Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (2024)

Excellent! Only used a pinch of salt to cut down on sodium content.
Glad the recipe called for skim milk and low fat cream cheese! Keeps fat content down.

"Pasta" does not belong in Tuna Noodle Casserole--no way; no shape; no form. It's all about the egg noodles!

I made the recipe almost as is with a few additions. I added celery and mushrooms to the saute. I increased the tuna to 3 cans, cream cheese to 6 oz., and mustard to 3 tbls. Added the cayenne as others suggested, baked in a 13 x 9 dish with breadcrumbs added on top. Delicious!

Almost! It was really easy to make, which I love, but after making it just as the recipe instructs, I do find it a little bland. It needs something... I'll play with the suggestions in these reviews next time. ;)

This dish is typically so high in calories, so it is nice to have a low fat option. I used homemade canned tuna, and it was delicious. This dish would also freeze well - prep for those unforeseen busy evenings! http://determinedwwmomma.blogspot.com

I have made a lot of tuna casseroles, and this is the best recipe yet. Don't change anything! Use good ingredients. The peas and carrots add sweetness. Yum!!

Not bad! I used 12 ounces of tuna, guesstimated the amount of noodles... It's pretty forgiving.

4 stars only because it's tuna casserole, which is not really special occasion food. Otherwise fantastic. I usually add more veggies, from chopped celery to diced red pepper, to chopped hearts of palm (excellent!), but otherwise follow. I have doubled the recipe too and there are rarely leftovers. Sure beats the canned soup variety and I will continue to make this again and again!

A good solid recipe with a twist. I tweaked the recipe and added a few changes. I did not have peas so I used artichokes and added garlic, shredded carrots, onions,black olives,mushrooms, capers, parm cheese and grand cruz Wisconsin aged cheese. I omitted the cream cheese because of the grand cruz cheese. It was good but with all the tuna casseroles I have eaten in my life time it was just as good with those changes. However the canned soup version in my opinion is not so good. I did add the mustard in the end because I thought it needed something with the piquant capers.

Unlike most people in the comments section, I did NOT have tuna noodle casserole growing up so I have no baseline thoughts on the dish. That being said, I thought the flavor of this dish was VERY good. Much creamier than I ever thought it could be only using fat-free milk. One comment I have is that it was a tad runny for me, but I think maybe I didn't let the milk cook long enough. To summarize, the flavor was delicious but the consistency I would prefer a bit thicker. Easy remedy for next time. Oh, and I did add about a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It was a good choice.

Excellent! The mustard is what kicks up the flavor-comes together quickly and easy to make with things you probably already have in your pantry. I added just a pinch of hot pepper as the cream sauce part was a lot like a similar macaroni and cheese recipe I have. Also, I only used one can of tuna for convenience sake and to be honest, I think 2 cans would have been a bit overpowering for us. Husband loved it also.

This is a good tuna casserole. The flavors were good the blended well together. My family all liked it, so it will be a good Friday Lenten meal.

I thought this was a really nice twist on a tuna noodle recipe. I followed the recipe as directed except I used whole wheat noodles. I do not add salt at the table or in cooking but I agree it could have used a pinch of salt. However, I really liked not using a can of salty soup in the recipe. I served this with a tossed salad and beets.

I found this tasty and did not find the dijon overwhelming as some did. I added garlic, mushrooms, celery and red bell pepper as suggested in other reviews. Others suggested cayenne to boost the flavor but my fiance doesn't like a lot of heat so I added 1/4 teaspoon of crab boil seasoning which boosted the flavor without adding heat. I also added bread crumbs to the parmesan on top. My only complaint was that the sauce was a bit too rich for my taste. Will decrease cream cheese to 3 oz next time. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes and finished off with a couple minutes on low broil to brown.

I am not sure what it lacked. I personally did not care for it. The other four members of my family liked it. I am not sure if I was expecting too much from it or not it did not taste like I remember as a kid. I loved tuna casserole.

