Budget Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas

Name: Budget Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: 500 g short pasta, such as rotini or penne; 2 cans (170 g each) tuna, drained; 300 g frozen peas; 500 ml milk; 100 g block cheese, grated; 30 g butter; 30 g flour, about 4 tablespoons; 100 g onion, finely chopped (about 1 small); Salt and black pepper to taste

One Dish · 45 Min · Butter Tier · Serves 6

A budget tuna noodle casserole with a proper sauce made from butter, flour and milk, no canned soup anywhere, costed on Canadian average prices and built to feed six properly.

Budget Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas — The casserole fresh from the oven, bubbling at the edges with the cheese melted over the top.

Why This One Works

Most versions of this casserole lean on a can of soup for the sauce, which costs real money and mostly tastes like salt. The sauce here is butter, flour and milk whisked together on the stove, and it comes out richer for a fraction of the price. Two cans of tuna spread across six servings works because the peas, the pasta and the sauce carry the dish, and cooking the pasta just short of done means it finishes in the oven soaking up sauce instead of going soft.

Ingredients

Short pasta, 500 gabout $3.37
Canned tuna, two 170 g cansabout $3.40
Frozen peas, 300 gabout $1.51
Milk, 500 mlabout $0.87
Block cheese, 100 g, gratedabout $1.41
Butter, 30 gabout $0.38
Flour, 30 gabout $0.06
Onion, 100 gabout $0.34

Method

Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Cook the pasta in well salted water for about 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain it and set it aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 3 minutes, until soft.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking as you go, then simmer for about 3 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Salt and pepper it well.
Take the pot off the heat. Fold in the drained pasta, the tuna broken into chunks, and the frozen peas.
Scrape everything into a greased baking dish and scatter the grated cheese over the top.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese has melted into golden patches. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Still Hungry?

A slice of buttered bread or a simple cabbage salad on the side adds about 20 cents a serving on average prices and turns the casserole into a very full plate.

Questions

How much does this casserole cost per serving?

About $1.89 a serving on Canadian average prices checked for August 2026. The whole dish costs $11.34 in ingredients and feeds six, with most regions landing between $1.70 and $2.25 a serving.

Can I make tuna noodle casserole without canned soup?

Yes, and it tastes better. Melt butter, stir in flour for a minute, then whisk in milk a little at a time and simmer until it thickens like a sauce. It takes about 5 minutes and costs pennies compared with a can of soup.

Does tuna noodle casserole freeze well?

It does. Assemble it, cool it, wrap the dish well and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 180 C for about 45 minutes, or thaw it in the fridge overnight and bake as written.

Cost Breakdown · Checked August 2026

PastaOne 500 g package$3.37

Canned tunaTwo 170 g cans at $1.70$3.40

Frozen peas300 g of a 750 g bag at $3.77$1.51

Milk500 ml from a 4 litre jug at $6.99$0.87

Block cheese100 g$1.41

Butter30 g of a 454 g block$0.38

Flour30 g$0.06

Onion100 g$0.34

Batch Total$11.34

Basket cost, every package$40.22

Cost Per Serving · $1.89 · Serves 6

Typical range: $1.70 to 2.25 a serving depending on region and store.

Prices: Statistics Canada average retail prices (Table 18-10-0245, August 2026), CAD before tax. The basket cost is what you pay at the till if you need every package. Full method: How We Price.

Greento $1.50 Butterto $2.50 Tomatoto $3.25