This Instant Pot recipe for tuna casserole with noodles is quick, easy, and absolutely delicious! Enjoy this comforting dish with your family in no time at all.
While I love making old fashioned tuna noodle casserole, this version saves you half the dishes clean up afterwards with a one-pot meal!
There’s something about eating a creamy tuna dish in the colder months. It's hearty, it's comfy and it uses easy pantry ingredients. This easy recipe is waaaaay tastier than the tuna helper in a box and you can make it your own depending on your family's preferences.
This is also one of my favorite
Why you’ll love this recipe
It’s a classic: I grew up eating old fashioned tuna casserole and this is one of my favorite dinner recipes for Lent this time of year! It’s a classic comfort food using simple pantry ingredients.
Cleanup is a breeze: With the Instant Pot, making tuna casserole is even easier and more convenient! The Instant Pot speeds up the cooking process and you’ll only have one pan to wash. How can you argue with that?
Fast: Everything cooks at once which means we aren’t waiting to noodles to boil. It’s the perfect dinner for busy days or nights when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Heck, even if you have the time, let’s get in and out and on with fun things!
Ingredients
The full printable recipe is below, but I’ll walk you though some of the steps beforehand.
- olive oil
- yellow onion - white onion will also work
- milk - use whatever is in your fridge. We use whole milk at our house
- wide egg noodles
- canned tuna - I used the tuna packed in water. Extra tuna is delish in Tuna Pasta Casserole.
- cream of mushroom soup - I use the reduced sodium variety.
- cheddar cheese - I really recommend shredding the cheese yourself. It melts so much better. But if you must use pre-shredded, I’ll love you anyway.
- frozen peas - no need to thaw, keeping this recipe easy-peasy!
Substitutions
You can make the exact same recipe in the Instant Pot using canned chicken.
Play around with the types of cheese for different flavors. Monterey jack is another cheese that melts super well!
Cream of celery soup can be used instead of cream of mushroom for a fun twist.
Gluten free noodles and cream of mushroom soup can be used in place of regular.
How to make tuna casserole in the Instant Pot
Note: I used a 6 quart Instant Pot in this recipe.
STEP ONE: Saute the onion in the olive oil until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.
STEP TWO: Add the milk and stir to loosen any onion sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the egg noodles and drained tuna.
STEP THREE: Spread the cream of mushroom soup over the top of the noodles.
STEP FOUR: Set to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow a 4 minute natural pressure release after cook time is complete. Stir in the peas and shredded cheese.
Tips and Variations
I don't find it necessary to add any additional salt to this recipe, but you can season to taste.
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
A cup of sliced mushrooms can be added and sautéed with the onions in step 1.
You may get a burn notice as the contents come to pressure. It has always cooked just fine for me, even when the notice pops up.
I love crushing potato chips over the top. Sounds weird, but tastes delicious! Bread crumbs would be a good texture to add, too! Pop it into a baking dish and give it a quick broil to get everything light golden brown on top.
Fresh chopped parley gives an extra boost of fresh flavor and color.
How to store leftovers
Leftover tuna casserole reheats really well! The noodles have soaked up some of the creamy sauce...it's like leftover heaven!
First things first, let the casserole cool down to room temperature before you store it. It's important to not put hot food in the fridge because it can raise the temperature inside and cause other food to spoil.
It's also a good idea to label your container with the date so you know how long it's been in there!
Portion leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Gently reheat in the microwave. If you reheat on the stovetop, you may need to add a little extra milk as it heats.
Serving Suggestions
You can never go wrong with a simple green salad. Take whatever greens are hanging out in your fridge, top with some grape tomatoes, and maybe some sliced cucumbers. Top it off with a tangy dressing and you're good to go!
Another option that's always a hit in my household is bread....like any kind of bread. Crusty bread, dinner rolls or garlic bread are all guaranteed to make people happy.
For something a bit more healthy, how about some Mediterranean roasted vegetables? They're a hearty and flavorful side that'll round out this comfort food classic nicely.
Other casserole recipes you’ll like:
Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 28 ounces milk
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 10 ounces canned tuna in water drained
- 2-15 ounce cans lower sodium cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup frozen peas
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on and press the “Saute” function. When heated, add the olive oil. Add the diced onion and and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent.
- Cancel saute and add the milk and stir.
- Add the egg noodles and drained tuna to the pot; do not stir. Spread the cream of mushroom soup over the egg noodles.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot and seal. Set to cook for 3 minutes. Allow a 4 minute natural pressure release after cook time is complete. Do a quick release of remaining pressure (you may need to do this in several short bursts)
- Stir in cheddar cheese to combine, then add frozen peas and stir again. The heat from the pot will thaw the peas.
Notes
Variations
- I don't find it necessary to add any additional salt to this recipe, but you can season to taste.
- A cup of sliced mushrooms can be added and sautéed with the onions in step 1.
- You may get a burn notice as the contents come to pressure. It has always cooked just fine for me, even when the notice pops up.
- I love crushing potato chips over the top. Sounds weird, but tastes delicious! Bread crumbs would be a good texture to add, too! Pop it into a baking dish and give it a quick broil to get everything light golden brown on top.
- Fresh chopped parley gives an extra boost of fresh flavor and color.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Bailey L says
The instant pot refused to come to pressure bc of the burn notice. I followed instruction and even used more milk than it called for, still burnt and wouldn’t cook. Would have been faster to make it on the stove with how much I had to mess with it.
Donna says
I got the burn notice. IP wouldn't come to pressure & finish cooking. Opened it up & stirred. Yep, burnt on the bottom. Ugh!
james says
wish i read the comments. burn notice and scorched pan.
M says
Okay, I clicked on a pick of Lemon Orzo Salad and got this recipe. Tuna Noodle looks great, but not what I needed.
Deanne Frieders says
Surprise!! Sorry about that M. Here's the link you're looking for. https://www.thisfarmgirlcooks.com/greek-lemon-orzo-salad-with-feta/
Jen says
got the burn notice as predicted, but couldn't get the ip to come to pressure. had to remove and transfer to oven
Deanne Frieders says
I'm sorry to hear that, Jen. I'm making it again soon so I'll check it out.
Dan says
Same
Kristina says
What do you mean by turn after putting the soup in?
Deanne Frieders says
I'm not sure how that word snuck in there, Kristina. No need to turn anything, in fact, don't stir it after spreading the soup ;). I've fixed the recipe card to reflect that. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!