Really bland. DH wouldn't touch it with 10ft pole!

As some other reviews stated the recipe is lacking something, even after adding additional salt, celery and cayenne pepper it's still misssing something. Also felt the noodles could be reduced to 6 ounces and the vegetables bumped up. Served with a tossed green salad. Probably will not be a repeat recipe.

Mustard added great flavor, but was still missing something. Added a little dash of cayenne pepper which did the trick. My husband loved it and he hates any and all casseroles. We have added this to our dinner rotation.

its only worthy of a special occasion after adding several ingredients and unfortunately extra calories. I took the advice of others and added some flavor going in. I added red,green and yellow peppers, green chiles, and garlic to the initial seasoning mixture. I added garlic and onion powder at the end and toped with panko and weight watchers cheese mixture. The result was a tasty dish. I believe whole heartedly that the addition of the above made the taste suitable for my bunch. I am a cooking light girl and believe anything has potential. Thank you for another great meal option.

Made this for dinner last night. My husband thought it was great but I thought it was kind of bland. The recipe says not to salt your noodles, but I think I may do that next time and leave out the salt that is added later. I could taste all the other flavors, but the noodles were very bland. Will make again, but will have to tweek for my liking.

This was pretty good! Much better and healthier than the Campbell Soup way. Since I always taste as I go, noticed it was a bit bland so I added cayenne pepper, onion powder and a bit more salt. That did the trick! I also added celery and mushrooms, panko on top and used gemelli pasta. YUM!

We really enjoyed this. Very creamy and I liked the mustard flavor. Like others, I mixed panko with the parmigiano to add some crunch. I also used extra carrots and onion and used some almond milk along with the skim. It seems like it could use some spice but I'm not sure what. I will definitely make again as it is good comfort food.

Home bound last night due to blizzard and had everything so I gave it a try! Added one chopped celery stalk to onions and used half a bag of defrosted mixed veggies with peas, carrots, and corn. Only other change was mixing Parmesan with panko bread crumbs for a crunchier topping. Sorry Mom but better than the canned soup version!

We have made this as as, and also changed out the tuna and used chicken. Both ways, it's a delicious, easy and comforting casserole.

Wow, I really liked this. I thought the Dijon added wonderfully to the flavor, but I do love mustard, so maybe it's a matter of taste. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't find this bland at all. It was creamy, tasty and easy to make. I'll definitely add this to my weekday meal repertoire.

This recipe was so good, we all had seconds! I loved the addition of cream cheese, and how pronounced the mustard flavor was in the sauce - it tasted really rich, it's hard to believe this is a "light" recipe! I will definitely add this to regular rotation. I used canned salmon instead of tuna, because that's what I had on hand. I also made the sauce in a large ovenproof skillet, and mixed all the ingredients in the skillet and put the whole skillet in the broiler, rather than transfer it to another pan to wash.

Not worthy of a special occasion perhaps, but definitely 4 stars for a tasty, satisfying, comfort-food fave brought up to date without canned soup, and that's priceless in my book! Also gets my cross country-running son filled up with seafood and pasta, yeah! I subbed 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese and shredded sharp cheddar for the low-fat cream cheese and Romano for the parmigiana because that's what I had on hand. I also used 2% milk because my guys won't touch skim and it would've taken FOREVER to thicken, if it thickened at all! As it is mine took about twice as long (10 minutes) to thicken. Per other readers I added a clove of garlic and celery seed to the onion and carrot sauté - last time I used mushrooms also, and I think in future I will add chopped celery and maybe hot curry powder as we like spice! I used a Tablespoon of Dijon which was flavorful without being overwhelming, and used elbow macaroni. Great blank slate to start from and embellish with what you like!

I liked the flavor of the mustard; it was unexpected but really worked. Simple, easy recipe that most ingredients are already on hand. I used canned carrots and whole wheat egg noodles. Good recipe that we can easily include in our monthly rotation.

