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This simple and easy Healthier Tuna Casserole is so good, it will be a winner at your dinner table. Packed with flavor, filling, and the perfect dish that can be enjoyed warm or cold. Ready in less than an hour, this tuna casserole will definitely get on your weekly dinner menu.
Tuna Casserole Made Simple and Lighter.
If you have tuna sitting in your pantry and you aren’t sure how to make a meal out of it, make this tuna casserole. It will be your go-to pasta dish when you aren’t in the mood for chicken or beef but want to add some protein to your dish.
Flavorful and filling, it can be served as a full meal without having to worry about what sides to serve with it.
Recipe Overview
Ingredients you will need
Printable versions and full measurements of these ingredients can be found further down below in the recipe card.
How to make tuna casserole
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions, then drain
and transfer to an oven-safe dish together with the frozen peas and corn. - Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion for 4-5
minutes, then stir in the garlic. - Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tbsp broth until no
visible lumps. - Pour the remaining broth over the onion and garlic. Add in the slurry, milk,
mustard, lemon-pepper seasoning, and half of the cheese. Stir continuously
for a couple of minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and frozen vegetables and stir in the tuna.
Sprinkle the dish with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. - Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until bubbly and tops are golden. Garnish with
fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Tips from my kitchen
- Use canned tuna in water and not oil. If you aren’t a fan of tuna, you may use other canned seafood or chicken.
- Don’t care for peas? Skip it if you like.
- Use any noodle or pasta of your choice. Egg noodles would work great as well.
- Instead of panko, add store-bought French fried onions.
- You may use a different cheese mix blend. So consider adding a combination of cheddar, mozzarella, and about 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan.
Frequently asked questions
One of the main reasons why your tuna casserole comes out too dry is that you didn’t add enough liquid and the pasta absorbed the liquid you initially added. If that happens, either add in a bit of broth or milk, toss, and pop it back in the oven for a few more minutes.
The great thing about this dish is that it can be served either hot or cold. It will just be a personal preference. Either way, it is served, it will be a crowd-pleaser for those who love tuna.
Place your leftovers in a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, place in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 1 month.
You may also like
- Spaghetti Casserole Recipe
- Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Taco Casserole
- Easy Zucchini Casserole
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Butternut Squash Casserole
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave me some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it! I would love it if you shared it with friends and family.
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Healthy Tuna Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta, GF if needed
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
- 1 cup freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese, divided, use lite or fat-free
- 12 ounces unsalted albacore or skipjack tuna in water, 3 (x 4 oz) cans, drained well
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh thyme, to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Cook the 12 ounces pasta in salted water (add a bit of Kosher salt to the water) according to package instructions, then drain and transfer to an oven-safe dish together with the 1 cup frozen corn and 1 cup frozen green peas.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the 1 medium onion for 4-5 minutes, then stir in the 3-4 garlic cloves.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tbsp broth (from the 2 cups vegetable broth) until no visible lumps.
- Pour the remaining broth over the onion and garlic. Add in the slurry, 2 cups milk of choice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning, and half of the 1 cup freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese. Stir continuously for a couple of minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and frozen vegetables and stir in the 12 ounces unsalted albacore or skipjack tuna in water.
- Sprinkle the dish with the remaining cheese and 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until bubbly and tops are golden. Garnish with Fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Notes
- Use canned tuna in water and not oil. If you aren’t a fan of tuna, you may use other canned seafood or chicken.
- Don’t care for peas? Skip it if you like.
- Use any noodle or pasta of your choice. Egg noodles would work great as well.
- Instead of panko, add store-bought French fried onions.
- To store, place in a sealed container, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Store the leftovers in a sealed container and store in the freezer for up to one month.
- You may use a different cheese mix blend. So, consider adding a combination of cheddar, mozzarella, and about 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We didn’t find it too liquid – it was perfect. We did add an extra tsp of slurry after the sauce got warmed through, because it didn’t really thicken. I think the slurry needs to be added in the end, when the sauce is already warm, and not together with the rest of the ingredients.
We didn’t have so many peas, so we only put in half a cub, but added a whole head of broccoli and half a jar of jalapenos, because why not 🙂 Very yummy!
Thanks for the feedback Josefine.
I made this today and it was so good! I did make a few tweaks based on the reviews of there being too much liquid. I followed the recipe as given and did the following: I added 2 tbsp of butter to pan when I was sauteing onion and garlic (because butter makes everything delicious!), I used 16oz of noodles vs 12oz, I added 3 tbsp of cornstarch to the slurry, and 4 cans of tuna since I was using extra noodles. The extra cornstarch did thicken up the sauce, so I added a bit more milk until it was a creamy consistency, and it turned out marvelous! This was a delicious casserole and so easy to make. Definitely getting added to my rotation.
So glad you loved it.
I have to concur with the others. way too much liquid, about a 1/2 inch in a 9×13 dish. Tuna casserole that I’ve had usually has a more creamy texture, not watery. The flavor is good. I will try again with half the broth and milk and maybe a little more corn starch. I should have read the comments before making.
Hi Mark. I made this a few times and I didn’t experience that. I have a video attached to the recipe as well. You can see the rend result wasn’t watery so it’s really odd. I will make it again just to be 100%
The flavour was great but I think too much liquid? 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of milk? I ended up using 1 cup of milk but it still seems runny. Also added more pasta than 12 oz
Tasted good but very runny. Should have added more cornstarch?
2oz noodles? We used about 6 oz.
Omg, I am sorry. It’s 12 oz, not 2 oz. That explains it. I will fix it now.
So runny! What happened? I even used 16 oz of pasta. Maybe next time I’ll only do 1 cup of milk? Any suggestions?
505 calories per what? A cup,?