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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?
- 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.
- Weigh your pasta!: This is the biggest reason people get the burn message when cooking pasta, because the pasta will absorb the liquid. Weighing the pasta is the most accurate way to measure it. You need 1 cup of broth/water to every 4 ounces of dry pasta. You need to be sure that you have enough liquid to create the steam needed to bring the pot to pressure.
- Don’t stir the contents before pressure cooking. Layer the ingredients as directed, but don’t stir until it is done cooking.
- 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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
- 12 oz Wide Egg Noodles, uncooked
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 2 (6 oz) cans Chunk Light Tuna, in water, mostly drained
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (or 1 mushroom / 1 celery)
To Finish
- 2 cups Frozen Peas
- 1-2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the oil, butter and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent.1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, 1 small Sweet Onion,
- Add the broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill. Stir, using a wooden spoon and be sure to scrape up any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot (deglaze).3 cups Chicken Broth,, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon Onion Powder, ½ teaspoon Dill Weed,
- Let the liquid heat up a little, then turn off/Cancel the Sauté setting.
- Add the egg noodles. Do not stir, just gently spread them in an even layer.12 oz Wide Egg Noodles,
- Pour the the half and half over the noodles. Do not stir.1 cup Half and Half
- Add the tuna, spreading it gently over the noodles. Do not stir.2 (6 oz) cans Chunk Light Tuna,
- Add the mushroom soup and spread to cover the noodles. Do not stir.2 (10.5 oz) cans Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- 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.
- 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 release the pressure fully.
- When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
- Carefully take the pot out of the pressure cooker housing using oven mitts, and set on a heat safe surface (this keeps it from cooking more).
To Finish
- Add the peas and give a gentle stir.2 cups Frozen Peas
- Add the cheese and stir. The casserole will thicken as it cools.1-2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese,
- When the cheese has melted, serve with a sprinkle of parsley as a garnish.2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley,
Notes
Avoiding the Burn Warning
It is very important to have the broth-to-noodle ratio correct to avoid burning from not having enough liquid. 12 ounces of noodles needs 3 cups of broth. The noodles will absorb it. So be sure to use the correct amounts of both. If You Want a Crunchy ToppingYou can transfer the casserole to a baking dish and add a ½ cup Panko / 1 Tbsp melted butter / ½ 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We loved it! It tastes similar to the recipe I used for the past 40 years minus the crispy topping. But, it took so much less time to make in the instant pot and seemed creamier. I can’t wait to make your Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Another great recipe, Sandy. I make it in my 3qt with 5oz of noodles.
Also another tip for crunchy topping…just crush up store bought croutons! 😋
Thanks.
This was so AWSOME. Followed the directions to the T and all worked well.. Only changes, Used Golden Mushroom soup and added Porta bella mushrooms with the onions. Huge hit with the other half. Added the Panko bread crumb/butter topping. The recipe makes just enough for two toaster oven size pans to fit in my Breville oven.Best of all never turned on the big oven. Had cleanup done before they came dinner was ready and finished off one whole pan leaving another for left overs. which was met with smiles. Thank you Sandy!!!
Recipe was so easy to put together! However I received the burn message. Following all the recipe and details. It came to pressure and just let ot sit for a few minutes. Already had the oven preheated because we like a crispy topping ( used crumbled Ritz crackers tonight) just threw it in a casserole pan after adding the cheese and peas with the crackers for about 5 minutes. Turned out amazing! I will try again!
Just made this for the second time. Halved the recipe this time Just love it. Thank you for an easy dump it recipe.
Had to try this recipe as my mom made this for us growing up & loved it. I halved the recipe & worked well. Used 2% Fairlife. milk instead of half & half (what I had on hand & watching calories). I also added 3 small portobello mushrooms diced, 4 baby carrots shredded & 1 med stalk celery, diced to add some veggies, sautéed them with onion. I used albacore tuna packed in n water, well drained. Was concerned it might be too soupy since I cut the recipe in 1/2 but accidentally added 2C of broth but turned out perfect so will b using 2c broth in the future. I partially defrosted the frozen peas in the micro before adding. Used 3 chedder cheese blend. To duplicate my childhood recipe I topped with crush potato chips. My husband wasn’t happy to hear I added the veggies but after tasting it, he had 2 helpings! He loved it. Will make again.
Turned out amazing!
Just found this..so good..i didn’t have dill.. used some spike..i used a can of drained mixed veggies and i didn’t add cheese… just my preferences and what I had available. Thank you so much for bringing a classic back to life..so easy and so much flavor and depth.
Fantastic! The second time I made this I used some pre-cooked chicken chunks instead of tuna and it was great. I also add frozen broccoli (very top layer). Kids love it! Super easy and super quick!
I substituted 1 large can of chicken instead of tuna and it was the best ever. Perfect recipe..
Fantastic!! So easy and so fast! I couldn’t believe it was done. Will always make it this way and more often!! Love this recipe love my instant pot!!!