Very good simple dinner for a busy weeknight. Hubby and I like to substitute canned salmon for the tuna at times.

My husband and I liked it enough. However, it was a little too mustardy for my 6 year-old. It's not exactly what you would expect when thinking of traditional tuna casserole.

I made this the other night. Excellent. I haven't had this since gradeschool and now I'm in my 50's! I added the celery, garlic and mushrooms to the saute; and the zest and juice of one lemon when I added the cheese to the milk mixture. Very Very good.

Good for a solid, easy week night meal. I made on a Sunday afternoon and had for dinner Monday night.

I have made it three times and it has been a hit each time. Love the Dijon with tuna and have used whole wheat pasta or regular egg noodles successfully. this one is definitely a keeper!

I had my doubts, but this turned out very good.

Based on previous reviews, I used about 1/4 cup less milk. I also added thyme and used whole wheat egg noodles. I thought this was a good, easy weeknight meal... served as comfort food for a dreary fall evening. I'll make it again, but I'll up the veggie content with celery and mushrooms.

The sauce in this was horrible. The mustard flavor really was not good.

You know what this recipe needs? Pineapple. Seriously, try some good old canned pineapple.

I really liked this cassarole. I like that it doesn't used canned soup and still tastes rich and creamy. I took other's advice and added in celery, mushrooms, and garlic. I also mixed some of the cheese with panko for the topping. I baked it at 425 rather than broiled and the topping came out nice and brown. I will be making this one often.

Good, but bland. Slightly sweet. I added extra carrot, might try bell pepper, too, next time. Whole-grain noodles work fine in recipe. Needs a salad or additional vegetable.

Oh, I love this. Great comfort food. I made a few small changes -- I added some celery; I used whole wheat flour; I replaced the Dijon mustard with garlic powder and paprika; and I added whole wheat breadcrumbs on top. Also, instead of broiling it, I baked it at 450 for 15 minutes. (I was afraid that broiling it would char the breadcrumbs, but maybe it would have been fine.) Love the way my modified version turned out!

I thought the cream cheese would give a nice tang, but it seemed to disappear in all that milk. Luckily, I tasted before serving and could quickly add LOTS of green Tabsco sauce, garlic salt, and a dash of lemon. Wish I'd sauteed red and yellow bell pepper in with the carrot and onion, too. It's okay, but I'll look for a better one.

Made this several times, like the taste of the mustard, add whatever veggies I have on hand. (Don't like frozen peas) Use whole wheat rotini. Good dish to take to work for lunch.

I made this exactly as written and it turned out great! Good amount of balance between the different ingredients, and it was not overly dry or wet. For those on Weight Watchers, it's about 10 PP per serving.

I don't know about the special occasion, but for everyday, this is a winner. I added mushrooms (sauteed them with the onions and carrots) and added crushed chips for crunch. I also baked it for twenty minutes instead of broiling. (I am not fond of broiling.) Served it with a green salad and Riesling wine.

Easy and delicious . We used a piece of tuna and sauteed it..

Very good, but needed more texture. I added panko bread crumbs on top before baking.

I liked it, but gave 3 stars because based on reviews, the recipe needed extra flavor. I added mushrooms, onions, tsp of garlic powder, and celery. I also added sharp cheese and topped with breadcrumbs. Instead of chopping carrots, I added frozen peas and carrots I will definitely make this again.

great for my teenage boys, especially the big eater-this recipe only fed 3 of us :-) changed the noodles to whole wheat, changed the milk to almond milk, added celery as others did, added wheat germ on top, additional pepper too. came out great. easy to do. easy to clean up as i skipped the 2-qt baker and used my 4-qt saute pan which worked great under broiler.

I've made this many times now and it hasn't gotten old yet. The ingredients are mostly staples and I always seem to have them in the house, so it's a good go-to recipe for me when I don't have anything planned.

