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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.
I love this recipe. So simple but came out perfect, The directions are concise (which is what i need) and the quantities allow you to use portions of ingredients with no partials left over. Everyone in the family raved about it. It’s a keeper!!! We sprinkled some chopped hot Thai peppers per serving and it was perfect with the extra heat!
I am not a big fan of Tuna Noodle casserole but my husband wanted it so I made this one, and I tried it too as a good cook should do, and was really impressed with how flavorful it was, and my husband loved it! He put crispy onions on the top for some crunch. Thanks for this super easy and tasty recipe!
The recipe calls for half n half but the recipe instructions do not indicate when to use it. Am I missing something?
It’s right before the noodles. I think it’s step 4.
I tried the Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe today. So easy and it turned out perfect. I had a little extra noodles left over so I added a little extra chicken broth and half n half. It turned out perfect and was so delicious. Also, I used an Italian blend cheese as I don’t care for Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Thank you for this yummy casserole.
I received an Instant Pot for Christmas and am really enjoying trying new recipes! This Tuna casserole was simple to throw together and was delicious – followed recipe exactly – only changes I’d make is add just 1 cup peas (2 was a bit much). Will definitely make again! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes! Thank you Sandy!
I’m making this for supper!
Very easy and delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
First time making Tuna Noodle in my Instant Pot and it turned out amazing, omitted the onion powder and used the 1 cup milk/4oz of cream cheese in place of half and half! I did not like the peas texture so next time I make this I may omit the peas and the dill weed. Otherwise definitely a recipe I will make again!!
Thank you for your wonderful instant pot recipes! My family has really loved your tuna casserole recipe along with the fettuccine Alfredo, zuppa soup, and the Italian sandwiches. We must share the same taste buds as you here in our household!!!!! ❤️
I made this ! It was just like my mothers…so easy and so delish!!
Made this tonight in the ninja foodi. I did make a few minor changes. I’ve had burn error messages with ninja recipes so I add a little more liquid. I increased the broth by a quarter cup ( I used veggie broth as I’m a pescatarian) I also did a little more half and half. I didn’t measure the spices just eyeballed them. Absolutely extra onion and garlic powder! The tuna was left over tuna steaks that had been smoked with cherry wood. I also used cream of onion soup and the second can was cream of mushroom with roasted garlic as those were what I had in the house. You can never have too much garlic! I added a dozen chopped mushrooms on top of the soup.
After releasing the pressure I mixed in the frozen peas ( they were perfect, not cold and not mushy) mozzarella cheese as the only cheddar in the frig was smoked. Added a couple of diced tomatoes and bread crumbs and butter on top and used the broil function on the ninja for 6 minutes. It was fantastic!
I don’t usually write a review if I’ve made changes as I don’t want to insult the original recipe but made an exception this time. Without the original recipe I wouldn’t have known how to make this in the ninja. The only changes were out of necessity and of course extra garlic!
I made this as written and it was just right. My husband and toddler both enjoyed it. Thank you. Tuna casserole isn’t a difficult meal but avoiding the boiling pot for the pasta is a time saver in both prep and cleanup. Great for a work night meal- I will be using this recipe from now on!