Easy Tuna Stuffed Shells recipe makes a great tuna and noodles potluck dish! With a creamy homemade sauce, it’s a delicious meal!

tuna shells

It must be “potluck season” because we’ve been invited to several potluck parties in the last couple of weeks.  I recently brought this Tuna Stuffed Shells and it was a big HIT!

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Tuna Stuffed Shells

Oh I love Tuna Stuffed Shells, a classic meal that I grew up with, made with large pasta shells, canned tuna, fresh dill, and a creamy sauce. Pimentos truly make the BEST Tuna Casserole! And this recipe does remind me of my childhod.

Tuna and Noodles Potluck Dish

I was also reading in Better Homes & Garden, an article on “rocking the potluck” that included a tuna casserole recipe, an oldie but goodie. I dug through my recipes and found the perfect “oldie but goodie” tuna casserole dish my mom would make. It’s all gussied it up with fresh dill, and topped it with Parmesan cheese. It’s not your mama’s usual tuna casserole, but a real crowd pleasing potluck dish!

A friend once told me that where he came from, instead of a “potluck dish,” they called it a “covered dish.” I like that! You may have also tried my this chicken pasta salad that is also a real winner.

homemade tuna stuffed shells

Why I love this recipe

Today I’m sharing my Tuna and Noodles Potluck Dish, a flavorful easy tuna casserole from my friend, Faye. My friend, Faye, and I go back to 1969, as we met when I was in 1st grade at Roosevelt school in Medford, Oregon (with her son, Brent). Coming across her recipe from Sunset Favorites 1969 in my recipe file (with her writing), seemed fitting for my “everything old is new again” recipe.

  • Seriously, so creamy (cream cheese!) and delightful!
  • Perfect to bring to a potluck.
  • Makes great leftovers.

Sometimes you just can’t beat the classics!

Easy Tuna and Noodles Potluck Dish

Gather these ingredients

  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Milk
  • Cream Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Worcestershire sauce, to taste
  • Large pasta shells: we use Delallo brand2 7 oz. cans tuna, drained and flaked
  • Pimientos, drained
  • Fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Parmesan cheese. grated

Tuna and Noodles Potluck Dish

How do you make tuna and stuffed shells?

  1. Make the sauce by melting the butter in the saucepan over low heat, stirring in the flour until blended. Gradually stir in the milk. Crumble the cream cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Taste and see if you need to adjust seasoning.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the sauce; add the tuna. Mix well and spoon into a 9×13 prepared (greased) pan. Sprinkle with fresh dill and Parmesan cheese.
  3. Bake and serve!
Best Tuna and Noodles Potluck Dish Recipe

Tips & substitutions

  • Using dill from our herb trough, this is what makes this casserole complete! If you don’t like dill, you can replace with your favorite herb (rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley).
  • Of course I made this dish with DeLallo pasta, the very best and only kind that our family cooks with, and the secret to good pasta is to cook it al dente. You can use any kind of pasta.
  • We buy our tuna from Costco (the albacore).
  • The sauce is rich and creamy, too, made with butter, milk, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese! NO CANNED SOUP!
  • Some readers say to add capers.
  • Oh, and pimentos? Sometimes I wonder why I add these to recipes, as they seem so flavorless. But for this classic recipe, I think pimentos were a big hit back in 1969. They really a zip to this recipe.

Take this dish to your next party! You can bake it halfway at your house, then pop it in the oven for 10 more minutes at the party house!

Pull out of the oven and serve!

Easy Tuna and Noodles Potluck Dish Recipe

More tuna recipes to try:

Butter Leaf Lettuce Spicy Tuna Recipe

Tuna Melts with Sweet Pickles

White Bean Salad with Tuna and Parsley

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Tuna Stuffed Shells

Easy Tuna Stuffed Shells recipe makes a great tuna and noodles potluck dish! With a creamy homemade sauce, it's a delicious meal!
Modified from Sunset Favorites 1969.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6
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Ingredients
 

  • 6 Tbsp. butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 tsp. salt and pepper
  • 3-4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, to taste
  • 1 16 oz pkg large pasta shells, cooked and drained (we use Delallo brand)
  • 2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
  • 4 oz. jar pimientos, drained
  • Fresh dill, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, gated

Instructions
 

  • Make the sauce by melting the butter in the saucepan over low heat, stirring in the flour until blended. Gradually stir in the milk. Crumble the cream cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Taste and see if you need to adjust seasoning.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the sauce; add the tuna. Mix well and spoon into a 9×13 prepared (greased) pan. Sprinkle with fresh dill and Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve!

Notes

Reposted from June 2018
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 103mg, Sodium: 853mg, Potassium: 381mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1581IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 210mg, Iron: 2mg
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tuna stuffed cheesy shells