Nice take on a classic lightened up. I agree with the other reviews, could use a little punch, I added garlic, but perhaps heat would work. Absolutely worth making again and experimenting with it.

This was wonderful and much lower in sodium and preservatives than using a creamed soup. I did not have peas so I used cut green beans. I also rinsed the tuna to cut down on the sodium even more. I made it sunday afternoon and baked it at 325 on Monday until it was bubbly. I took it to work to share with others and they all raved about it. Served it with applesauce and a tossed salad. Definitely will make this again.

I made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! It's great comfort food and it's very easy to make. I changed the recipe a little based on other reviews that the flavor was lacking. I sauteed celery with the onions and carrots and then added chopped mushrooms and 2 cloves of garlic. I cut the mustard down to 1 tbsp and I topped the casserole with bread crumbs and sprayed them with olive oil before topping with the cheese and putting it in the oven. I will definitely be making this again! The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars was because I had to modify it a little.

I grew up eating Tuna Noodle Casserole and had to beg my husband to try it when I made this recipe. He was hooked after 1 bite. I stuck to the recipe and it came out delicious. Next time I would use frozen carrots to eliminate the time it took to soften the fresh carrots and I would add mushrooms (like the old school version). Overall, a keeper for weeknight dinner.

Yum! Cream cheese makes it really nice and velvety.

I thought that this was just going to be a typical tuna casserole, but the sauce for this recipe takes it up a notch. The cream cheese and the dijon and amazing, and offer a slight kick. I used 16 oz of whole wheat egg noddles and added more carrots and some celery (I had it and threw it in). Very creamy and great cold the next day!! Really good, and would make again.

I thought this was really good, with the following changes: added 1 pound button mushrooms, 1 rib celery, and 5 cloves minced garlic with the celery/onion mixture. Also used 12 oz tuna, and 12 oz noodles, and panko mixed with the parm on top. Delicious.

horrible tasting, the dijon mustard tase ruined it.

This recipe is almost tasteless. I added garlic powder like someone suggested and it didn't help. I'm sticking with the old Campbell's Mushroom Soup recipe.

I grew up hating my Grandmother's tuna casserole and swore I would NEVER make tuna casserole for my family...and I haven't!! I decided to try this out and this IS NOT your grandmother's casserole!!! Moist, flavorful and easy to make...it doesn't get much better

Best tuna casserole recipe we have tried. Used 1% milk and since I was short of frozen peas, I made up the shortage with a pea & carrot mix. May use only the mix next time to save time. Very creamy and we loved the touch of Dijon. Would like to try with shrimp perhaps.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well this dish turned out. I used 1% milk, and added an extra 2 min of cook time to the carrots, the milk addition, and the broil. We plan to add Panko on top next time. Will definitely make again!

My kids loved it. I used 12 oz noodles and only 1.5 cans tuna, and it turned out great.

I added a little garlic powder, dried dill, fresh rosemary, and sprinkled wheat germ on top for crunch. The dish was tasty, and I'd eat it once a month or so, but it wasn't anything super special.

I will most likely keep this recipe on hand for when the hankering for tuna noodle casserole strikes, although I must admit to liking the much- more-caloric classic version in my circa 1989 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook better. Still, the ingredients are easy to keep on hand and the casserole came together quickly. I might omit the mustard the next time and add pimientos and mushrooms. I halved the recipe because only 1 of the 2 people in our household will eat tuna noodle casserole and I didn't want to be eating it for the rest of the week. The fact that the recipe is easy to halve scored it bonus points in my book! 1/13 update: I tried this again. Gummy. Going back to the non-diet recipe the next time I crave tuna-noodle casserole

Made recipe with one additional ingredient, a can of rinsed and drained great northern beans, just to pump up the protein. My family loved it ! Had a moment of panic when the milk mixture wouldn't thicken,( hate runny casseroles,) but turned up the heat a bit and patiently stirred awhile and it thickened beautifully. Overall, I'd say each of the cooking times were too short, but that is easily adjusted. Will definately make this again, adding mushrooms too.

