Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole is a creamy and delicious meal that is quick and simple to make. Made with shell pasta, white tuna, and lots of shredded cheese, the taste is going to be amazing!
It’s just a fact of life: anyone growing up in the late ‘80s and/or early ‘90s most likely had to endure some variation of tuna casserole. Frequently, in my case. 🙂
Until recently, it had been years since I even thought of tuna casserole, but out of nowhere, I was suddenly craving it something fierce. So I saw an opportunity to take my classic childhood comfort food and up the ante a little, giving it a fresh spin and a slightly more grown-up flavour profile.
Why you’ll love this Creamy Tuna Casserole Recipe
Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole is a great dish that is incredibly quick and easy to prepare. You can prepare it ahead of time, then refrigerate it until ready to bake. Your kids won’t even know they’re eating Tuna, they will just know it tastes great!
The cheese sauce starts off pretty basic here, but is turned into something special with a little dry mustard and Worcestershire. This casserole is super cheesy; most of the sharp cheddar gets melted into the sauce, but some gets cubed and stirred into the pasta shells so you end up with gooey areas of melted cheese. And the buttered crackers topping with paprika adds crunch and depth of flavor; it’s similar to breadcrumbs, but just a little different.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make the Best Ever Tuna Casserole
To make this superduperdelicious tuna casserole you’ll need:
- Pasta shells
- Cream of celery or mushroom soup
- Milk
- Mayonnaise
- Dry mustard
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Old cheddar cheese, shredded
- Canned tuna
- Premium Plus Crackers
- Butter, melted
- Cayenne pepper powder
- Frozen green peas, optional
How to Make Tuna Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and grease a casserole dish. Get out a 1 1/2 quart (1.4 liter) casserole dish and rub the inside with olive oil or butter. You can also use cooking spray.
- Greasing the casserole dish will prevent the casserole from sticking.
- Combine the soup, milk, mayo, Worcestershire sauce and mustard in a large bowl. If you don’t have dry mustard, substitute the same amount of prepared mustard.
- Stir the shredded cheese and drained tuna into the bowl. Use a spatula or spoon to stir the mixture until it’s combined. (NOTE: Depending on the size of the tuna cans, you may need to use 2 smaller cans. For example, if you have 3.5 ounce (99 g), you’ll need 2 cans.)
- Stir in the cooked macaroni into the tuna mixture
- Spread pasta and tuna the mixture in the dish.
- If you’d like to add peas to the casserole, stir in 1 cup (150 g) of frozen green peas before you spread the mixture in the dish.
- Melt butter in a small bowl and stir in crushed crackers, and paprika.
- Scatter the cracker topping evenly over the casserole.
- Bake the tuna casserole for 45 to 50 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and the top will become crispy and golden brown once the casserole has finished baking.
In the end, this dish is a wink and a nod to my mom’s tuna casserole. It’s a gooey, cheesy, savoury, nostalgic comfort food that deserves to be brought back.
Be sure to double up this recipe for second helpings!
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Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole Recipe
Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole is a creamy and delicious meal that is quick and simple to make. Made with shell pasta, white tuna, and lots of shredded cheese, the taste is going to be amazing!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked and drained pasta shells
- 1 298 g can of cream of celery or mushroom soup
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 cup old cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 can tuna, drained, 198 g
- 1/2 cup crushed Premium Plus Crackers
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 1 cup frozen green peas, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and grease a casserole dish. Get out a 1 1/2 quart (1.4 liter) casserole dish and rub the inside with olive oil or butter. You can also use cooking spray.
- Greasing the casserole dish will prevent the casserole from sticking.
- Combine the soup, milk, mayo, Worcestershire sauce and mustard in a large bowl. If you don't have dry mustard, substitute the same amount of prepared mustard.
- Stir the shredded cheese and drained tuna into the bowl. Use a spatula or spoon to stir the mixture until it's combined. (NOTE: Depending on the size of the tuna cans, you may need to use 2 smaller cans. For example, if you have 3.5 ounce (99 g), you'll need 2 cans.)
- Stir in the cooked macaroni into the tuna mixture
- Spread pasta and tuna the mixture in the dish.
- If you'd like to add peas to the casserole, stir in 1 cup (150 g) of frozen green peas before you spread the mixture in the dish.
- Melt butter in a small bowl and stir in crushed crackers, and paprika.
- Scatter the cracker topping evenly over the casserole.
- Bake the tuna casserole for 45 to 50 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and the top will become crispy and golden brown once the casserole has finished baking.
Notes
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days.
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Deborah Brooks
Monday 3rd of December 2018
wow i have not had tuna casserole since I was a kid!