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Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole

This healthy tuna noodle casserole is super easy, absolutely delicious, and the last tuna noodle casserole recipe you’ll ever need!  Say hello to delicious and healthy comfort food!

Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole | This healthy tuna noodle casserole is super easy, absolutely delicious, and the last tuna noodle casserole recipe you'll ever need!  Say hello to delicious and healthy comfort food! | A Sweet Pea Chef

When I was growing up, one of my family responsibilities was to cook dinner every Thursday night.  Thursday nights were particularly difficult for my parents to make dinner, since they usually both came home well after 8pm.  Strange how incredibly late this sounds like to me, now that I work from home and am fortunate to pick the kiddos up from school every day.

Looking back, I didn’t really see this “responsibility” as a chore.

Instead, I looked at it as an opportunity to prepare dinner for the family and help out.  I enjoyed cooking, especially when the house was quiet and I could just take charge.

Metal strainer with cooked quinoa noodles that have been rinsed and drained and are now ready to add to the healthy tuna noodle casserole recipe. Skillet cooking with diced mushrooms, yellow onion, and celery in olive oil, which will be cooked until softened and then added to the healthy tuna noodle casserole recipe.

I didn’t have many recipes in my repertoire back then, though.  In fact, it was pretty much one major recipe: tuna noodle casserole.

Now, I have no idea how I even learned to make tuna noodle casserole, nor why nor how it became my go-to signature dish.

But it did.  And we all loved it.

From the creamy, savory noodles, to the slightly chewy and crispy toasted parmesan topping, I remember savoring it and eating more than I probably should have before anyone else got home.

Close up shot of the casserole dish filled with healthy tuna noodle casserole with a wooden spoon about to take a serving.

How To Make Healthy Noodle Casserole Without Dairy/Milk

You might be surprised to learn it’s actually quite easy to make this healthy tuna noodle casserole without any dairy.  The only dairy I use in this easy tuna noodle casserole recipe is the parmesan in the crunchy almond meal topping.

This parmesan can easily be either replaced with nutritional yeast or removed entirely.  Otherwise, I use unsweetened almond milk instead of dairy milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk of your choice.

See?  Super duper easy!

Overhead image of the healthy tuna noodle casserole that has a serving removed from the bottom right corner.

How To Make Tuna Noodle Casserole Healthy

The other day, I made this lighter, healthy tuna noodle casserole recipe as a version of what I used to make.  I took the recipe I knew by heart from when I was younger and replaced some key ingredients to lighten it up.  Here’s what I did to make it healthy:

  • Instead of condensed cream of mushroom, I used fresh mushrooms and low sodium chicken broth.
  • Instead of all-purpose flour, I used chickpea flour.
  • Instead of overly salted and oily canned tuna, I used humanely-caught tuna in it’s own juices.
  • Instead of breadcrumbs on top, I used almond meal.

And it was still fabulous.  Every bit as creamy, savory, and as perfect as I remembered.

Overhead view of the baked healthy tuna noodle casserole that is topped with fresh italian parsley and almond meal for crunchy topping.

How To Make Healthy Noodle Casserole Ahead of Time

Perfect Make-Ahead Tuna Casserole

If you’re making the tuna casserole ahead of time, the best way to keep it as fresh as possible is to skip the oven-baking step until you’re ready to serve. Once you have the onions and celery cooked and the sauce ready to add to the noodles, just add everything to a freezer safe bag (gallon size will work best), and then place into the freezer once cooled.  When you’re ready to serve the tuna casserole, defrost the mixture in the refrigerator overnight, add the mixture to a casserole dish, followed by the almond meal crunchy topping, and then bake.  Easy peasy.

How To Freeze Leftover Healthy Tuna Casserole

Got leftovers?  Leftover tuna noodle casserole can be a beautiful thing.  The trick is to not allow the leftover tuna casserole to sit at room temperature for more than two hours.  Instead, transfer the entire baking dish with the tuna casserole directly to the freezer and freeze for 2 hours, covered with foil or plastic wrap.  Once it is solid, remove the casserole from the pan, and then place it into a freezer bag, and then return it to the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then cook the thawed casserole at the same time and temperature called for in the original recipe.

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole

Nowadays, I rarely make this childhood favorite.  Sadly, Dustin doesn’t like tuna (like…at all) and the kids don’t really get or appreciate casseroles.

But that doesn’t stop me from my old family fave.

