Tuna Noodle Skillet
The retro casserole gone stovetop: noodles, tuna, and peas in a creamy sauce, one pan, no oven.
Ingredients
- 250 g Noodles
- 2 tin Tinned tuna
- 150 g Frozen peas
- 200 ml Cream
- ½ Onion
- 20 g Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
- 40 g Hard cheese (optional)
- 3 tbsp Breadcrumbs (optional)
- ½ tsp Black pepper (optional)
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Boil the noodles in the salted water until just shy of tender, then drain them.
- Dice the onion into small even pieces.
- Soften the diced onion in the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in the cream and simmer gently until it thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Fold the drained noodles, flaked tuna, peas, and cheese into the sauce and warm through until creamy, seasoning with the pepper.
- Top with the breadcrumbs toasted in a dry pan, if you want the casserole crunch, and serve hot.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Tuna Noodle Skillet
Tuna noodle skillet is the classic American tuna-noodle casserole brought onto the stovetop and freed of the oven. The mid-century original baked noodles, tinned tuna, and peas in a canned-soup sauce until bubbling; this version builds the same creamy comfort in one pan, using a real cream sauce softened with onion instead of condensed soup, and skips the long bake. It is thrifty, nostalgic weeknight food — the kind of dish assembled from pantry and freezer staples when you want something warm and filling without much effort.
The appeal is pure creamy comfort: tender noodles and flaked tuna in a silky sauce, with sweet peas dotted throughout and hard cheese melting in for savory body. Cooking the noodles just shy of tender means they finish in the sauce without turning soft, and simmering the cream briefly before folding everything in keeps it from going thin. The optional cap of breadcrumbs toasted in a dry pan is a smart touch — it restores the crunchy, golden top that the casserole is loved for without ever turning on the oven. It is honest one-pan cooking, quick enough for any busy evening.
Tuna Noodle Skillet: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Tuna Noodle Skillet?
A serving has about 823 calories — 39.3g protein, 74.6g carbs, 39.9g fat, 5.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 39.3g of protein, roughly 19% of its calories.
Is Tuna Noodle Skillet gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Noodles, Breadcrumbs. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
Is Tuna Noodle Skillet dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Tuna Noodle Skillet take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 13 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Tuna Noodle Skillet?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out hard cheese, breadcrumbs, black pepper — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Tuna Noodle Skillet make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.