Name: Tuna Casserole No Soup
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons flour; 1 cup milk; 1/4 cup heavy cream*; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; 2 cups dried egg noodles; 1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for topping; 1/2 cup diced onion; 1/2 cup chopped cremini mushrooms; 1/2 cup finely diced celery; 1/2 cup peas; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest; 1 6- oz. can tuna (drained); 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon butter (melted)

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Tuna casserole no soup is your favorite casserole from your childhood, but fancy! We’re skipping the canned condensed soups (because eeyuck!), and making our own roux sauce. You’ll be tempted to double this recipe to have the leftovers the next day!

Two small casserole dishes of tuna noodle casserole no soup.

I’m ready to admit this is my comfort food from my childhood. But I am very ready for a version of it without a canned condensed soup, aren’t you?

So instead, we’re making a white sauce that uses a roux (a flour-fat thickener) stirred into some milk and cream. We’re essentially making our own homemade condensed soup, and it is SO MUCH BETTER THAN anything in the can.

Macro image of tuna casserole no soup with noodles in a dish.

Personally, I grew up with condensed mushroom soup for this classic tuna casserole recipe, so that’s why I included chopped mushrooms in the veggies part of this recipe. If you don’t like mushrooms, leave them out.

Yes, this recipe serves two people in two individual casserole dishes (or one small one), but you can double it to bake in an 8-inch square pan, too!

Ingredients

Small bowls with pasta, chopped veggies, and herbs.

Butter. Two tablespoons of butter forms the base of the white sauce, and we’ll need an extra tablespoon to saute the veggies in later on.
Flour. For thickening the white sauce, two tablespoons of flour.
Milk. The roux here is made up of 1 cup of milk and a splash of heavy cream.
Heavy Cream. One-quarter cup of heavy cream, to be exact. You can use half and half as a substitute (or even more milk, it’s fine!).
Salt and Pepper. The sauce needs 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and the noodle filling needs an additional 1/8 teaspoon of each.
Nutmeg. The smallest sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg really makes a white sauce pop with flavor.
Egg Noodles. Two cups of dried egg noodles. I prefer the ones labeled ‘medium’ because they fit in the small casserole dishes best.
Onion. One-half cup of diced onion.
Mushrooms. One-half cup of diced mushrooms, either cremini, white button, or your favorite type of mushrooms.
Celery. It takes one medium stalk of celery to make one-half cup of finely diced celery.
Peas. It’s entirely optional, but I love 1/2 cup of peas in my tuna cassrole no soup!
Lemon Zest. A very small amount (1/4 teaspoon) of lemon zest brightens up the flavors of this casserole and makes it worlds better than the canned soup version!
Tuna. One 6-ounce can of tuna packed in oil, drained. You can use the tuna packed in water, but the oil pack is so much richer and more flavorful.
Bread Crumbs. If you like your tuna casserole (no soup) with a crispy breadcrumb topping, portion out 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and an additional tablespoon of butter for melting and drizzling on top.

How to Make Tuna Casserole No Soup

Butter and flour roux in small saucepan with wooden spoon.

Hand pouring milk into roux mixture in saucepan.

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the noodles. Then, make the roux sauce: melt the butter over medium heat, and whisk in the flour. Cook while whisking for about 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the milk and cream. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer to thicken slightly.

White sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg about to be whisked in.

Fresh chopped veggies and chunks of tuna in a saute pan.

Turn off the heat, and stir in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. You can pour this into a large bowl and re-use the skills for the next step.

Melt the extra tablespoon of butter, and saute the onion, mushrooms, and celery. Saute for 8-10 minutes, until these vegetables are tender.

Bowl with white sauce, cooked pasta, and veggies.

Two small casserole dishes topped with breadcrumbs, before baking.

Combine the cooked vegetables, drained pasta, and white sauce.

Divide into two small casserole dishes, top with breadcrumbs and melted butter (if using), and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling.

What to Serve with Tuna Casserole (No soup)

I love this cozy comforting tuna casserole no soup recipe with a side salad, but honestly, it’s great on its own, too! Because it has pasta, protein, and veggies all in the same pan, it’s a complete meal.