It’s crazy how some recipes will never leave your memory, no matter how long it’s been.

I’m so excited this tuna noodle casserole recipe was just as delicious as the old version from my youth, since that means I can throw it in the rotation more often.

Heck – even if I’m the only one who’ll eat it in my house, it is still a satisfying, filling, and delicious easy weeknight dinner and makes great left-overs, too.

5 from 5 votes
Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole - Square Recipe Preview Image
Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

This healthy tuna noodle casserole is super easy, absolutely delicious, and the last tuna noodle casserole recipe you'll ever need!  Say hello to delicious and healthy comfort food!

Categories: casserole, Clean, gluten free, Paleo
Difficulty: Easy
Keyword: healthy tuna casserole, healthy tuna noodle casserole, tuna noodle casserole healthy
Servings: 6
Calories: 360 kcal
Author: Lacey Baier of A Sweet Pea Chef
Ingredients
  • 12 oz brown rice pasta I use farfalle
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large celery stalk thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 6 cremini mushrooms diced
  • 3/4 cup peas frozen
  • 2 5- oz cans tuna*
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 tbsp almond meal
  • 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x12 casserole dish with olive oil, then set aside.

  2. Add the noodles to a deep stock pot of boiling water and cook until al dente, about 6-7 minutes. Then, drain and set aside. (I use brown rice farfalle noodles for this recipe, but you could also use quinoa noodles if you prefer.)

  3. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet, and add the diced yellow onion and sliced celery. Cook on medium-high until soft, about 5 minutes.

  4. Add the diced mushrooms and minced garlic, and cook until tender and beginning to turn golden, about 3-4 minutes.
  5. Sprinkle in the chickpea flour and stir well to incorporate.
  6. Slowly stir in the low sodium chicken broth and unsweetened almond milk until well combined, increasing the heat to bring to a low boil.
  7. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, or until the mixture starts to reduce and thicken.
  8. Add in the tuna along with the frozen peas, and stir another minute to heat through.
  9. Add the cooked, drained noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated.
  10. Pour into the casserole dish and top with a mixture of parmesan cheese and almond meal.

  11. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top becomes crisp and slightly golden.
  12. Sprinkle some fresh Italian parsley over the top and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

* For canned tuna, I look for tuna that is responsibly caught and with no added water, oil, or salt. I like Wild Planet and Safe Catch if you can find them.

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 360 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1.7g9%
Cholesterol 20.2mg7%
Sodium 347.7mg14%
Carbohydrates 39.1g13%
Fiber 6.9g28%
Sugar 4.4g5%
Protein 22.4g45%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

Lacey Baier

Hey there! I’m Lacey Baier and I’d like to welcome you! I’m a healthy lifestyle influencer and the creator of this clean-eating blog and YouTube channel, as well as cleanish, my clean-eating supplement brand. My recipes have been published on Food Network, Good Morning America, FoxNews, Tastemade, Fitness Magazine, and much more. I live in Austin, Texas with my husband and four kiddos. Let’s get started!

11 thoughts on “Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole

  1. This recipe looks great, I and we’ll try it tonight, but it’s not dairy free with Parmesan cheese. Or are you using dairy free Parmesan version?

  2. Looking forward to making this recipe! Can I use almond flour or Coconut flour instead of chickpea flour?

  3. 5 stars
    I made this with cassava flour instead of chick pea and it works great. I also swhiched the tuna for salmon.

  4. 5 stars
    Made this last night, so delicious just like every other recipe on your blog. I just have one question, what’s the serving size for the nutritional facts? I’m currently tracking macros so this will help me meal prep.

    Thanks again!

  5. 5 stars
    Delicious! A quick google search for “Low fat tuna casserole” brought me to your recipe. I was a little skeptical that the flavor of cream of mushroom soup could be substituted with fresh ingredients. But I was pleasantly surprised how flavorful this dish was. I added a little salt as the recipe did not call for it but all in all, it’s a great low fat option for tuna casserole. Bonus points that you live in Austin, as I live in Dallas; it’s always great to support another Texan:)

  6. Just moved in w/my brother(bless his sole). Tryin to work/help him w/his diet. He luvs tuna n this sounds delish! Let u know what hapns. Thank you.

  7. 5 stars
    Hey there! I’ve never tried making this type of noodles before, but now I have to try. It looks delicious! Thank you for the recipe!

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