Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

This healthy tuna noodle casserole recipe is made with homemade cream of mushroom soup and whole grain noodles. I love making this in the Instant Pot, as it’s a quick “dump and go” recipe that’s ready pretty fast–this makes it great for weeknights!

With whole grain noodles, homemade cream of mushroom soup (you can use canned too, if that’s all you have!), and veggies, this is a filling, whole grain meal.

My whole family requests this healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole every week. We love making a double batch so that we have leftovers, and it even freezes and reheats well, making it a great meal prep recipe.

This recipe was created from my parents’ traditional tuna casserole that I remember eating as a kid. I created a homemade cream of mushroom soup for it and replaced the regular pasta with whole wheat pasta, but everything else is the same.

Where’s the recipe?

I write recipes that anyone can cook. This recipe for my health version of Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole is one of the first recipes I learned to cook and one of the first that I taught my sons to cook. My goal is to write every recipe so that a cook of any skill lever can follow it.

If you appreciate the details and ingredient and substitution information, read the post below where I give you a ton of tips and information before heading down to the printable recipe. If you simply want the recipe, scroll straight down to the printable recipe where you’ll find the ingredient amounts, recipe instructions, and nutrition information for this skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe.

Ingredients in this Tuna Noodle Casserole

• Chunk white tuna in water:
• Mushrooms: I love mushrooms, so I always add fresh to this recipe, but you can skip this is you’re not a huge fan.
• Whole Grain Pasta: I prefer using whole wheat egg noodles, but they’re not the easiest to find. Any whole grain pasta will work for this recipe!
• Cream of Mushroom soup: This is definitely the healthiest way to make this recipe. You can use canned soup
• as well, though.
• Mixed vegetables: I typically use the frozen peas and carrot mix.
• Salt and black pepper to taste: I typically add this after cooking.

Optional additions to add on top of the casserole:

• Breadcrumbs with a few tablespoons of butter on top
• Parmesan Cheese
• Crushed potato chips
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Extra veggies like cauliflower rice or diced zucchini.

Instant Pot Directions

This is a great method of cooking to get this meal on the dinner table in under 30 minutes. You’ll want to add 3 cups of water to this recipe before cooking.

1. Spray the bottom of the pot with olive oil to avoid food sticking.
2. Drain and break up each can of tuna and put it on the bottom of the pot.
3. On top of the tuna, add the mushrooms if you’re including them.
4. Add 4 cups of pasta on top of the mushrooms and tuna, but don’t stir. Add the cream of mushroom soup on top.
5. You can add the frozen vegetables at the top if you’d like, or if you like them a little crunchy, cook them in the microwave and add them after the tuna casserole is cooked.
6. Add 3 cups of water on top of the pasta and close the lid. Set the Valve to Sealing and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
7. As soon as the pot is done cooking, release the pressure manually. This means switch the valve to Venting and allow the steam to shoot out.
8. Remove the lid and stir the recipe. Add the cooked vegetables now if they’re not in the pot already.

Stovetop/Oven Directions

1. In a large pot, cook one package of noodles according to package instructions until tender, strain. Sometimes I’ll leave them a little al dente to make sure they don’t overcook.
2. Stir in vegetables, homemade soup, and tuna.
3. Allow the “casserole” to cook on medium heat until heated through, about 15 minutes. Add almond milk if you notice it drying out at all.
4. If you’d like to bake this instead of cooking on the stove, add all ingredients in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Once it’s all done you can serve it right from the casserole dish!

Recipe Tips

• The great thing about this super easy and healthy tuna casserole is it’s made with some ingredients that are easy to pull together. My homemade cream of mushroom soup is so much better for us and I like that it’s cooked right here in my kitchen where I can see everything that goes into it.
• I often freeze this recipe in an airtight container. If it dries out a little in the freezer, just add some almond milk or more homemade cream of mushroom soup. I reheat the frozen tuna casserole by sticking it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Stir, then put it in again for 30 seconds at a time.
• If using canned cream of mushroom soup, I typically add two small cans to the recipe.
• Regular pasta will have a different cook time than whole wheat noodles or gluten free pasta noodles.
• I prefer Wild Planet albacore tuna for this recipe.

Healthy Eating Plans

This is a healthy recipe for weight loss because it’s packed with protein and whole grains to keep you full for longer.

Weight Watchers:

3 Blue Plan Points | 3 Green Plan Points | 1 Purple Plan Point | 7 Points on the 2023 Plan when using homemade Cream of Mushroom soup. 

