Tuna noodle casserole combines drained tuna, egg noodles, mushrooms, and a sauce made with condensed soup, cream cheese, sour cream, and milk. The noodles are cooked before baking; the oven stage heats the assembled dish and melts its cheese. Crispy fried onions go on near the end so they do not become too dark before the center is hot. This batch makes six modest portions from eight ounces of dry noodles.
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Why This Recipe Works
The sauce is warmed before assembly, which helps the cream cheese blend rather than remain in cold lumps. Tuna noodle casserole uses condensed mushroom soup as a concentrated ingredient; the measured milk is the added liquid, so the can is not diluted again according to its soup-serving directions.
Cooked pasta continues absorbing sauce as it bakes. Stopping the noodle boil at al dente helps avoid overly soft pieces. Mushrooms and onion are cooked separately in oil so their initial water does not simply collect at the bottom of the baking dish.
Ingredients for Tuna Noodle Casserole with Mushrooms
Measure eight ounces dry egg noodles and eight ounces tuna after draining. The original alternate filling is one and a half cups cooked shredded chicken or turkey; use one filling rather than adding every option together. The soup is a single 10.5-ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom.
Tuna noodle casserole uses four ounces cream cheese, half a cup sour cream, and three-quarters cup milk. Three to four medium baby bella mushrooms are a small flavor addition, not a full pound. A cup of shredded Colby Jack melts over the filling, while a separate cup of crisp fried onions makes the final topping.
Main ingredients
- 8 oz tuna (8 ounces after draining; alternate filling: 1 1/2 cups already cooked shredded chicken or turkey)
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 0.5 lg White onion (diced)
- 3-4 med Bella mushrooms (washed and sliced)
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- 0.5 c Sour cream
- 1 10.5 oz can Cream of mushroom soup (condensed; do not dilute)
- 0.75 c Milk
- 8 oz Egg Noodles (or Rotini) (8 ounces dry; boil to al dente before baking)
- 1 c Colby jack cheese (shredded)
- 1 c French fried onions (crispy fried onions, added during final 5 minutes)
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole with Mushrooms
Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a shallow two-quart baking dish. Boil the noodles according to their package until just al dente, then drain. At the same time, cook the diced half onion and sliced mushrooms in the measured olive oil over medium heat until softened and excess moisture has reduced.
Lower the skillet heat and add the condensed soup, cubed cream cheese, sour cream, milk, and garlic powder. Stir gently until the cheese blends and the sauce is hot, avoiding a hard boil. Taste before adding salt because the soup, cheese, and fried onions already contribute seasoning.
Fold in the drained noodles and tuna without breaking the tuna into a paste. Spread tuna noodle casserole in the dish and add the shredded cheese. Bake about fifteen to twenty minutes, until the center reaches 165°F and the edges bubble. Add the fried onions for approximately the last five minutes, watching their color. If the dish was assembled cold, it needs longer than the hot-start range; protect the top with foil and check the center again. Rest five minutes before spooning out six portions.
How to Serve
Serve tuna noodle casserole while the topping is still crisp. A green salad or simply cooked vegetables balance the rich sauce. Use a broad serving spoon rather than expecting firm layered squares. If using the cooked poultry alternative, label the dish for diners; changing the filling does not remove dairy or other allergens from the sauce.
Storage
Refrigerate tuna noodle casserole promptly in shallow covered containers and use within three to four days. Reheat a portion to 165°F throughout, covering it initially so the noodles do not dry out. A little milk or water can loosen thickened sauce. Fried onions soften during storage, so reheating will not fully reproduce their first-bake texture.
Check FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures.
Tips and Variations
Break softened cream cheese into small cubes before it enters the sauce. A whole cold block melts slowly and can encourage you to overheat the sour cream while waiting. Drain the tuna and pasta thoroughly instead of compensating for extra water with an unmeasured amount of more cheese.
For tuna noodle casserole, topping color is a separate check from center heat. Delay the crisp onions until the filling is nearly finished. Use the temperature endpoint if cookware depth, chilled ingredients, or an inaccurate oven makes the center slower than the stated range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the noodles dry when tuna noodle casserole goes in the oven?
No. Boil them to al dente and drain before mixing them with the sauce.
Should I dilute the soup can?
No. The condensed soup stays concentrated; the measured milk supplies the extra liquid.
Can I use chicken instead of tuna?
Use the listed alternate amount of already cooked shredded poultry, then heat the assembled casserole to 165°F.
When do fried onions go on?
Add them near the end, about the last five minutes, and watch so they do not burn.
What if I assembled it in advance?
Keep it covered in the refrigerator and allow a longer bake. The hot-start timing will not apply exactly.
More Recipes to Try
- Tuna Pasta Bake recipe
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad
- Green Bean and Potato Casserole
- Parmesan Roasted Vegetables
Tuna Noodle Casserole with Mushrooms
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 8 oz tuna 8 ounces after draining; alternate filling: 1 1/2 cups already cooked shredded chicken or turkey
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 0.5 lg White onion (diced)
- 3-4 med Bella mushrooms (washed and sliced)
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- 0.5 c Sour cream
- 1 10.5 oz can Cream of mushroom soup condensed; do not dilute
- 0.75 c Milk
- 8 oz Egg Noodles (or Rotini) 8 ounces dry; boil to al dente before baking
- 1 c Colby jack cheese (shredded)
- 1 c French fried onions crispy fried onions, added during final 5 minutes
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat to 375°F and prepare a greased shallow 2-quart dish. Cook the dry noodles only to al dente and drain.
- Sauté diced onion and sliced mushrooms in olive oil until soft and less watery.
- Turn the burner down. Stir the condensed soup with the milk, both dairy creams, and powdered garlic until smooth and hot; taste for seasoning.
- Fold in drained tuna and noodles. Place in the dish and scatter Colby Jack over the filling.
- Bake a hot assembled dish about 15–20 minutes to a 165°F center. Add the fried-onion topping for the final 5 minutes; chilled assembly takes longer.
- Stand 5 minutes, then spoon into six modest portions.
