Homemade Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the list of ingredients for tuna noodle casserole? ›

Use 2 cans soup, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup pimiento, two 12-ounce cans tuna, 6 ounces (about 4 cups) egg noodles, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon butter. Bake in a 2-quart casserole for 30 minutes or until hot, then for another 5 to brown the bread crumb mixture.

When making a casserole, especially one you plan to enjoy as leftovers, don't cook the pasta as you would for an unbaked pasta dish. If you do, the added cooking in the oven will make your noodles a mushy mess, resulting in a dish that is more discomforting than comforting.

A possible reason for this is that you added too much pasta or not enough liquid. The pasta absorbs liquid, so you should use a generous amount of sauce to keep the dish moist. Your tuna casserole can also become dry due to overbaking.

Alternatively, Foods Guy recommends adding a splash of water or chicken stock to your casserole and covering it with plastic wrap before microwaving, which will add new moisture and lock in the steam, ensuring a perfectly moist reheated tuna casserole.

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

Just before the sauce is done cooking, the hot pasta is added to the saucepan. Generally speaking, we recommend cooking the pasta in the sauce together for about 1-2 minutes.

Putting a casserole together a day or so before baking ensures that everything is ready to go when dinner time rolls around. That means no rushing at the last minute. Along with greater convenience, making a casserole ahead of time also results in a richer, deeper taste.

Most baked-pasta recipes instruct you to boil the noodles until cooked halfway before baking them. This allows the pasta to finish cooking in the oven as it bathes in the sauce.

To thicken your tuna casserole, keep it in the oven for longer. This should thicken it right up. Mixing in an extra ¼ cup of parmesan cheese will also help bind it together.

How do you keep a casserole moist? ›

Covering a casserole helps the dish cook evenly, stay moist, and prevents burning. Uncovering helps with browning, crisping and allowing for steam to release.

Store your leftover tuna casserole in a shallow, airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave.

Keep Food out of the Danger Zone

Throw away all perishable foods that have been left in room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is over 90° F, such as at an outdoor picnic during summer).

Store your leftover tuna noodle casserole in a shallow, airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat thoroughly in the oven or in the microwave.

The "2-hour rule" states that perishables left at room temperature for more than two hours should be discarded. If the food is being kept in an area that is 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) or above, leftovers should be refrigerated to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius) or below within one hour.

Finally, despite being canned, many brands of canned tuna are minimally processed, containing only tuna, water or oil, and salt. Some brands may also add seasonings or broth for extra flavor. Canned tuna is an inexpensive, low calorie source of protein and other important nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids.

According to food blog High Heeled Homemaker, your basic casserole requires five ingredients: a protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and cheese. If you have those five ingredients in your casserole dish, congratulations; you just made a casserole, whether it's a beloved recipe or a concoction of your own creation.

Canned tuna is tossed with chopped tomatoes, olives, red onions, capers, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice, and then tossed again with hot fusilli pasta and shredded mozzarella cheese. The hot pasta melts the cheese into the tuna mixture.