This Tuna Casserole with Mushroom Soup is a family favorite that's full protein from canned tuna and lots of crunch from onion and celery. Inexpensive to make, but easy to cook a big batch of, tuna noodle casserole can be served warm, cold, or topped with crushed crackers and baked in the oven.
Does anyone remember comfort food meals that they had as a child, that were enjoyed often? Chicken Noodle Soup with Reames Noodles, Cream Cheese Chicken Packets, and this dish were those comfort meals for me.
My mom always made “Tuna Casserole,” for lunches when we were home.
My mom's tuna casserole recipe is very simple. She added cream soup, canned mushrooms, tuna, and elbow pasta. This made it incredibly easy to whip together with pantry staples.
My version was a little different than hers. I choose to tuck some extra veggies in for flavor and crunch! You can mix it up, but here I used diced onion, peas, and celery. I love how fresh it tastes and the little bit of extra chopping is totally worth it for a delicious end result.
Many tuna noodle casseroles are topped with something crunchy like chips or crackers and then baked in the oven. See note below for how to turn this stovetop tuna casserole into a baked tuna casserole!
Ingredients
- Canned tuna- Use canned tuna in water that is unflavored. I like the brand Safe Catch. I use it in Kimchi Tuna Fried Rice, Tuna Wraps with Lettuce, Mexican Tuna Salad, it is the best tuna brand IMO.
- Medium Shell Pasta- Or any short pasta. Something like mostaccioli or gemelli work here. My mom usually used elbows or shells, which are so nostalgic to me and are my preference. You can also use egg noodles.
- Canned mushrooms- Use already sliced canned mushrooms to make things easy on yourself.
- Onion- If leaving raw, white onion has the mildest flavor. Yellow onion or red onion would also work.
- Celery- This adds crunch and flavor.
- Frozen green peas- No need to thaw these before adding, the hot pasta will thaw them easily.
- Condensed Cream of mushroom soup- Cream of chicken soup also works.
- Milk- This helps create the sauce for everything to be coated in.
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper- Add these seasonings to taste. We always add more on top once served as well!
How to Make Tuna Casserole on the Stove
Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, add tuna and smash with a fork to break apart.
Step 2. Add diced onion, celery, mushrooms, peas, cream soup, milk, pepper, and salt.
Step 3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Pour hot, drained noodles over top.
Step 4. Mix to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
Recipe Tips
Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving if you want to serve this tuna salad cold.
There is no need to thaw out the frozen peas before adding them to the salad. All you have to do is add them to the cooked pasta and them stir together and they will thaw very quickly.
Bake it in the oven
Many varieties of tuna casserole are topped with cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, potato chips, or crushed crackers and then baked in the oven.
To achieve this, prepare the tuna casserole as is, and pour into an oven safe baking dish.
Cover with 1 cup of your desired topping and baked at 375 for 20 minutes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add double the tuna for an added protein boost. Tuna is extremely high in protein and low in fat. My favorite brand is from Safe Catch and its the wild Ahi tuna. It has 17 grams of protein to .5 gram a fat per serving. It is also mercury tested. We find it at Costco, but it's available elsewhere.
- If you don't want to use a cream soup, you can sub in mayo or whole milk plain greek yogurt, similar to this Healthy Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad.
Storage
Store any leftover tuna pasta salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This as a cold tuna salad makes fabulous lunches and is great to bring on picnics.
More pasta salad recipes to try
- broccoli crunch pasta salad
- greek pasta salad
- risoni salad with herbs
- lemon and arugula with capellini pasta
- pesto tortellini pasta salad
Did you enjoy this Tuna Casserole with Mushroom Soup? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Tuna Casserole with Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna fish 5 oz.
- 16 oz medium shell pasta
- 2 cans sliced mushrooms 4 oz., drained
- ½ cup white onion diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10 oz.
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large mixing bowl, add tuna and smash with a fork to break apart.
- Add diced onion, celery, mushrooms, peas, cream soup, milk, pepper, and salt.
- Pour hot, drained noodles over top.
- Mix to combine.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
Donna
I miss making this for you! I’ll have to try your version. It looks delicious.
Teresa Smith
Hi Sarah: I’m making this a 2nd time. Very yummy. It is our go to for work lunches. My husband also really liked???Keep the recipes coming!!