Creamy, savory, and ready in just a few simple steps, Instant Pot Tuna Casserole is comfort in a bowl. This family-friendly dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes and is made in just a few easy steps!
Table of Contents
Enjoy classic flavors of tuna noodle casserole without hassle or condensed soup with this one pot tuna noodle casserole made in the Instant Pot!
Fresh vegetables, seasonings, milk, Dijon mustard, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper add layers of satisfying flavor with minimal fuss. A luscious and perfectly cheesy sauce coats the egg noodles and tuna, making it a dish that children and adults alike will go wild for.
What are you waiting for? Make this tuna noodle casserole in the Instant Pot tonight!
Why You'll Love This Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
- Quick and Easy: With just 5 steps, this recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and is fantastic for weeknight meals.
- Comforting: Instant Pot tuna noodle casserole is nostalgia and comfort in a bowl! It tastes so good you may think your mom or grandma made it for you!
- One Pot: With protein, vegetables, and starch all in one dish, there's no need to plan any other dishes or dirty any other dishes!
- Made Without Soup: There's no need for canned soup here! This no soup tuna casserole is rich and creamy (and a little cheesy!) without calling for premade soup.
Ingredients
- Canned Tuna: Packed in water. Albacore tuna or chunk light tuna are both great options.
- Mushrooms: White button mushrooms or cremini are best.
- Celery, Carrots, and Onion: Also known as mirepoix in French and Sofrito in Italian, this classic combination adds naturally sweet, dimensional, and salty notes, giving a great flavor to this tuna casserole without soup!
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is best, though garlic paste also works in a pinch.
- Seasonings: In particular, dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and black pepper.
- Frozen Green Peas: Contributes a pop of green color, extra vegetables, and a bit of fresh flavor to the recipe.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds flavor and dimension to the creamy sauce.
- Egg Noodles: The eggs in these noodles add heartiness to the noodles as well as a nutty, almost sweet flavor. For best results choose wide (not extra wide) egg noodles.
- Milk: 2% or whole milk will provide the best flavor to this tuna casserole with no soup.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens up the sauce, making it extra comforting and delicious.
- Cheddar Cheese: Just one bite and you may never go back to making tuna casserole without cheese! Cheddar cheese sdds just the right amount of cheesiness without overwhelming the other flavors. Pre-shredded or home-shredded cheese both work well.
- Salt and Pepper: Salt accentuates while pepper's light bite brightens up the all the flavors in the dish.
How to Make Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms in butter in the Instant Pot on the high heat sauté setting, or until the onion is translucent.
Step 2: Add the garlic, dried dill, dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and frozen green peas to the pot. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until nice and fragrant. Turn off the saute setting.
Step 3: Add the chicken broth, Dijon mustard, salt, egg noodles, and un-drained tuna into the pot. Stir well until combined.
Step 4: Lock on the pressure cooking lid and pressure cook on high for ZERO (0) minutes.
Step 5: Natural-release the pressure for 5 minutes. Quick-release the rest of the pressure.
Step 6: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, and whole milk to make a slurry. Stir the slurry and the shredded cheddar cheese into the tuna mixture.
Step 7: Turn the saute feature onto high heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly, or until the sauce has thickened. Season the casserole with additional salt and pepper to taste and enjoy hot!
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Stir the Vegetables Often While Sautéing. This will prevent the vegetables from burning and will allow them to cook evenly.
- Pressure Cook for ZERO Minutes. Cooking any longer will make the egg noodles mushy and overcooked. Setting the Instant Pot to zero minutes will allow the liquids to come to a boil as the pot comes to pressure and natural-releasing the Instant Pot for 5 minutes will allow the noodles to cook up to the perfect al dente texture.
- Do Not Drain the Canned Tuna. This will add extra moisture and savory tuna flavor to the Instant Pot tuna helper. Because we won't be draining the liquid, always make sure you are using tuna packed in water. Also, flake the tuna before adding it to the Instant Pot.
Recipe Variations
- Extra Protein: Stir in an additional can of tuna for extra staying power.
- Extra Veggies: Double up the green peas, carrots, and mushrooms in this one put tuna casserole for extra nutrition and fiber!
- Fresh Herbs: For brighter and more herby flavor, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh dill for the dried variety and 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley for the dried parsley.
- Change the Cheese: Shredded sharp cheddar is my favorite, but shredded provolone, shredded white cheddar, and shredded gouda cheese would all be delicious, too.
Serving Suggestions
This presure cooker tuna casserole is a complete meal on its own. For an extra satisfying meal, however, serve it with no-yeast dinner rolls, a green salad, or even blistered green beans.
Dietary Adaptations
To make gluten-free tuna noodle casserole, use gluten-free tagliatelle torn into 2-3 inch pieces and substitute a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour. Also make sure to use chicken broth without gluten in it.
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Leftovers, once cooled, can also be frozen in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. For best results, defrost in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours before reheating.
- Reheat: Reheat the thawed tuna casserole in a microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring between intervals, or until warmed through. Add milk by the tablespoon, if needed, to thin out the casserole.
FAQs
Your tuna noodle casserole may be dry because you overcooked it or didn't add enough liquids. In the case of this recipe, use the full 5 cups of chicken broth when pressuring cooking the casserole and set the pot to zero minutes (no longer) for a creamy sauce and perfectly al dente noodles.
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Heat-Safe Spatula
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
- Whisk
More Tuna Recipes
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Tuna Mac and Cheese
- Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers
- Cheesy Tuna Rice Casserole
- Zesty Italian Tuna Pasta Salad
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Recipe
Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
Email FacebookIngredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 1 ½ cups frozen green peas
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz. egg noodles
- 2 7 ounce cans tuna albacore or chunk light tuna; Not drained; flaked
- 1 ½ cups milk whole or 2%
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Freshly cracked pepper + salt
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot to high on the sauté setting. Add the butter, onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic, dried dill, dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and frozen green peas to the pot. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until nice and fragrant. Turn off the saute setting.
- Add the chicken broth, dijon mustard, salt, egg noodles, and undrained & flaked tuna into the pot. Stir well until combined.
- Lock on the pressure cooking lid and pressure cook on high for ZERO (yes, 0!) minutes. Natural-release the pressure for 5 minutes and then quick-release the rest of the pressure.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, and whole milk to make a slurry. Stir the slurry and the shredded cheddar cheese into the tuna mixture. Turn the sauté feature onto high heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly, or until the sauce has just thickened, or for about 1-3 minutes.
- Season the casserole with additional salt and pepper to taste and enjoy hot!
Notes
- Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Leftovers, once cooled, can also be frozen in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. For best results, defrost in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours before reheating.
- Reheat: Reheat the thawed tuna casserole in a microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring between intervals, or until warmed through. Add milk by the tablespoon, if needed, to thin out the casserole.
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