• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Search All Recipes
    • Recipe Round-Ups
  • More
    • About
    • Work With Me!
    • Lifestyle
    • Outside the Kitchen
    • Kitchen Tips & Gifts
    • Contact

Framed Cooks

menu icon
go to homepage
  • July 4th Recipes!
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • July 4th Recipes!
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Framed Cooks » Recipes » Casserole Favorites

    Mediterranean Tuna Casserole

    Published: Jan 18, 2018 · Modified: Apr 3, 2025 by Kate Morgan Jackson · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Casserole is NOT your grandma’s tuna casserole recipe! Feta cheese and artichoke hearts shake up this classic supper.

    Mediterranean Tuna salad on a plate.
    Jump to:
    • Why this recipe works
    • Ingredients you need
    • Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
    • Here’s how you make this recipe
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Equipment we used for this recipe
    • What to serve with this recipe
    • Other tuna recipes we love!
    • We want to know what you think! 🤔
    • Mediterranean Tuna Casserole

    Why this recipe works

    Okay, so this is definitely NOT your grandmother’s tuna casserole. Yes, there is tuna, and yes, there are noodles. 

    But there are also artichoke hearts and there is also feta cheese, and there is absolutely no cream-of-anything soup. I should start by saying, no disrespect to the grandmothers out there…my favorite recipe on this entire blog is my own grandma’s recipe for molasses cookies.

    And I have certainly been known to make my share of those cream of anything (I’m looking at you, Chicken Enchilada Soup)!. But I do love this lightened-up version of one of my favorite classic suppers.

    It’s light and flavorful with the perfect mixture of cheese and artichoke and just the right amount of short pasta cooked to al dente perfection instead of the usual wide egg noodles.

    I’m calling it a Mediterranean version because of the feta and artichokes, but you can also call it scrumptious…let’s make it!

    Ingredients you need

    Mediterranean Tuna Casserole Ingredients on a counter.

    Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

    • Tuna: We recommend tuna packed in olive oil because it has SO much more flavor, but if you want to use the water packed variety you absolutely can.
    • Pasta: Pick any short pasta you like (we used campanelle)…ziti, penne, bow-ties or even elbows will work.
    • Artichoke Hearts: Look for these in the frozen foods section of your grocery store, and thaw them out before you start cooking.
    • Milk: We recommend whole milk for this recipe, but low-fat will work as well.

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

    Here’s how you make this recipe

    Greased casserole dish.

    STEP 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a medium sized casserole dish with cooking spray.

    Noodles draining in a strainer.

    STEP 2: Cook some short pasta in a large pot according to package directions, drain and set aside.

    Cream sauce in a pot.

    STEP 3: While the pasta is cooking, put some olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add a little all purpose flour and stir for one minute. Slowly pour in some milk, stirring until everything is nice and smooth and simmering and slightly thickened.

    Mediterranean tuna casserole mixture in a pot.

    STEP 4: Turn off the heat and add the cooked pasta, some canned tuna, artichoke hearts, some crumbled feta cheese and a few chopped scallions to the pot. Add a pinch each of salt and black pepper, and stir.

    una casserole ready for the oven.

    STEP 5: Pour this glorious concoction into your prepared casserole and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

    Baked tuna casserole in a baking dish.

    Bake it up until everything is golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I use marinated artichoke hearts?

    Technically yes, but we have found that those take over in terms of flavor, so our recommendation is to use the plain frozen kind. The one thing we definitely don’t recommend are canned artichoke hearts…they just have a wonky canned flavor.

    Can this recipe be made ahead of time?

    It can! Just bring it to room temperature before baking, or bake it for an extra ten to fifteen minutes.

    Where can I find feta cheese?

    Feta cheese (which is a lovely tangy goat cheese) is usually in the “fancy cheese” section of your supermarket. Go for the block of feta rather than the already crumbled kind – it is so much more tender. And if you have leftover feta cheese, try it in this recipe for pasta with shrimp and feta cheese sauce!

    What vegetables are good in tuna casserole besides artichoke hearts?

    So many! Peas, chopped green or red peppers, mushrooms, drained canned tomatoes…the sky is the limit! Use your fave.

    Have a question that I didn’t cover?

    Pop it in the comments below and I promise to answer pronto!

    Equipment we used for this recipe

    These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!

    • Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
    • Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
    • Strainer: This classic strainer is just right for these potatoes and your favorite pasta recipe (one of ours is pasta with egg sauce!)
    • Large Pot: We have a drawer full of pots but this one is our fave!
    • White Oblong Casserole: This classic baking dish is the one we always pick for this recipe.

    What to serve with this recipe

    Casseroles are wonderful in that you get your whole meal in one pot, but that doesn’t stop us from adding so extra sides here and there!

