• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Everyday Eileen
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Let's Go Shopping
      • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Let's Go Shopping
      • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Let's Go Shopping
      • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Recipes » Recipes

Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

Published: Feb 13, 2023 by Eileen xo

Jump to Recipe
A collage of tuna noodle casserole in a bowl, the ingredients, and the pasta on a spoon.
Tuna and pasta casserole in a bowl in front of an instant pot.

Instant Pot Tuna Casserole is comfort food without any processed ingredients and a little twist to put this over the top delicious.

We use coconut milk to add a nice umami flavor combination with tender noodles, flaky tuna, velvety peas, and dill.

This pantry staple dish is taken to the next level of yumminess. It is luscious and a fabulous family dinner. 

A black bowl with spiral pasta, peas, and tuna on a linen napkin.

Looking for specifics on the recipe? Use the table of contents to click on sections of the recipe.

Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why this recipe works
  • 🔪 Ingredients
  • 🍲 Equipment
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • ⭐ How to store, reheat, and freeze
  • 💭 Expert Tips
  • 📋 Frequently Asked Questions
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🥗 Serving Suggestions
  • 🍽 Similar recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why this recipe works

  • Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole takes a classic casserole to the next level of ease with this simple recipe.

🔪 Ingredients

ingredients to make tuna noodle casserole

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • olive oil or unsalted butter
  • onion
  • celery
  • garlic
  • all-purpose flour
  •  coconut milk
  • chicken stock
  •  dried dill
  •  salt
  •  pepper 
  •  dry small pasta
  • solid white tuna packed in water, drained 
  • frozen peas, defrosted
  • cheddar cheese 

🍲 Equipment

  • 6 quart Instant Pot
  • Measuring Spoons and Cups
  • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.

Step by step pictorial of how to make instant pot tuna casserole.
  1. Press Saute on the Instant Pot. When the vessel is warm, add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or butter.
  2. Add onion and celery to the hot oil. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic, saute for another minute to release the flavor of the garlic.
  4. Remove the vegetables to a small bowl, set aside. Shut off the Instant Pot.
  5. Pour the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into the vessel of the Instant Pot. Stir in the all-purpose flour and whisk to form a brown roux.
  6. Whisk the coconut milk into the roux. Be sure to stir up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
  7. Mix in the chicken stock, dill, salt, and pepper.
  8. Add back in the sauteed veggies. Then, layer in the pasta, tuna, and cheese. (Do not mix) See Note 6.
  9. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set to manual pressure, high for 5 minutes. The noodles will be soft. If you prefer harder noodles, set time to 3 minutes.
  10. Once cook time is complete, do a quick release.
  11. Stir in the peas and let sit for 2 minutes.
  12. Taste, if needed adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy.

⭐ How to store, reheat, and freeze

Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator in a covered airtight container for 3 days.

Freezer - Leftovers can be stored in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave, following manufacturer's instructions.

The leftovers can also be defrosted in the refrigerator for a few hours and reheat the tuna casserole in the oven at a preheated temperature of 350°F.

💭 Expert Tips

Expert Tip: Once the brown bits are scraped from the bottom, hit the cancel and let the vessel cool slightly before continuing with the recipe.

  • I have been finding my 8-quart pot gets a frequent burn message. To prevent it, after using the saute function, be sure to bring up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot with your liquid. In this recipe, the coconut milk.

📋 Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the tuna noodle casserole originate?

It is believed that this casserole originated in the Pacific Northwest of the United States in the early 1950's.

📖 Variations

Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways that you increase the flavor of this dish.

  • Add in salmon in lieu of canned tuna.
  • Use any small pasta you have handy for this recipe.

🥗 Serving Suggestions

A fantastic side dish is an easy Arugula salad.

pasta and tuna in a black bowl with the remaining tuna casserole in the instant pot behind the bowl.

🍽 Similar recipes

Some of my favorite pantry recipes include our Linguine with White Clam Sauce, One-Pot Chili Mac, Skillet Texas Hash, and Creamy Ham and Peas Pasta.

I love any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them below.

Keep up to date with recipes by following me on:

FACEBOOK  INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, TWITTER

Thank you for your continued support. I am forever grateful.

Eileen  xo

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

A black bowl with spiral pasta, peas, and tuna on a linen napkin.

Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole is a remake of a retro casserole without any processed ingredients for a tasty pantry staple dinner. A quick, affordable, tasty dinner.
5 from 14 votes
Print Rate
Prevent your screen from going dark
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot tuna casserole, quick tuna pasta dinner, tuna casserole
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
0 minutes minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 479kcal
Author: Eileen Kelly

Equipment Needed:

  • 6 quart Instant Pot
  • Measuring Spoons and Cups
  • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter Note 1
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced thin
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup coconut milk Note 2
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill Note 3
  • ½ teaspoon salt Note 3
  • ½ teaspoon pepper Note 3
  • 1 pound dry small pasta
  • 5 ounce solid white tuna packed in water, drained Note 4
  • 1 cup peas, defrosted
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese Note 5

Instructions

  • Press Saute on the Instant. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or butter.
  • Add in onion and celery to the hot oil. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic, saute for another minute to release the flavor of the garlic.
  • Remove the vegetables to a small bowl, set aside. Shut off the Instant Pot.
  • Pour the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into the vessel of the Instant Pot. Stir in the all-purpose flour and whisk to form a brown roux.
  • Whisk in the coconut milk into the roux. Be sure to stir up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Mix in the chicken stock, dill, salt, and pepper.
  • Add back in the sauteed veggies. Then, layer in the pasta, tuna, and cheese. (Do not mix) See Note 6.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set to manual pressure, high for 5 minutes. The noodles will be soft. If you prefer harder noodles, set time to 3 minutes.
  • Once cook time is complete, do a quick release.
  • Stir in the peas and let sit for 2 minutes.
  • Taste, if needed adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Be sure to check Variations, Expert Tips, and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.
Note 1: Dairy-Free, use olive oil. Divided and used as 1 Tablespoon for sauteing the vegetables. 2 Tablespoons to make the roux.
Note 2: Regular milk can be used.
Note 3: Always taste before serving and if needed, adjust any seasoning. 
Note 4: We prefer solid white albacore tuna, chunky white can be used. Also, try not to use tuna packed in oil. The extra oil can make the sauce greasy. 
Note 5:  Cashew cheese can be used if dairy-free. 
Note 6: To ensure the ingredients cook correctly and prevent the " burn message", do not mix ingredients. 
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 274IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Everyday_Eileen or tag #everydayeileen!

More Recipes

  • Air Fryer Bacon Recipe
  • A bowl of bok choy, cooked pork and noodles to make Dan Dan noodles.
    Dan Dan Noodles
  • Slow Cooker Corn Chowder in a bowl topped with bacon and green onion.
    Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
  • Two pecan pie cheesecake bars stacked on a white plate.
    Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars

Thank you for sharing!

408 shares
  • Share90
  • Tweet
  • Yummly

The cookbooks are on sale via Amazon

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Eileen! This is where I share all my family-tested recipes! Mostly quick and easy recipes with the occasional indulgence we all need.

More about me →

  • Mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Reader Favorites

  • Side view of super creamy homemade pimento cheese dip in a white bowl with Ritz crackers and a red linen napkin in the background
  • A cooked honey glazed ham on a wooden cutting board.
  • Crispy roasted potatoes with fresh seasonings and parsley in a white bowl.
  • baked brie figjam
  • the easiest poached shrimp on a large brown platter with lemon wedges
Copyright © 2023 · everydayeileen.com · Privacy Policy
408 shares