Tuna casserole is one of those old-school comfort foods that deserves a comeback—but maybe with a little more flavor than the version we grew up eating! This Not Your Mom’s Tuna Casserole keeps all the traditional goodness with elbow macaroni, tuna, cream of mushroom soup and plenty of cheese, but we season the pasta while it cooks, toss it with butter and add extra cheddar for an incredibly creamy, cheesy casserole.
A generous layer of Mexican blend cheese goes over the top before it heads into the oven, giving you that bubbly, golden cheesy crust everyone fights over. It’s inexpensive, filling and made mostly with pantry staples, making it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner when you don’t feel like making anything complicated.
Trick is, we don’t eat a lot of pasta so this is a lot of tuna, veggies and cheese, very little pasta. You can easily add more if you want more.
Tips for the Best Tuna Casserole
- Season the pasta water. Adding Pro Boil seasoning while the elbows cook gives the pasta flavor from the inside instead of relying entirely on the sauce.
- Don’t fully cook the macaroni. Take it out about 2 minutes before al dente. The elbows continue cooking in the oven and soak up some of that creamy sauce.
- Butter the pasta while it’s hot. Toss the drained elbows with butter before adding the other ingredients. It’s a small step that adds a lot of old-fashioned comfort-food flavor.
- Don’t make the mixture too dry. The casserole will thicken considerably while it bakes. Before it goes into the oven, the mixture should look a little creamier and looser than you ultimately want it.
- Use two cheeses. Cheddar mixed into the casserole gives the sauce more flavor, while Mexican blend cheese melts beautifully over the top.
- Drain the tuna really well. Excess liquid can water down the sauce. Press out as much as you can before adding it.
- Give the top some color. If the casserole is hot and bubbly but the cheese isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for a minute or two. Keep an eye on it—it can go from golden to burned quickly.
- Let it sit before serving. Give the casserole about 5–10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. The sauce will thicken slightly and it’ll be much easier to scoop.
Not Your Mom’s Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 oz elbow macaroni More if you want more
- 2 cans tuna drained
- 1/2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 shredded Mexican blend cheese for the top
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp Pro Boil seasoning or to taste
- Black pepper
- Optional: ½ tsp garlic powder
- Optional crunchy top: crushed Ritz crackers or breadcrumbs + melted butter
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Boil elbows in generously seasoned water with Pro Boil seasoning. Cook them about 2 minutes shy of done. Drain.
- While they’re hot, toss the elbows with 2–3 tablespoons butter.
- Mix in the tuna, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar, about ½ cup milk, a little more Pro Boil and black pepper. Add another splash of milk if it looks too thick.
- Spread into a greased casserole dish.
- Cover the top generously with Mexican blend cheese. Add buttery Ritz crumbs if you want the classic crunchy top.
- Bake 20–25 minutes, until bubbling around the edges. Broil for 1–2 minutes at the end if you want the cheese browned.
- One thing I’d add: a little onion. Either ½ small onion sautéed in the butter or about ½ teaspoon onion powder. It gives that traditional tuna-casserole flavor without turning it into something fancy.
- And don’t overcook those elbows before baking — that’s the difference between creamy casserole and tuna-flavored mush.
