If you love traditional tuna casserole, you will love our spaghetti tuna casserole recipe! This simple tuna bake recipe with pasta is packed with flavor and perfect for busy weeknights. Even better, you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry or fridge already! Make this dish in 28 minutes or less!
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While most tuna casseroles are baked in the oven for 30 minutes or so, we found a way to achieve the same level of crunch and flavor by simply using the broiler. Specifically, we combined all ingredients over the stove, topped our tuna casserole with crushed, buttered crackers, and broiled fro 3-5 minutes for a crispy, golden finish!
👍 Why We Love this Pasta Tuna Casserole
Basic ingredients- You are likely to have many of the ingredients in your panty or fridge/freezer.
Quick & simple- Like all of our recipes, this spaghetti tuna casserole can be made in 28 mins or less and with minimal steps!
Delicious- Tuna and pasta in a creamy, savory sauce is amazing! This traditional tuna casserole dish never gets old.
Customizable- You can get pretty creative with the veggies you include in the meal or the type of pasta you use!
If you love creamy pasta and rice dishes, be sure to also checkout our amazing Creamy Vegetable Pasta and our Creamy Chicken Pea Skillet with Rice!
🛒 Ingredients
Notes on Ingredients:
Canned tuna- We prefer water-packed tuna, drained and flaked.
Spaghetti- Broken into thirds (for easier eating) and cooked al dente.
Chicken broth- We cooked pasta directly in the broth for added flavor!
Cream of Mushroom Soup- This gives the dish its creamy flavor! Campbell's is our favorite brand of this soup.
Ritz Crackers- For a crunchy, finish, we added buttered and crushed crackers to the top of our dish.
👩🍳 How to Make Spaghetti Tuna Casserole
Step 1: Turn on broiler and spray a 1.5-2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.🥄Kid Step: Spray casserole dish! This is a fun task for kids.
Step 2: Cook noodles in chicken broth (don't drain when done cooking). 🥄 Kid Step: Taste test! Ask kids to taste the noodles to check and see if they are done cooking.
Step 3: Combine cooked spaghetti with cream of mushroom soup, peas, tuna seasoning and cheese. Move combined ingredients to casserole dish. 🥄Kid Step: Open up the cans of soup and tuna and pour them into the pot!
Step 4: Add melted butter to crushed crackers, spread on top of casserole and broil for 3-5 minutes. 🥄 Kid Step: Crush crackers! This hands-on and messy task is a hit with little ones!
✏️ Tips & Tricks
- Use any pasta you'd like. Just be sure to break up larger pastas for easier eating.
- Don't overcook pasta. Boil pasta al dente to prevent it from getting mushy.
- Make sure there is enough broth to cover the pasta. Feel free to add more as needed. And there is no need to drain the pasta once done cooking. The remaining broth serves as a nice base for the mushroom sauce.
- Adjust seasoning as desired. We recommend starting small and tasting along the way!
- Keep an eye on the casserole under the broiler to make sure it doesn't burn. This tuna bake recipe with pasta is perfect with just a little crunch on top!
❓FAQ
Many different vegetables work nicely in our tuna bake recipe with pasta, including broccoli, peas, green beans and carrots. Or simply choose your favorite fresh vegetables!
We prefer spaghetti for our tuna casserole as it absorbs the sauce's flavor nicely but any pasta will work! Elbow macaroni, penne or egg noodles would also work nicely.
Store spaghetti tuna casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
We love adding a crunchy topping to our tuna casserole! Some options include crushed buttered crackers, potato chips or panko bread crumbs.
🧂Recipe Variations
- Swap tuna for salmon, chicken or shredded turkey meat.
- Not a fan of mushrooms? Use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom soup.
- Add more veggies, like green beans, sliced mushrooms, diced celery and/or olives.
- Use cheddar cheese instead of grated parmesan.
- Top with crushed potato chips instead of crackers.
- Make this dish creamier by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sour cream or cream cheese.
👶🏼 Modify for Picky Eaters
🍅Kids pick the pasta! We used spaghetti, but almost any pasta will work fine in this dish! Let kids choose their favorite.
🍅Kids choose the frozen veggies! Broccoli, peas, green beans…kids can choose the veggies they like best.
🍅Add a side dish! Garlic bread, a side salad or toast would be a great addition to this tuna bake recipe with pasta.
🧶 Crafts for this Recipe
Need a craft to keep kids busy while you cook? Recycle empty tuna cans and make adorable Tins for Candy or convert an empty soup can into an awesome Tin Can Pencil Holder!
🍽 You May Also Like...
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🥣 Spaghetti Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 4-6 oz uncooked spaghetti broken into thirds
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 5 ounce cans solid white tuna in water (drained & flaked)
- 15 Ritz crackers crushed
- ¼ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Turn on broiler and spray a 1.5-2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium-large pot. Cook noodles in chicken broth according to package's instructions and al dente. Note: Do not drain the broth. The remaining broth serves as a nice base for the mushroom sauce.
- Combine cooked spaghetti with cream of mushroom soup, peas, tuna seasoning and cheese. Cook on low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until warmed throughout. Move combined ingredients to casserole dish.
- Combine melted butter and crushed crackers, spread evenly on top of casserole and broil for 3-5 minutes until browned.
Notes
- Use any pasta you'd like. Just be sure to break up larger pastas for easier eating.
- Don't overcook pasta. Boil pasta al dente to prevent it from getting mushy.
- Make sure there is enough broth to cover the pasta. Feel free to add more as needed. And there is no need to drain the pasta once done cooking. The remaining broth serves as a nice base for the mushroom sauce.
- Adjust seasoning as desired. We recommend starting small and tasting along the way!
- Keep an eye on the casserole under the broiler to make sure it doesn't burn.
Nutrition
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a Wordpress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.
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Can you substitute canned peas for frozen peas? I have everything on hand but frozen peas!
Hi there! I have only used frozen, so I can't vouch for the flavor of canned peas. But I don't see any reason you couldn't! Let us know how it turns out....curious. Cheers --Julie
Do not put in the salt. I repeat omit the salt. Taste first then salt to taste.
Thanks for the feedback, Michael. The salt amount is totally a taste/preference thing, and it depends a ton on which chicken broth/stock you use.
Cheers,
Julie
Are you supposed to drain the chicken broth?
Hi, great question! Nope, I don't drain the broth. The remaining broth serves as a nice base for the mushroom sauce. Thanks for asking! -Marcie