Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe with a crunchy, buttery, Ritz cracker topping! It’s classic comfort food that’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner.
Growing up in Minnesota, a casserole was called a hotdish. Instead of calling this tuna noodle casserole, us kids liked calling it tuna fish hotdish.
The great thing about this kind of casserole is that it can be customized to fit your family and what you have on hand in the panty. I’ll share some suggestions but feel free to make it your own!
Start by mixing together the cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, sour cream, milk, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Can I use cream of mushroom soup?
For this recipe, I used the combination of cream of chicken and cream of celery soup. You can use any of the cream soups you want. It can be two of the same kind or two different kinds. Cream of mushroom is a popular choice when making tuna noodle casserole.
Then add the light tuna and frozen peas. Stir to combine.
Would chicken work instead of the tuna in this recipe?
Of course, I used tuna when making this recipe but it can be switched up if your family doesn’t like tuna. You can replace the canned tuna with canned chicken, shredded chicken, or cubed chicken.
Or if you don’t want meat in your casserole, you can skip the meat and replace it with vegetables.
Which vegetables go with tuna noodle casserole?
For this tuna noodle casserole, I added a cup of frozen peas but other vegetables work too. Try adding corn, carrots, green beans, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, or bell peppers. They can be frozen, canned, or fresh.
Add the cooked egg noodles and stir until coated.
What kinds of pasta works for tuna noodle casserole?
When making tuna noodle casserole, egg noodles are the classic choice. The wide, wavy noodles are tender yet they allow the sauce to cling to the waves.
Other kinds of pasta would work too though! Try using medium shells, bowties, elbow macaroni, penne, or rotini.
If you are looking for a low carb option, try zucchini noodles aka zoodles or spaghetti squash.
Spread the mixture in a greased 9×13 pan.
Can I make this in a casserole dish instead of a 9×13?
Yes, you can use a casserole dish instead of a 9×13 pan but keep in mind you may have to cook it longer to fully heat the middle of the pan.
I like using the 9×13 baking dish because the casserole is spread out making it so that more of it gets covered with the crunchy topping!
Speaking of the crunchy topping, it is time to add it to the casserole. Mix together the crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter until combined.
How can I spice it up?
I try to keep the ingredients list short for those readers that are looking for basic recipes but if you want to add more go for it! You can add seasonings to the cream sauce or to the topping.
Try adding grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, poppy seeds, onion powder, crushed red pepper, dill weed, lemon pepper, or thyme.
Sprinkle the ritz cracker topping over the casserole and bake at 350˚F.
What toppings can be put on tuna noodle casserole?
For this recipe, I used original ritz crackers because they are crunchy, salty, and buttery. There are many different flavors of ritz crackers available including vegetable, bacon, and garlic butter.
Of course, you can always use bread crumbs or panko instead of crushed crackers. Mix them with melted butter and spread over the casserole.
Or go with the classic we enjoyed as kids, crushed potato chips or shoestring potato chips! They can be added before or after baking.
Another delicious option is french fried onions. They give the casserole additional onion flavor. Add them during the last 5 minutes of baking so they don’t get overcooked.
Want more casserole recipes? Try these next:
Chicken Noodle Casserole is comfort food at its best! A warm, creamy combination of noodles, soup, chicken, and vegetables perfect for family dinners.
Taco Casserole is an easy way to serve tacos to your family. All of the ingredients are in one casserole dish and is served up by the scoopful.
This Triple Meat Pizza Casserole is on the table in under 30 minutes! It’s is like eating a meat lovers pizza in casserole form. An easy dinner recipe the whole family will love.
Tater Tot Casserole has a creamy layer of ground beef, Italian sausage, green beans and corn topped with crunchy tater tots and melted cheddar cheese.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe with a crunchy, buttery, Ritz cracker topping! It’s classic comfort food that’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner.
Ingredients
- 10 1/2 oz can cream of chicken
- 10 1/2 oz can cream of celery
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- (2) 5 oz cans light tuna in water, drained
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 5 cups cooked egg noodles
- 1 cup crushed ritz crackers
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Mix together the cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, milk, sour cream, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Stir in the tuna and peas.
- Add the egg noodles and stir until evenly coated. Spread in a greased 9x13" pan.
- Mix together the crushed ritz crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle over the casserole.
