Retro Tuna Noodle Casserole ~When I was a kid we ate lots of cream-of-something soup casseroles. As much as we like to get “foodie” around here, those retro condensed soup casseroles are some of my most favorite comfort foods and I still make many of them for my family. One of my favorites back then was tuna noodle. I’m sure my Mom made it the same way lots of people do, with cream of mushroom soup and cheddar cheese, and ritz crackers on top. That layer of crunchy crackers melted into gooey cheese was my favorite part!
Retro Tuna Noodle Casserole
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8
Tuna Noodle Casserole was a staple in my childhood home. When I was a kid we ate lots of cream-of-something soup casseroles. As much as we like to get “foodie” around here, those retro condensed soup casseroles are some of my most favorite comfort foods and I still make many of them for my family. One of my favorites back then was tuna noodle. I’m sure my Mom made it the same way lots of people do, with cream of mushroom soup and cheddar cheese, and ritz crackers on top. That layer of crunchy crackers melted into gooey cheese was my favorite part!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium egg noodle pasta, cooked al dente according to package
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced or diced
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced or diced
- olive oil, as needed
- 4 tbs flour
- 1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth (just under 2 cups), warmed
- 1 cup milk, warmed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 12 oz canned tuna, packed in water, drained
- Topping:
- 1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs mixed with about 1/2 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Add celery, onion, and mushrooms and sauté stirring often until mushrooms are golden and tender. If needed for moisture, add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan after the mushrooms are added; more if needed during remaining cooking time. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
- Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in pan and add flour. Stir constantly for 30 seconds. Slowly add broth and milk, a little at a time while constantly whisking until mixture is smooth. Bring to a low simmer. Add salt and pepper. Stir constantly until thickened and bubbly, 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Whisk until smooth and taste. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add pasta, vegetables, and tuna. Stir to combine and place in a 3 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese (feel free to add more if you want) and sprinkle cracker crumbs or chips on top.
- Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until top is golden and pasta is hot and bubbly. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken.
Notes
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I never had a tuna casserole before but I love casseroles and this one looks amazing. Ritz and tuna sounds so complimentary! Thanks for linking up to #fridayfrivolity! Xx
Oh, you have to try this. My DIL adds peas to it too. It is a warm comfort food. Enjoy your week!
Tuna Casserole is one of our classic comfort foods and your recipe looks wonderful! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
You are welcome Miz Helen. See you at the next party. Have a great week!
I’ve had tuna noodle casserole but not with ritz crackers. Thank you for sharing at Ravenwould.
The cracker are so muc better than corn flakes. They add a buttery taste without the fats! Have a lovely week!
I’ve had Tuna Casserole on my meal ideas list for awhile – I love that this doesn’t used canned cream-of soup! Definitely the recipe I’ll be trying. Thanks so much for sharing with Party in Your PJs!
I hope you enjoy it Lynda. If you remember to come back let me know!! Have a lovely week!
This looks so delicious! I love the recipe!
Thank you Cristina! I hope you get to taste it. Have a lovely week!
I haven’t had tuna casserole in ages! Will have to try to make it soon!
Glad to inspire you Heidi! Have a lovely week!
mix it with tuna! I should try this at home…it looks delicious indeed
It is a great inexpensive and fast comfort food! Thx Indah. Have a lovely week.
I bet this is amazing! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks Jess. Have a lovely week.
Looks great Marilyn! I remember having Tuna Noodle Casserole as a kid. Honestly, I never liked it back then but of course I did not like a lot as a kid. I am sure I would love it now!! Lol. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday this week! 🙂
I am sure you would change your mind. The gooey cheese just makes this so “adult”! Have a great day!
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner link up!
Thank you Helen! Have a great day!
I love this, Marilyn! We are Catholic, so tuna casserole is a staple in our home come Lent 🙂 I am pinning this so I can have your recipe for next year!
Visiting from the No Rules Blog Party! Come see us sometime at MammaTech — we are always looking for guest bloggers (and we pay)!
Annie
I seem to bring this out every Lent. Itr is a good one for sure! Have a great day!
I’m glad you made your own “cream of something soup.” I now avoid all the canned soups because they just aren’t as healthy as homemade. I never made tuna casserole with crackers on top. I use slivered almonds in mine to add crunch and just cheese on top.
The almonds sound yummy. I need to give that a try! Have a great day!
You made me smile when I read “…lots of cream-of-something soup casseroles.” Thank you for attending the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty. I shared your post on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.
I never realized how much that was the “norm” in the 60’s. My mom was good at turning one can of soup into a family meal. Have a great day!
thanks for joining the SYS party. Making this childhood recipe this evening. The parmesan version sounds so good
Thank you Lynn! Have a great day!
thanks for joining the SYS party and I printed the recipe to make tonight. Been years since I have made this. The parmesan version sounds yummo….
I am glad you got inspired Lynn! Enjoy. Have a great day!
We are a lot of cream-of-whatever soups when I was growing up too. They don’t always deserve the bad reputation they get! Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
I have an old old cookbook of my mom’s called The Campbell Soup Cookbook. I need to find that one. Have a lovely week!
I also remember one of my aunts making something similar and I’m hoping my cousin will share all of her mom’s recipes. Fingers crossed!
I am in the process of getting my husband’s family recipes before they will be gone forever. Thanks Sandra. Have a great week.
A famous story in my family was about one time when my mother made tuna casserole for supper and my step-dad was saying, “Well, it’s good, but I don’t know, it just seems like something is missing.” Then we noticed the can of tuna still sitting on the kitchen counter!
I love this story because it sounds exactly like something I would do! I made a double batch of Red Velvet whoopie pies separating all the infgredients so as not to mess up converting. I put in the first batch with the butter and totally missed it in the secind batch. That icing was like cement and tasted just as bad! What a great memory. Have a great week!
Tuna Noodle Casserole was one of my childhood favorites! I just added this recipe to my menu planning for next week, Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it Jeanne. It always makes me miss my mom. Have a lovely week.
I can’t wait to give you recipe a try. Mom always use to make this and we loved it!
You know when I was growing up we didn’t have a lot of fast food so she had to have some quick recipes.
We always got fast, cheap, and tasty when mom needed to stretch the budget. I love pulling this one together! Have a lovely week.
Tuna casserole seems to get a lot of “bad press”, but what a great quick meal for once in a while…. I haven’t used parmesan cheese on it like your recipe calls for… and I like the sound of that. Thank you. 🙂
You are welcome. I know when I was growing up we ended up having more month than budget. My mom was great at giving us a tasty warm meal. She also made creamed tuna on toast. Ever hear of that? A flour, butter milk and tuna mix warmed and placed on toast. I will always remember that as a comfort meal. Have a lovely holiday!
My mom used to make a recipe just like this. I haven’t had it in years. I need to remedy that!
I love my mom’s old recipes. Especially near the holiday. Have a lovely holiday!
If I had a dollar for everytime I ate something similar to this I’d be writing this from somewhere in the tropics! I’m ready to try your version.
My mom had a bunch of fast, cheap and good tasting things when I grew up. We usually had more month than money for shoppping. Thx for the memories Sandra. Have a happy holiday!
There are some comfort classic recipes that just CAN’T be messed with. This is, definitely, one of them! 🙂
Thanks Betsy! I keep coming back to my childhood recipes more and more this year. You just can’t beat a great time proven tradition! Thank you for spending the time to comment!