At $1.70 a serving, our Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole is the classic comfort food that has a modern spin with adding more vegetables and seasonings!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Course: Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Servings: 10servings
Calories: 417kcal
Author: Bernice
Cost: $1.70 a serving
Equipment
Large Casserole Pan
Pasta Pot
Large bowl
Medium size bowl, microwave safe
Ingredients
Pasta Ingredients
16ozEgg Noodleswide
Cheese Sauce Ingredients
210.5 oz cans Cream of Chicken Soupor Cream of Mushroom
2cupsHalf and Half
1cupCheddar Cheeseshredded
½tspSalt
¼tspPepper
1tbspBasil
1tspSmoked Seasoning
Vegetable Ingredients
½cupCelerydiced
1 ½cupsCarrotsdiced
1 ½cupsCauliflowerfrozen chopped
1 ½cupsSweet Peasfrozen
Tuna Ingredients
35-ouncecans Tunapacked in water
Topping Ingredients
2tbspButter
¾cupPanko Bread Crumbs
¼cupShredded Cheddar Cheese
1tspDried Basil
1tspSmoked Seasoning
Garnish Ingredients (Optional)
Fresh Chives
Fresh Basil
Instructions
Oven Instructions
Preheat to 400 degrees
Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray
Preparation Instructions
Chop the carrots and celery.
Remove the cauliflower and sweet peas from the freeze to start to thaw.
Egg Noodles Instructions
Cook the egg noodles until al dente’ - about 6 minutes
Drain but do not rinse the noodles.
Topping Instructions
Melt the butter in a medium size microwave bowl
Mix in the Panko Bread Crumbs until evenly coated
Mix in seasonings
Casserole Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the cheese sauce ingredients
Mix in the vegetables and the drained tuna.
Add the cooked noodles to the casserole dish
Slowly pour the sauce mixture over the noodles mixing the sauce into the noodles
Cover and bake for 40-minutes
Remove cover and add the topping. Bake, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Notes
Calories are approximate and depend upon serving size and ingredients selected. Optional ingredients are not included in the calories. Cost per serving can vary based upon the price of ingredients. Optional toppings are not included in the cost per serving. The Panko topping can be made just before adding to the baked casserole.Helpful Tips
Carrots: Use baby carrots for quick dicing or frozen to eliminate the prep. The carrots bake al dente with a slight crunch. If you prefer tender carrots, then consider cooking them partway before adding to the casserole.
Sweet Peas: Use frozen sweet peas as the canned version becomes mushy once baked.
Smoked Seasoning: We use Smoky Applewood Rub from Pampered Chef in the cheese sauce and topping. It adds a wonderful flavor with its sweet and smoky flavor of natural applewood, garlic and chili peppers.
Milk: Half and Half is part of the recipe; however a different milk product can be substituted.
Panko Breadcrumbs: We used Panko Breadcrumbs to add a nice crunch to this casserole. However other options include Crackers, Potato Chips, Cheese Crumb Mixture.
Reducing Carbs: If you want to reduce the carbs consider reducing the amount of egg noodles, substitute cauliflower or zucchini noodles for the egg noodles.