Easy Tuna Casserole Anyone Can Make For Dinner

Looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing dinner that can come together at the last minute, even when you have very few groceries in the house? Who isn't? We love recipe developer Jason Goldstein's easy tuna casserole for being super simple — plus tasty! Goldstein, who blogs at Chop Happy, will show you how to make this meal with a few ingredients, many, if not all, you may already have on hand. 

As he told Mashed about his tangy, creamy tuna casserole, "This is perfect by itself or with mixed greens. Growing up, my mom would cut cucumbers, onions, and croutons with creamy ranch as a side salad." Perfect for kids, or for "big" kids, the best part about the dish — other than how you can make it in less than an hour — is that as Goldstein shared, "This is perfect for leftovers and tastes better every day as it sits in the fridge."

For easy tuna casserole, you will simply need two cans of tuna fish, plus a can of mushroom soup, Greek yogurt, grated cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, frozen mixed veggies, a pound of wide egg noodles, which you will cook ahead of time for one minute less than the package instructions direct (they'll cook more in the oven), and fried onions. 

We asked Goldstein about his interesting choice of yogurt for the casserole, and he told Mashed, "I used Greek yogurt for its subtle, creamy tang so the casserole sings with other flavors." Don't have Greek yogurt on hand, or perhaps you're a bit skittish about trying this ingredient in a tuna casserole? No worries, as Goldstein adds, "You can substitute the yogurt with sour cream."

Meanwhile, Goldstein also notes, "Any veggies in your freezer work for this, but I used peas, carrots, and green beans."

This easy tuna casserole recipe is seriously so simple! You will only need one big bowl, making clean-up a cinch, too. Step one is to place all of your ingredients in the bowl. Step two is to mix! So, your drained tuna, the cream of mushroom soup, Greek yogurt, shredded cheddar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, the frozen mixed veggies, and your cooked egg noodles go into the bowl, and you will mix to combine everything. Does it get any simpler at dinnertime? 

Meanwhile, we wanted to know if the addition of the red pepper flakes means this dish is too hot to handle for sensitive palates. But Goldstein assured Mashed about the casserole, "It is not spicy. The spicy red pepper flakes just balance out and cut through all the creamy, rich ingredients." Of course, you could dial up the heat by adding more flakes if your heart desires.

Once your ingredients are mixed well, simply spoon your tuna mixture into a casserole dish. You will bake the meal for about 20 minutes in a 375-degree oven. You really can't mess up this recipe, save for one teeny, tiny detail. And this is key, with Goldstein telling us, "As long as you place the casserole on the middle rack of the oven, you should not burn it." 

Okay, but say you do burn the dish. Goldstein has you covered there as well, explaining, "Also to make it super easy, I use the crispy onions on top at the end — so don't worry about the crust burning!"

That's right — as if this easy tuna casserole was not indulgent enough with the cheese and the yogurt, you get to sprinkle fried onions on top for added crunch and, well, extreme yumminess. Now, it's time to eat your creation, but remember, this casserole ages really well, so be sure to save a serving for lunch tomorrow too!