Portion Fix/21 Day Fix:

On the Fix, this is a side dish–this recipe makes 8 servings, about 1/2 cup each. Remove the carrots and peas and double the mushrooms. For the entire recipe, the count and breakdown is:

• Noodles: 8 yellow containers
• Homemade Soup: 1.5 tsp and 1/3 green containers (canned soup isn’t something that I’d eat on the Fix)
• Mushrooms: 1 green container
• Tuna: 2 red containers

For one serving: I’d count 1 yellow, 1/4 red container, and a negligible amount of a teaspoon and green container (I wouldn’t count those).

2B Mindset:

Double the veggies and you’ve got a great 2B Mindset lunch. I’d personally double the tuna as well to get some more protein into my day. You could add diced onions if you like them and are looking for an easy way to bulk up the vegetables.

This is an easy recipe to meal prep. If you are on 2B Mindset and need lunch recipes, definitely make a batch of this for the week. You’ll be impressed by how well it holds up in the refrigerator throughout the week, having something healthy on hand will make meal times a breeze too!

More Healthy Recipes

• Healthy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Greek Yogurt
• Instant Pot Brown Rice Risotto
• Whole Wheat Flour Banana Bread
• Healthy Veggie Quesadillas
• Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

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Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole: Instant Pot and Stovetop Instructions

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

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This healthy tuna noodle casserole uses homemade cream of mushroom soup and whole grain noodles–perfect comfort food for the days you need it most. This is the recipe that my family loves most, and can be adapted for your family as well!

Equipment

• Instant Pot 6 qt
• Stock Pot
• Kitchen Knife

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 cans chunk white tuna in water with no salt added, broken up with a fork (I like Wild Planet brand)
• ▢ 5 large mushrooms sliced
• ▢ 12 oz whole grain egg noodles
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cream of mushroom soup homemade or canned low sodium (2 small cans)
• ▢ 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables diced carrots and peas

Instructions

Oven Instructions:

• Boil noodles (about 3C dry, maybe a little over) until tender (according to package directions), strain.
• Stir in vegetables, homemade soup, and tuna.
• Allow the "casserole" to cook on medium heat until heated through, about 15 minutes. Add almond milk if you notice it drying out at all.
• If yo'ud like to bake this instead of allowing it to heat on the stove, add the recipe to a baking dish and cover with foil. Baje for 25 minutes at 350º.

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Spray the bottom of the pot with olive oil to avoid food sticking.
• Drain and break up each can of tuna and put it on the bottom of the pot.
• On top of the tuna, add the mushrooms if you're including them.
• Add 4 cups of pasta on top of the mushrooms and tuna, but don't stir. Add the cream of mushroom soup on top.
• You can add the frozen vegetables at the top if you'd like, or if you like them a little crunchy, cook them in the microwave and add them after the tuna casserole is cooked.
• Add 3 cups of water on top of the pasta and close the lid. Set the Valve to Sealing and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
• As soon as the pot is done cooking, release the pressure manually. This means switch the valve to Venting and allow the steam to shoot out.
• Remove the lid and stir the recipe. Add the cooked vegetables now if they're not in the pot already and stir again.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve!

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans

This is a healthy recipe for weight loss because it’s packed with protein and whole grains to keep you full for longer.

Weight Watchers: This is a side dish, 1/2 cup serving. 

3 Blue Plan Points | 3 Green Plan Points | 1 Purple Plan Point | 7 Points on the 2023 Plan when using homemade Cream of Mushroom soup. 

Portion Fix/21 Day Fix:

On the Fix, this is a side dish–this recipe makes 8 servings, about 1/2 cup each. Remove the carrots and peas and double the mushrooms. For the entire recipe, the count and breakdown is:

• Noodles: 8 yellow containers
• Homemade Soup: 1.5 tsp and 1/3 green containers (canned soup isn’t something that I’d eat on the Fix)
• Mushrooms: 1 green container
• Tuna: 2 red containers

For one serving: I’d count 1 yellow, 1/4 red container, and a negligible amount of a teaspoon and green container (I wouldn’t count those).

 

2B Mindset:

Double the veggies and you’ve got a great 2B Mindset lunch. I’d personally double the tuna as well to get some more protein into my day. You could add diced onions if you like them and are looking for an easy way to bulk up the vegetables.

This is an easy recipe to meal prep. If you are on 2B Mindset and need lunch recipes, definitely make a batch of this for the week. You’ll be impressed by how well it holds up in the refrigerator throughout the week, having something healthy on hand will make meal times a breeze too!

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2331IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 3mg

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