- Bake at 350˚F for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and heated through.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 385Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 567mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 14g
Nutrition data is calculated automatically by Nutritionix and isn't always accurate. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health.
Karen says
Love it! I used most of this recipe but added bread crumbs instead of ritz but I really want to try the crackers next time. The ingredient that was most impactful was pepper! It is something I’ve never added and it gave a nice little snap! Love the soup combo too. Thank you!
Fred says
Do you boil the egg noodles first or put them in dry ?
Tonia says
Hi Fred,
You’ll want to boil the noodles first.
Enjoy,
Tonia
Dimi says
How much dry pasta for five cups cooked pasta? Would three cups be good?
Linda Healey says
Great recipe! Trying it with chicken and adding broccoli tonight! Thanks!
Tonia says
My family would love it that way! Thanks for the suggestion!
Rachael says
Can I make this a day ahead and bake the next day? Also does it have to be frozen peas? Will canned peas work?
Tonia says
Hi Rachael,
Yes, you can prepare it ahead of time, cover and store in the fridge overnight, and bake it the next day. You may want to let it sit out on the counter at least while the oven is warming (or up to 30 minutes) before baking so that it isn’t as cold when you start. And it will take a little longer to bake since it is cold. And yes, you can use canned peas in place of the frozen ones.
Happy Baking,
Tonia
Kathleen Major says
My daughter made this tonight and added grated Cheddar cheese the last 10 minutes…. This is an awesome dish!!!
Courtney says
I’m not sure what happened to my ritz cracker topping but it did not turn out like the on in the picture 😂 but the casserole was great!!!
Deb Walker says
My 34 yr. old son has been asking for this. I was looking for my mom’s recipe and found it here. Thanks! My mom always used the french onion rings. He’s gonna love it!
LeAnn Pottebaum says
Tonight I was search for a good Tuna Casserole recipe because I don’t often make this dish. I found your recipe and decided to try it. When I was reading thru it you commented about growing up in MN and I knew the word hot dish was coming. I laughed! After moving many years ago from MN, I forgot how many times I had to explain what hot dish, pop, and many other MN for words (i.e. lefse, Twin Cities) meant.
Thanks for bringing back fond memories!
Tonia says
That’s so true! When we are traveling down south I find myself purposefully ordering soda…otherwise if I order pop they look at me like “what???”
misha says
i made this tonight for my hubby bc its one of his favorite dishes and surprisingly i liked it too! i say surprisingly bc i dont normally eat stuff like this lol. i tried to make it healthier by getting organic carton soups and i used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. i also added an extra can of tuna bc i felt like 2 cans wasnt enough. topped with panko crumbs in butter and its really good! i added onion powder and extra garlic powder too bc those are my favorite. thank you for the recipe!
Carolyn Duncan says
How much dry pasta equals 5 cups cooked? Thank you.
Tonia says
Hi Carolyn,
It varies depending on the kind of pasta but for egg noodles the dry pasta and cooked pasta are equal. So for 5 cups cooked egg noodles, you will need 5 cups of dry egg noodles.
Enjoy!
~Tonia
Jennifer says
This was delicious. I used cream of mushroom soup Instead and put in a can of mushrooms. Such comfort food!
Amanda says
This was prefect comfort food that everyone in the family loved. I haven’t used canned soups in years so I didn’t know what to expect but this was delicious. We added some diced onion and fresh thyme to the mix and increased the crackers for the top crust. I will certainly make this again.
Jennifer says
This was so yummy! I subbed cream of mushroom for the celery. I love how creamy this was and the topping was buttery good. I’ll have to try the chicken casserole next. Now is the time for comfort food and this was perfect.
Jennifer says
You say to use a pan but the pictures are in a dish. Which one is it?
Tonia says
Hi Jennifer,
Luckily this recipe is very versatile! You are welcome to bake it in a 9×13 baking pan, a 9×13 casserole dish, a 3-quart casserole dish, a cast iron skillet or whatever the ingredients will fit it that is also oven safe. Yet another way would be to heat the ingredients in a skillet on the stovetop and sprinkle them with the ritz topping. Whichever method you choose, just make sure the casserole is heated through before serving.
Happy Cooking,
~Tonia
Sheila carpenter says
Sounds great. Try it….wondering how it would be for caries sake