Tuna Noodle Casserole
Quick answer
Tuna noodle casserole boils egg noodles one minute short of the package time, sautés onion and mushrooms in butter, builds a cream sauce with flour and milk, folds in dra...
What makes this special
- Tender egg noodles fold into a creamy mushroom sauce and sharp cheddar in this hearty Tuna Noodle Casserole.
- Undercooking noodles by one minute before baking preserves their texture after the oven
- Half the cheddar stirred into the sauce adds depth; the other half on top creates a gratin crust
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Preheat the oven to 190C. Drain 200 g canned tuna very well so the sauce sta...
- 2 Boil 220 g egg noodles for one minute less than the package time, then drain immediately.
- 3 Melt 25 g butter in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion and mushrooms.
Tuna noodle casserole boils egg noodles one minute short of the package time, sautés onion and mushrooms in butter, builds a cream sauce with flour and milk, folds in drained tuna and half the cheddar cheese, then bakes the mixture topped with the remaining cheese at 190 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Undercooking the noodles is intentional - they continue absorbing sauce and softening in the oven, so fully cooked noodles turn mushy by the time the casserole is done. Toasting the flour in butter before adding milk eliminates the raw flour taste and produces a smooth sauce when the milk is poured in gradually. Draining the tuna well keeps the sauce from becoming greasy. Splitting the cheese between the sauce and the topping gives the casserole depth throughout while creating a golden, bubbling gratin crust on the surface.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Drain 200 g canned tuna very well so the sauce stays clean, then slice 80 g onion and 120 g mushrooms thinly so they soften evenly in the pan.
- 2Season
Boil 220 g egg noodles for one minute less than the package time, then drain immediately.
They will keep cooking and absorbing sauce in the oven, so do not cook them until fully soft.
- 3Control
Melt 25 g butter in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion and mushrooms.
Cook until the onion turns translucent and the mushrooms lose excess moisture, which prevents the casserole from becoming watery.
- 4Control
Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir over medium-low heat for about 1 minute.
When the raw flour smell fades, pour in 300 ml milk gradually while stirring so the sauce stays smooth.
- 5Season
When the sauce thickens, fold in the drained tuna, cooked noodles, and 50 g cheddar cheese.
Mix by lifting from the bottom instead of pressing, so the noodles stay intact and coated.
- 6Heat
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and scatter the remaining 50 g cheddar cheese evenly on top.
Bake at 190C for 20 minutes, until the surface is golden and bubbling at the edges.
After the steps
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