Albacore Tuna Casserole Recipe: A Comfort Food Classic
November 18, 2024Albacore Tuna Casserole Recipe: A Comfort Food Classic
Tuna casserole is one of the most practical dishes in the American comfort food canon: it uses pantry and freezer staples, feeds a crowd from a single baking dish, reheats well, and can be assembled up to a day ahead. The version here is built around canned albacore — the mild, firm flesh holds its texture through the oven better than lighter canned tuna. A few technique notes make the difference between a good casserole and a standard one. Serves 6; total time 50 minutes.
Ingredients
Base: 2 cups dry pasta (elbow macaroni or wide egg noodles — cook to 2 minutes under al dente; see Step 2) — 2 tins (5 oz each) albacore tuna, drained — 1 cup frozen peas (not peas-and-carrots mix; peas alone hold their texture better through baking) — 1/2 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 2 tbsp melted butter (for the topping).
Sauce: 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup + 1/2 cup whole milk — or make from scratch (see below) — 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar — 1/4 cup grated Parmesan — 1/2 tsp garlic powder — 1/2 tsp onion powder — black pepper; hold salt until tasting (the soup and tuna both contribute sodium).
Scratch cream of mushroom sauce (optional, 10 minutes): 2 tbsp butter — 8 oz cremini mushrooms, finely diced — 2 tbsp all-purpose flour — 1 cup whole milk — 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock — salt and pepper. Melt butter over medium; sauté mushrooms 5 minutes until moisture has cooked off. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Add milk and stock gradually, whisking until smooth and thickened, 3–4 minutes. Season. Use in place of the canned soup + milk combination.
Method
Step 1 — Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 2 — Cook pasta to under al dente. Cook pasta in well-salted boiling water to 2 minutes under the package’s stated al dente time. The pasta continues cooking in the oven for 25–30 minutes; pasta cooked to fully al dente before baking will be soft and mushy by the time the casserole is done. Drain and do not rinse (surface starch helps the sauce adhere).
Step 3 — Make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together cream of mushroom soup, milk, cheddar, Parmesan, garlic powder, and onion powder. Taste before adding salt — the soup and tuna are both salty; most batches need only black pepper and no added salt.
Step 4 — Combine. Add the under-cooked pasta, drained tuna, and frozen peas (do not thaw — they finish cooking in the oven; pre-thawed peas turn to mush). Fold gently until evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread level.
Step 5 — Top and bake. Scatter breadcrumb-butter mixture evenly over the top. Bake uncovered 25–30 minutes until the topping is deep golden brown and the edges are bubbling. If the topping browns before the casserole is bubbling through, tent loosely with foil for the remaining time.
Step 6 — Rest and serve. Rest 5 minutes before serving — the sauce tightens as it cools slightly and portions more cleanly. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley.
Fresh albacore variation
Pan-sear a 6–8 oz albacore steak in a hot skillet with olive oil, 2–3 minutes per side to medium (pink center). Rest 5 minutes; flake into large pieces. Use in place of tinned tuna. The flavor is cleaner and less salty; add a pinch more salt to the sauce to compensate for the reduced sodium that tinned tuna would have contributed.
Make-ahead and freezing
The assembled casserole (without breadcrumb topping) can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking — add 5–10 minutes to baking time if going in cold from the refrigerator. To freeze: assemble and freeze without the breadcrumb topping; cover tightly with plastic wrap then foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Breadcrumbs added before freezing absorb moisture during storage and bake up soggy — always add fresh. To bake from frozen: remove plastic wrap, cover with foil, bake at 375°F for 45 minutes; uncover, add fresh breadcrumbs, bake 15–20 minutes more until golden and bubbling through.
For the albacore nutritional profile, see our albacore tuna guide . For recipe videos, subscribe to the Global Seafoods YouTube Channel .