    • Creamy whipped carrots in a bowl.
      Creamy Whipped Carrots
    • Baked focaccia in sheet pan with parchment.
      Sheet Pan Focaccia
    • Mashed Honey Butternut Squash in a bowl with honey.
      Honey Butternut Squash
    • Mashed fall vegetables in a bowl.
      Mashed Fall Vegetables

    Other tuna recipes we love!

    • Mustard Tuna Salad on a plate.
      Mustard Tuna Salad
    • Spicy Seared Tuna on a plate.
      Spicy Seared Tuna
    • Tuna farro salad on a plate.
      Tuna Farro Salad
    • Grilled tuna with sesame noodles on a plate.
      Grilled Tuna with Sesame Noodles

    We want to know what you think! 🤔

    If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.

    Print

    Mediterranean Tuna Casserole

    Mediterranean tuna casserole oon a plate.
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 2 reviews

    This recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Casserole is NOT your grandma’s tuna casserole recipe! Feta cheese and artichoke hearts shake up this classic supper.

    • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Stovetop and Oven
    • Cuisine: Mediterranean

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 8 ounces campanelle or other short pasta
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 2 1/2 cups milk
    • 12 ounces tuna in olive oil, drained
    • 7 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut in half length-wise
    • 3 scallions, sliced
    • 4 ounces feta cheese
    • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a medium sized casserole dish with cooking spray.
    2. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
    3. Put oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add flour and stir for one minute. Slowly pour in milk, stirring until smooth and simmering and slightly thickened.
    4. Turn off the heat and add cooked pasta, tuna, artichoke hearts, feta cheese and scallions to the pot. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper, and stir.
    5. Pour into casserole and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

    Notes

    Tuna: We recommend tuna packed in oil because it is so flavorful, but you can use the water packed version if you prefer.

    Artichoke Hearts: We recommend the frozen kind that you can find in your grocery store’s frozen veggie section…thaw them out first.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @FramedCooks on Facebook or Instagram…we want to see it!

    SaveSave

    SaveSave

    416 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Fred Kaspick says

      August 11, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      Couldn’t locate frozen artichokes so bought fresh and cut up smaller (1st time preparing an artichoke) otherwise as called for in recipe. Loved it! ALL the individual flavors were identifiable and delicious. The somewhat crunchy fresh artichokes worked well and now will try again on a salad or two. When we find frozen artichokes we’ll prepare this again to compare. Thx!

      Reply
      • Kate Morgan Jackson says

        August 12, 2024 at 2:16 pm

        Hi Fred and thank you for this! I do love a fresh artichoke, and I am so impressed that you took a chance on those for this recipe. Now I will need to try it this way. :)

        Reply
    2. MK says

      March 03, 2022 at 10:48 am

      Yum!

      Reply
      • Kate Morgan Jackson says

        March 03, 2022 at 10:52 am

        I’ll have to make it for you! xoxo!

        Reply
    3. Theresa Murphy says

      January 19, 2018 at 6:55 am

      You had me at feta and artichoke hearts! And with Lent coming up next month, this is a great recipe to put in the “Friday File” for a nice change from ordinary tuna casserole.

      Reply
      • Kate says

        January 20, 2018 at 2:39 pm

        Friday File – now there’s an idea I need to start! :)

        Reply
    4. Leesie says

      January 18, 2018 at 10:20 am

      Perfect pasta those campanelle! To me it lends an elegance. I use it for my pumpkin-sage sauce. :-) Looking forward to trying this recipe out.

      Reply
      • Kate says

        January 20, 2018 at 2:39 pm

        I love campanelle – so many cute nooks and crannies!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    Primary Sidebar

    Kate from Framed Cooks

    Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

    More about me →

    July 4th Recipes!

    • Peach mozzarella salad on a plate.
      Peach Mozzarella Salad
    • Shrimp with dipping sauce on a platter.
      Shrimp with Dipping Sauce
    • Grilled Buttermilk Rosemary Chicken on a Plate
      Grilled Buttermilk Chicken
    • Orange Avocado Shrimp Salad on a plate with mint leaves.
      Orange Avocado Shrimp Salad
    • Zucchini gazpacho in a bowl.
      Zucchini Gazpacho
    • Strawberry slab pie on a white platter.
      Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Tart

    Reader Favorites

    • Pastina with egg and cheese in a bowl.
      Pastina with Egg and Cheese, Otherwise Known As Comfort Food
    • Lemon Garlic Lobster Pasta in a bowl with a fork.
      Pasta with Lobster Sauce
    • Grandpa's Coca-Cola Ribs on a cutting board.
      Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs
    • Pasta with Buttered Egg Sauce on a plate with a fork.
      Pasta with Egg Sauce
    • Soft scrambled eggs with ricotta on a plate.
      Ricotta Scrambled Eggs
    • Cheese Fries in a bowl on a wooden counter.
      Easy Cheese Fries

    Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

    Sign Me Up!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Get in Touch

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Framed Cooks

    All photographs © FramedCooks and may not be used for any purpose without written permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    416 shares
    416 shares
    • 116