Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole—creamy, cheesy, and downright delicious, this casserole is even adored by those who say they hate it.
This Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole is my mom’s recipe and can not be beaten. Every other tuna noodle casserole is dry and bland. When I say that I am making my mom’s Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole, most people state how much they hated this dish growing up, and I tell them to give it a chance.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
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Most of us who grew up in the ’70s—’80s have the idea that all casseroles are dry and crumbly noodle dishes. But my mom was the exception. Even her Tater Tot Casserole is extremely creamy.
When I met my husband and told him I love tuna noodle casserole, he thought I was crazy. Then he had this recipe, and his mind forever changed.
Fall is all about comfort food—warm, cheesy dishes full of carbs. LOL!
The tuna noodle casserole and the Oreo dessert are tied in my book as my favorite recipes from my mom. It is about time that I shared this casserole with you.
I did put my spin on it only because my kids love cheddar cheese, and I wanted to add some to it – once I did that, I decided to top it with a few bread crumbs. The crunchy crust with the cheesy casserole underneath made this unbelievably the most amazing casserole I have ever had.
Childhood Dishes
We all have childhood dishes that bring the warmest and most comforting feelings and this Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole is that dish for me. And while I am not a huge Velveeta fan, I don’t mind making this casserole with it because well, my mom did, and some things you just should not change.
Leftovers are great frozen, to either save for later or take to a friend in need. Here are a few tips.
How to Freeze Casseroles
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Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole
- 12 ounces elbow noodles cooked al dente
- 10 ounces canned tuna in water drained
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken
- 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom
- 1 cup milk
- 16 ounces Velveeta cheese shredded or cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and pepper each
Topping
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degress F.
- Boil noodles according to package direction, drain and rinse in cold water and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add all of the remaining casserole ingredients and stir to combine.
- Fold in cooked noodles and pour into a large casserole dish.
- Cover and place in preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover for the last 30 minutes.
- Once cooked – top with 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and then sprinkle on 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
- Turn the oven to low broil and bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown. Keep an eye on it as it may brown faster depending on your oven and how high the rack is in the oven.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Everyone loved it! Best tuna casserole ever!
Here are our tweaks: lI did not have elbows, so we used Medium Egg noodles. We also did not have Velvetta, so I substituted cheddar cheese sliced very thin. I also added some parm ad romano cheese to the top when you add the bread crumbs. After the last 10 minutes in the oven I turned the oven off; then added about 3 tablespoons of butter in small pats to the top and threw it back in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter in.
Wow, just wow. My new all time favorite tuna casserole recipe! A must try and super easy to make! Thank you for the yummy recipe!
A tad bit dry, under seasoned even though I sprinkled a little bit extra of each seasoning and I only broiled it for 4 minutes!!! And it came out literally almost completely BLACK! I ate it and it was decent enough though!
Yes burning the top is never good.
Always watch when you have it on broil! Ovens vary, so you need to watch that.
It came out like soup. I used 12 ounces of cooked macaroni. (6 ounces before cooking them). Should it be 12 ounces of dry macaroni?
Yes 12 ounces of dry.
Such a satisfying dish! That is definitely a must make1
Looks incredibly delicious! Can’t wait to make this!
My family would love this!! I can’t wait to try it!
This sounds incredibly delicious! The perfect weeknight meal!
I love cheese however this had too much cheese I’d cut the amount of cheese used in half
Did you make this? Or just suggesting this?
Total comfort food! This one was so ooey gooey good!
Perfect recipe for my family. Easy to put together with the perfect amount of cheesiness!
This casserole is so creamy and flavorful. The family loved it and it’s their new favorite!
Wow! I’ve been making tuna noodle casserole for years and this one blew mine out of the water. So good!
It’s incredibly delicious! Can’t wait to make this again!
Tried this tuna noodle casserole, and it truly lives up to its name! The creamy sauce, the perfectly cooked noodles—it’s comfort food perfection.
Tuna casserole brings me back to growing up. We had it often, such a great dish
Absolutely delicious!! My family asks for this on a regular basis!!
can you add a little sour cream to this recipe?
I have not tried that but I do not see why not. You can either just add it in, or sub some of the cream of chicken for it.
Hi Sandra – this is making my mouth water! As a kid, I was addicted to Tuna Helper, and this is like a grown-up, more decadent, more gourmet version. Something tells me I’ll be putting this one on repeat. Thanks so much for sharing it!
This looks wonderful! One question, tho… what can I use in place of the Velveeta? I have a family member who doesn’t care for it. Thank you.
Made this for our dinner last night, and it was a total success! The creamy, cheesy goodness was exactly what we craved! Definitely making this again!
Total comfort food! This was soooooo creamy and delicious, the whole family gobbled it right up!
Wow, this has so many of my favorite flavors! It was so delicious!
Oh my goodness I can’t get enough of this stuff. Soooo darn tasty! Thanks!
I made your Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole last night and it really lives up to its name! So comforting and creamy. It brought back so many fond memories from my childhood.