Tuna Casserole

825 Ratings
  • 5 136
  • 4 200
  • 3 303
  • 2 143
  • 1 43

Break out a family favorite: tuna casserole. The traditional comfort food is great for serving large groups. In our tuna casserole recipe, we cut the sauce with chicken broth, but there's enough milk to make this casserole feel indulgent.

Everyday Food, October 2011

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Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

total:
1 hr
prep:
35 mins
Servings:
8
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions (it will be undercooked). Drain. In a small bowl, toss together panko, Parmesan, and 2 teaspoons oil.

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  • In pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add flour and whisk to coat onion with flour. Slowly whisk in broth, then milk.

  • Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in pasta, tuna, and peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.

  • Transfer tuna mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and top with panko mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling and crust is golden, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

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Reviews (19)

825 Ratings
  • 5 136
  • 4 200
  • 3 303
  • 2 143
  • 1 43
Martha Stewart Member
03/07/2020
Overall this recipe is good, but like others reviews, I think it lacked flavor. I was able to kick up the flavor by adding a teaspoon of onion powder, more salt and white pepper. I also added parmesan inside the casserole in addition to being on top. This passed the kid taste test. They both gobbled down half the pan.
Martha Stewart Member
08/06/2019
Added celery, garlic and mushrooms so had to reduce a bit more. Also added more parm. Added pepper flakes cause tuna casserole is usually bland. Added tarragon. But it reminds me of mom. Nice recipe but took a lot of land and time
Martha Stewart Member
02/25/2019
I tried to have 5 stars but the site gave me trouble. I did need to chage the recipe to mske it glutin free. I used Pasta Joy noodles. I used gletin free bread crumbs, & bone broth. Itcame out really yummy! I have made it 3×'s in the past 4 weeks!❤
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Martha Stewart Member
02/11/2019
Good base recipe, a little on the bland side. I even added 2 cloves of garlic and extra salt and pepper along with red pepper flakes. Might try some sour cream or more salt next time. I also used peas and carrots and shells pasta!
Martha Stewart Member
03/24/2018
This will definitely be in rotation for me. Super simple recipe, but it manages to pack a lot of flavor. I don't like bland casseroles, but I don't like them being too muddled with flavors. Using Better Than Bouillon vegetable broth base added just the right amount of salty pop, and it still allowed the tuna to shine. I added a little more peas than suggested, and those lend a nice, sweet bite to balance this. All in all, this is a delicious and simple weeknight recipe -- and it makes plenty of leftovers if you're cooking for 1-2, like me!
Martha Stewart Member
02/24/2018
Great recipe, I have made this for years and it is never-fail, always a favorite, and I never thought to change a thing. Last evening, instead of plain, I added peas with mushrooms and garlic, and it was the perfect touch, upgrade success!
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Martha Stewart Member
03/08/2016
would LOVE to try to make this recipe, but the drop down video COVERS the recipe and won't go away. Massive fail.
Martha Stewart Member
01/02/2015
I love this recipe and have made it a number of times. It's very easy and, because it's relatively healthy, I feel okay about eating a casserole. I never have cream of mushroom soup on hand, but I alway have the ingredients for this. I love it with lot of extra peas.
Martha Stewart Member
07/07/2014
This recipe was tasteless. I'm so disappointed. I never used a recipe off Martha's recipe that disappointed but this one did. I kept adding salt and cheese but no luck. Boo. It'd be great if this recipe was revamped.
Martha Stewart Member
01/26/2014
I had high hopes for this recipe -- whole milk, tuna, pasta, cheese -- I was sold. This is very bland in flavor but easy to make. I had to add a lot of sriracha sauce to add flavor. This is not a keeper for me. Martha rarely disappoints but my mouth was underwhelmed.
Martha Stewart Member
01/08/2014
I just made this--very yummy. I also added chopped red pepper, celery and 2 chopped garlic cloves to sauté with the onion. And a few dashes of cayenne pepper to the sauce. I didn't have Parmesan, so I grated some cheddar (about 1/2 cup) and mixed it with the panko for the topping with 2 tbsps melted butter. I still felt like it could've used a little more zip, but it was very satisfying and everyone loved it.
Martha Stewart Member
12/08/2013
Decent. Nothing too surprising here. It is nice to not have to open a can of cream of mushroom to make a tuna casserole but this could stand to be punched up a bit.
Martha Stewart Member
10/20/2013
This was a flop for me. The lack of cheese inside the casserole (only on top), and no spices should have been a red flag. It's just pasta with a creamy sauce plus tuna. It isn't worth the surprising amount of effort the other reviewers mentioned for a casserole. But if I did have to make this again, I would add about 2 cups of shredded cheese (it sounds like a lot, but standard casseroles of this type call for more!), a dash of chili powder/pepper flakes, corn or more peas, and basil or parsley
Martha Stewart Member
10/01/2013
for as much liquid and pasta as this recipe calls for, two 6oz cans of tuna didn't seem like nearly enough. I used three 12oz cans of tuna, and added mushrooms and broccoli. It turned out hearty and satisfying and I highly recommend these revisions, upping the tuna content at the very least!
Martha Stewart Member
06/20/2013
Good recipe, nice and light. My husband appreciated that there wasn't a can of cream of mushroom soup in sight :) Should not be tagged "meatless" though LOL.
Martha Stewart Member
10/22/2012
Delicious! The only change I made was raw broccoli florets added the sauce and pasta before baking. I also added a tablespoon of Penzey's Mural of Flavor. It's even better for leftovers the next day!
Martha Stewart Member
10/03/2012
Made this recipe for dinner tonight but used bow tie pasta and I didn't have any peas. Regardless of the peas, it was just wonderful. A new staple at our house has been born.
Martha Stewart Member
03/23/2012
Although it was a bit more involved than I prefer on a weeknight, the end result was worth it. Best tuna casserole I've ever had.
Martha Stewart Member
12/21/2011
This turned out well and I like that the ingredients are easy to have on hand. It did seem more involved than I expected and took awhile to get it into the oven. I used regular breadcrumbs but next time will try panko.. ended up being way too much breadcrumbs throughout. Would recommend topping with just half a cup.
Martha Stewart Member
11/04/2011
Nice meal. Easy to make out of pantry staples. Just use what you already have at home. I used spagetti and a blend of mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan. I think next time I will add mushrooms. Would even be nice without the tuna and more veggies. My cat loved it too!
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