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American

Tuna Rice Casserole

Canned tuna, rice, peas, and a little cheese bake into a casserole that uses the pantry on purpose. The sauce is milk and flour, not a can of soup.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
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Tuna rice casserole with peas and a lightly browned top.

Why you’ll love it

  • The sauce is butter, flour, and milk.
  • Tuna and rice make it a meal.
  • Peas are the vegetable.
  • The cheese on top is a finish, not the whole dish.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $9–13 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 375°F.

  2. 2

    Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute.

  3. 3

    Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper. Simmer 3 minutes, until the sauce coats a spoon.

  4. 4

    Stir in half the cheddar, the tuna, rice, and peas.

  5. 5

    Spread the mixture in a greased 8-inch baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheddar.

  6. 6

    Bake 20 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and hot in the center.

Pro tips

  • Drain the tuna well or the casserole weeps.
  • Cooked rice, not raw, is what this bake expects.
  • If the sauce is thick before the tuna goes in, loosen it with a splash of milk.

Easy substitutions

Tuna
Canned salmon, drained
Peas
Mixed vegetables
Cheddar
Monterey Jack

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

Warm covered at 325°F with a splash of milk until hot.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
420
Protein
28 g
Carbs
36 g
Fat
18 g
Fiber
2 g

Budget friendly · Oven

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From the kitchen

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Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients