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!
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.
I didn't have many recipes in my repertoire back then. 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.
How To Make Healthy Noodle Casserole Without Dairy
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!
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 changed:
- 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 packed in water
- 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.
How To Make Healthy Noodle Casserole Ahead of Time
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 it 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 at the 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 healthy casseroles. Like my Healthy Green Bean Casserole.
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.
Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Equipment
- Stock Pot or Large Deep Skillet
- casserole dish
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 12 oz brown rice pasta I use farfalle
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large celery stalk thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 6 cremini mushrooms diced
- ¾ cup peas frozen
- 2 5- oz cans tuna*
- 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoon almond meal
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x12 casserole dish with olive oil, then set aside.
- 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.)
- 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.
- Add the diced mushrooms and minced garlic, and cook until tender and beginning to turn golden, about 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the chickpea flour and stir well to incorporate.
- Slowly stir in the low sodium chicken broth and unsweetened almond milk until well combined, increasing the heat to bring to a low boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, or until the mixture starts to reduce and thicken.
- Add in the tuna along with the frozen peas, and stir another minute to heat through.
- Add the cooked, drained noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated.
- Pour into the casserole dish and top with a mixture of parmesan cheese and almond meal.
- Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top becomes crisp and slightly golden.
- Sprinkle some fresh Italian parsley over the top and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
barbara
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?
Kendra Murray
Looking forward to making this recipe! Can I use almond flour or Coconut flour instead of chickpea flour?
erin
I made this with cassava flour instead of chick pea and it works great. I also swhiched the tuna for salmon.
Emily
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!
Cynthia
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:)
Rich
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.
Lacey Baier
Yes! I hope he loves it!!
Mary Wright
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!
Lacey Baier
I think you're gonna love these noodles - they're amazing!
Jaelle
Can I use oat flour in place the chickpea flour?
Lacey Baier
Yes, that should work out nicely 🙂