper casserole topping, I totally respect that; feel free to use crushed crackers or fresh bread crumbs.
More Casserole Recipes You Might Like
If you’ve tried this classic tuna casserole recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives plus additional, for garnish
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill plus additional, for garnish
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cans albacore tuna in water drained
- 1 to 2 cups kettle chips
- ½ cup shredded fontina cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook pasta in boiled salted water for 5 minutes; drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in stock, milk, and wine, breaking up any lumps.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon zest, salt, pepper, chives, and dill. Set aside.
- Stir in cooked noodles, frozen peas, and tuna. Transfer tuna mixture to an 11x7-inch casserole dish.
- Top with chips; sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until cheese melts, about 20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Even though the package of pasta says to cook 8 to 10 minutes, you’ll want to undercook it so that it doesn’t get mushy in the oven.
- Be sure to pick a dry, crisp wine like Pinot Grigio for this recipe. A sweet white wine wouldn’t work with the lemon and herbs.
- Don’t worry about thawing the peas first; they’ll warm right up in the oven.
- I like using albacore tuna, because the filets come out in nice big chunks. I recommend using a fork to break up the chunks into bite-size pieces.
- If potato chips aren’t your idea of a proper casserole topping, I totally respect that; feel free to use crushed crackers or fresh bread crumbs.
I never liked anything with tuna in it until I tried this recipe!! The fresh lemon, dill, and chives are so good. I also love the addition of potato chips to the top! I have made this several times and will be making it for dinner next week! Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe. And so many others!! 🙂
delicioso!!!!!
The fresh dill and lemon are perfect in this dish! I sautéed about a half cup of shallots in the butter, then added the garlic. Chives were not available so I used parsley for some freshness. It’s all about the lemon and dill though! My new favorite recipe!
Kettle chips worked great.
Just put in the oven, I can tell by the sauce this will be fabulous. Just an fyi, I didn’t see when to add the lemon juice so I added at the same time as the zest. My granddaughter is sitting by the oven waiting for this to be ready. The potato chips won her over.