Tuna Alfredo Casserole

Tuna alfredo casserole

Lauri Patterson / Getty Images

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 1 casserole

Tuna casserole is the ultimate comfort food. Adding an Alfredo-pesto sauce and choosing fancy pasta updates this family favorite into a delicious five-ingredient casserole that's a guaranteed winner on the dinner table. The tuna Alfredo casserole recipe is easy to make and fun to eat. It's also ready within an hour, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights.

This casserole requires only five ingredients, not including the salt for the pasta water or the cooking spray (these are really pantry items). Tuna in the can or pouch is a given in any tuna casserole, but this recipe skips the conventional canned cream soups. Instead, you'll use prepared Alfredo sauce and liven up its creamy taste with a little basil pesto.

The recipe suggests a few types of pasta. Mafalda is like mini lasagna noodles, and mostaccioli is nearly identical to penne. While these work well, you can certainly use any mid-sized pasta shape you like. However, the key to any casserole containing pasta is to slightly undercook the pasta before combining it with the other ingredients. The pasta will continue cooking in the oven, and you don't want it to overcook and be mushy.

The best part of casseroles is that you can change them up to suit your whim and what you have on hand. For instance, you could add just about any frozen, thawed vegetable to this easy tuna casserole recipe. Try peas, corn, canned mushroom slices (drained), chopped green onion or sweet onion, or chopped cooked bell pepper.

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt, for pasta water

  • 3 cups mafalda, mostaccioli, or penne pasta

  • 1 (10-ounce) container refrigerated Alfredo sauce

  • 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade basil pesto

  • 12 ounces canned tuna, drained and chopped

  • Cooking spray, for greasing dish

  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

  2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to directions, taking 1 minute off the cooking time. When the pasta is almost al dente, drain well.

  3. Meanwhile, combine the Alfredo sauce and pesto in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Add the cooked pasta and tuna, mixing gently.

  4. Pour the tuna mixture into a greased 2-quart glass baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese.

  5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is hot.

Recipe Variation

  • Make this an ultra-cheesy tuna casserole by substituting the Alfredo sauce with cheese sauce.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
283 Calories
13g Fat
19g Carbs
21g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 283
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 33mg 11%
Sodium 523mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 21g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 156mg 12%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 288mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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