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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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
How do you make tuna and stuffed shells?
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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.
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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.
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Bake and serve!
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!
More tuna recipes to try:
Butter Leaf Lettuce Spicy Tuna Recipe
White Bean Salad with Tuna and Parsley
Get the Recipe:
Tuna Stuffed Shells
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
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I pretty much always take a pasta dish to potlucks. They’re always popular, room temp stable and if there’s leftovers, more for me the next day! I guess I’m showing my age, because I LOVE tuna noodle casserole!
Great idea for a potluck .. and everyone loves pasta!
I think this would also taste great adding a few capers and anchovies to make it a real grown up dish as well
Great idea, Karl!
I will definitely make this, since it doesn’t call for canned cream soup! We love tuna casserole here. Thanks for the recipes and all your stories (especially your pet ones!).
Yum! Saw this on Facebook. Fortunately, I’m at my mom’s because my hubby doesn’t love casseroles. Can’t wait to eat dinner!
I made this for a church potluck this week. It was a keeper! Loved both the cream cheese and the dill. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
We have a big family meal every Sunday after church. My family aren’t big tuna lovers, so I opted to use canned chicken in this recipe. They absolutely loved it and repeatedly told me I need to make this the next time it’s my turn for the main dish! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I pretty much always take a pasta dish to potlucks. They’re always popular, room temp stable and if there’s leftovers, more for me the next day! I guess I’m showing my age, because I LOVE tuna noodle casserole!
Yum….I love that cream cheese is in this…lol. Last summer I brought a pasta fruit salad to a potluck…it was a huge hit.
I love Tuna Noodle Casserole, but sadly my family does not…maybe I should give yours a try and see if I can win them over!
Sheila, you should try it with the canned chicken, It really is delicious that way too! It’s a really nice change up, and it’s really very tasty that way too!
Will try this! What about the frozen strawberry dessert you showed on your FB page that I believe was from the 60’s…..would love the recipe!
I have a soft spot for tuna noodle casserole, so this is right up my alley!
Thanks for the recipe. It sounds good! At what point do you add the tuna? Is it mixed in or layered?
I added it to the instructions, Cynthia. It’s mixed in!
Taco casserole
Mmm-m-m-m … love a good taco casserole, Beth!