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!
- 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.
Here’s why I think it’s better:
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.
- Weigh your pasta!
- If you put too much pasta in it will soak up more of the liquid. Then there isn’t enough to create the steam needed to build pressure.
- Weighing the pasta is the most accurate way to measure it.
This is the biggest reason people get the burn message when cooking pasta.
Layer the Ingredients.
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 only 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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If you make this pressure cooker tuna casserole recipe, please leave a comment below with a star rating. I’d love to know how you liked it!
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!
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 small Sweet Onion, diced
- 3 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon 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 (or 1 mushroom and 1 celery)
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 2 cups Frozen Peas
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
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Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the oil, butter and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent.
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Add the broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill. stir.
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Add the half and half. Turn off the Sauté setting.
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Add the egg noodles. Do not stir.
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Add the tuna, spreading evenly over the noodles. Do not stir.
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Add the mushroom soup and spread to cover the noodles. Do not stir.
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Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 3 minutes for soft noodles (2 minutes for firmer noodles). High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
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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.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
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Carefully take the pot out of the pressure cooker housing and set on a heat safe surface (this keeps it from cooking more).
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Add the peas and give a gentle stir.
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Add the cheese and stir. The casserole will thicken as it cools.
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When the cheese has melted, serve with a sprinkle of parsley as a garnish.
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.
RESOURCES TO MAKE this recipe and more
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Sue Graves
Left out onion step but melted a little butter. Did 12 oz but think 16 would be fine. Added canned mushrooms with tuna and some crispy onions with tuna. When we serve sprinkled more on top. No peas. Tasted just like what use to take an hour to make and alot more dishes and pot.
Elizabeth
Worked well with 16 oz cavatappi, 4 cans tuna drained, heavy cream sub, and non condensed aka ready to serve 2 cans as noted.
Turned out so so good. Maybe used less cheddar cheese and definitely went for the crunchy topping!
Sandy
That’s great! Thank you for your comment.
Alex
I live in Texas and after March, it is too hot to turn on the oven. This worked out perfectly. It was fast and so easy. It will definitely be added to my rotation.