Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

Instant Pot Tuna Casserole is comfort food that fills you up and tastes so creamy and delicious! We love this pressure cooker tuna noodle casserole recipe. It’s so much easier and faster to make tuna casserole in the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

I don’t know very many people who didn’t have a tuna noodle casserole in their family’s meal rotation while growing up. We sure did, and it was always one of my favorite meals! Still is.

For this tuna noodle casserole recipe, I have adapted my recipe that I have made for years, and raised my kids on. They all love it. What I found it that it is much better made in the Instant Pot®!

What makes Instant Pot Tuna Casserole better than oven baked?

I didn’t expect it to be better, but to my surprise it is!
Here’s why I think it’s better:
• It cooks much faster than in the oven. Minutes vs an hour!
• No pot of boiling water to deal with. Noodles cook with the sauce.
• One pot! I love a one-pot meal!
• The tuna casserole comes out more saucy and creamy.
• The flavors seems more pronounced.

Can I add a crunchy topping?

Yes you can. See the notes section of the recipe card. But in a nutshell, you can transfer the casserole to a baking dish and add a panko/butter/parmesan topping and broil it.

Or just add crushed potato chips to your serving. Now that’s old school!

How Can I avoid the Burn message?

That’s always a bummer. The best way to avoid getting the burn message is to follow the recipe carefully. Mainly the layering steps.

By not stirring in the thick cream of mushroom soup, you are keeping the thin liquid on the bottom where it can boil and create the steam needed to build the pressure.

I have had a tiny bit of scorching with this Instant Pot Tuna Casserole recipe, but not enough to give me a burn warning or affect the taste of the tuna casserole at all.

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Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

13 mins

Total Time

38 mins

 

Instant Pot Tuna Casserole is comfort food that fills you up and tastes so creamy and delicious! We love this pressure cooker tuna noodle casserole recipe. It's so much easier and faster to make tuna casserole in the Instant Pot!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pressure cooker tuna casserole recipe

Servings: 6 - 8

Calories: 394 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 sm Sweet Onion, diced
• 3 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Dill Weed, dried
• 2 (6 oz) cans Chunk Light Tuna, in water, mostly drained
• 12 oz Wide Egg Noodles, uncooked
• 2 (10.5 oz) cans Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 cup Half and Half

To Finish

• 2 cups Frozen Peas
• 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the butter and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent.

2. Add the broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill. stir.

3. Add the tuna, stir.

4. Add the egg noodles. Do not stir.

5. Add the mushroom soup and spread to cover the noodles.

6. Add the half and half. Do not stir. Turn off the Sauté setting.

7. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
   

8. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 3 minutes (2 minutes for firmer noodles). High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
   

9. When the cook cycle has finished, turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to Quick Release the steam/pressure. If any soup starts to come out of the steam vent, close it and release the pressure in bursts until the pressure has gone down enough to open it fully.

10. When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
    

11. Carefully take the pot out of the pressure cooker housing and set on a heat safe surface (this keeps it from cooking more).

12. Add the peas and give a gentle stir.

13. Add the cheese and stir. Then put a lid on the pot and let the cheese melt.

14. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley as a garnish.

Recipe Notes

What if I want a crunchy topping?
You can transfer the casserole to a baking dish and add a 1/2 cup Panko / 1 Tbsp melted butter / 1/2 cup parmesan topping (mix those together and sprinkle on top). Then just broil it for a few minutes.

You can also just add crushed potato chips to your serving.

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