Surprisingly good version of a classic dish. The accompanying article on the different grades of tuna made me curious to find out how Ventresca (I think it was called the caviar of canned tuna) compares to regular/albacore, so I tracked it down (not easy to find). It has a richer, more fresh fish flavor and definitely made the dish. At $8.50/jar I would not use this on a regular basis, but it was a taste experience. Nice, creamy sauce and not overly seasoned. You just taste the fresh veggies, cheese and tuna.

Prepared this recipe with only one modification, I added 1/2 cup of panko on top for crunch. My family loved this meal. I give this recipe a 5 star not only for flavor but for ease of preparation. This recipe will go into heavy rotation in our home.

I made this today with some small changes (because I was lacking ingredients)... I used whole wheat shells and substituted shredded cheese for the cream cheese. Also, I had no mustard or peas so I left those out. With all that it was still very good. I think next time I'll have a salad with it. Definitely going to make it again!

The best part of this casserole is the creaminess. My husband complained that there was not a lot of tuna flavor, and I think he was right. We will make this again but make some changes. Initially, I liked the dijon flavor, but it got old very fast and I won't use it again. Next time we will add some mushrooms in place of carrots, omit the dijon entirely, and add some panko on the top for some crunch.

Definitely on rotation for everyday meals. Used 1% milk which is what we had on hand and light tuna in a pouch (2 pouches of 6.4oz). Served with Wente chardonnay. Really liked this quick, easy. pantry ingredient recipe.

Made as is, this casserole is flavorless. Much better recipes out there.

Surprisingly flavorful for tuna casserole. The dijon mustard adds a unique depth to the flavors, and the cream cheese adds great thickness to the sauce (most tuna casserole recipes I've made turn out runny). Added chopped celery, garlic, and an extra can of tuna. Quick and easy with plenty of leftovers.

I made the recipe as written using whole wheat egg noodles. I agree that the dijon brings a good flavor to the dish, but I had trouble getting the milk mixture to thicken, so the sauce ended up being a bit watery. I'm not sure I would make it again.

Never thought I'd like tuna casserole, but I'm glad I decided to try this! I used fusilli noodles instead of egg, and pecorino-romano instead of parmesan (surprisingly, it's what I had on-hand!). It had common ingredients, was easy to put together, and came together relatively quickly. Hubby thought it could use some spice, but I thought it was just right. Nice creamy texture and the tuna flavor wasn't overwhelming. I'll make this again.

I've had several bland noodle casseroles in my life - fortunately, this was not one of them. The milk and cream cheese make this casserole really creamy without the need for a lot of butter or cheese. What a great idea! I followed the recipe in terms of ingredients, more or less, though with casseroles you can really just estimate the quantities of everything or adjust to your liking. I used fresh Parmesan, which really made a difference, and I didn't have Dijon on hand so I threw in some sriracha instead for a little heat. This is a yummy, versatile dish and a great way to get your veggies.

Made to recipe (with one addition) because we had everything in-house. We like a bit of crunch on noodle dishes, so pulsed about 12 melba rounds, combined with the reserved cheese, and topped the casserole with the crumb mixture. Served with mixed greens & mushroom salad. Good, simple comfort food on a cold & snowy evening.

I thought this had potential but it was sort of bland. The creamy sauce had a nice consistency though. I ended up adding garlic, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. I would also consider maybe more tuna too.

Snowed in and having to cook dinner, I found all these ingredients so I did a very quick and easy meal. It was delicious and I found it quite satisfying with the flavors. I also agree dijon mustard was an expected ingredient but a welcomed one.

The Dijon mustard gives it a different twist on the regular tuna casserole....it was quick to make...i added mushrooms...and will add garlic next time