Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole (from scratch!)

During elementary school, my Mom and Dad would sometimes forget to put lunch money into my account. So on the days I couldn’t get a hot lunch, the lunch ladies would offer me a simple tuna sandwich. Back then, I truly despised tuna so I’d skip the sandwich and go hungry until I could get home and stuff my face with one of Dad’s delicious turkey sandwiches. Sad, but true.

I look back on this memory and think about how I wish I had the taste buds of an adult as a child because these days I find myself LOVING tuna. From honey mustard apple tuna salad to jalapeño cheddar tuna melts, I can’t get enough of the inexpensive, protein-packed amazing flavor that tuna brings to meals.

A couple of years back my bestie and I were talking about traditional recipes that we had growing up that could be made a little bit better for you. She suggested that I make a healthy tuna noodle casserole, as that was one of her favorites growing up. So I gathered up my reusable bags, headed to Trader Joe’s, threw around my tiny red cart like a woman on a mission and filled it to the brim with plantain chips (hi, I’m obsessed) and delicious ingredients for this healthy tuna noodle casserole.

What’s in tuna noodle casserole?

If you haven’t had tuna noodle casserole before, then you might be wondering what the heck it is. Traditional tuna noodle casserole is made with cream of mushroom soup, egg noodles, peas and of course tuna. Most people top it with breadcrumbs or even potato chips for a crunchy topping. It’s creamy, savory, and absolutely delicious!

Everything you’ll need to make a healthier tuna noodle casserole

I say, why not make tuna noodle casserole from scratch with better for you ingredients? My recipe is healthier, customizable and doesn’t involve any canned soup. Plus it’s EASY! To make this healthy tuna noodle casserole recipe, here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Pasta: feel free to use any kind of noodles you’d like. I prefer shells, large elbow noodles, or bowties for this recipe. If you are gluten free, please feel free to use your favorite gluten free noodles.
• Butter: a little goes a long way in helping flavor and break down the onions and mushrooms, but also to make a slurry parmesan gravy sauce to coat all the pasta
• Veggies: we’re adding white or yellow onions (I find that white onions are best in this recipe), sliced baby bella mushrooms, and peas in this recipe.
• Herbs & spices: you’ll also need garlic powder and thyme, which creates an amazing depth of flavor and savoriness in this recipe.
• Flour: you can use all purpose flour, whole wheat flour or an all purpose gluten free flour in the sauce. Coconut flour and almond flour will not work.
• Milk: you have the option of using whatever milk you’d like. I have only tested this recipe with unsweetened almond milk, but I think skim milk or unsweetened cashew milk would work well.
• Cheese: parmesan cheese creates the perfect amount of sharp flavor melted into the sauce.
• Tuna: you’ll need two cans of tuna for this recipe. Make sure you drain the cans before adding the tuna to the casserole!
• Breadcrumbs: I still kept the delicious crunchy topping because who doesn’t love a good crunch? If you are gluten free, feel free to use gluten free breadcrumbs, gluten free potato chips that have been crushed up, or gluten free crushed crackers (Simple Mills crackers would be delish!).

Doesn’t it look down right FABULOUS? I was so elated about this tuna noodle casserole that I pretty much kept the entire pan to myself for the entire week, I reheated leftovers for lunch and dinner and gobbled up every last bite.

SO FREAKING GOOD. AND CREAMY. AND SAVORY. AND HOMEMADE! AND HEALTHY too. What more could you want?!

Customize your tuna noodle casserole

This easy tuna noodle casserole is great for customizing to your taste preferences as well! Here’s what I can recommend:

• Choose your veggies: if you’re not a mushroom fan, feel free to skip and add something like green beans or spinach instead. I think peas are a MUST in this dish, but you can also skip them if you’d like.
• Make it gluten free: make sure to do is use gluten free pasta noodles, gluten free all purpose flour and gluten free breadcrumbs (or substitute crushed up gluten free tortilla chips, potato chips or crackers).
• Go dairy free: simply use vegan butter, a dairy free milk of choice and dairy free parmesan cheese.

Freezer-friendly tuna noodle casserole

That’s right, this lightened up tuna noodle casserole is easy to make ahead of time and freeze for later! If you want to make this tuna noodle casserole ahead of time, simply:

1. Make the recipe as directed, except do not bake the casserole.
2. Put the casserole into a freezer container pan such as these, cover the container, then place it in the freezer until ready to bake.
3. Once ready to bake, thaw out the casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, bake as directed!

More amazing comfort foods

Get all of my delicious comfort food recipes here!

If you make this healthy tuna noodle casserole, be sure to rate the recipe below and leave a comment! You can also follow me on Instagram and tag #ambitiouskitchen. Enjoy – xo!

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on September 10th, 2019, and republished on April 18th, 2022.