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!

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, 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.

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!

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.

How To Make Healthy Noodle Casserole Ahead of Time

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

Print

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.