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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 loved this! Mine had a couple of variations. I used dry minced onion, both cans were Celery soup, and I used canned peas and carrots. Perfect!
Best I have ever made!
Turned out really good. only change I would make next time is to add the peas before cooking. The peas were a little underdone this time.
Definitely a keeper ! soooo yummy
Can this recipe be halved
Yes, keep the cook time the same.
Was a little confused at first because it says duration 30 – 60 minutes then prep time is 5 minutes with a cook time of 40 minutes, but as you read in the recipe the instant pot cook time is 4 minutes, So you might see where I may have been a little confused
I included the time it takes to cook the onion. Sorry it was confusing, the recipe card doesn’t have a cook time breakdown.
That was delicious. Made just a few minor adjustments: added two chopped ribs of celery with the onion. Substituted 2% milk for half and half. Added a couple shakes of red pepper flakes. And put peas in on very top before pressure cooked. This is a keeper.
I have made this more than once and I can’t say enough about how much I love it and it’s super easy to follow. Totally recommend this one. Thank you so much for sharing.
One of my hub’s fave. Said this was the best I’ve made in 20 years! Had to supplement half of the broth with water. Only had 1% milk….and only had 1 can od cream of chicken and 1 of mushroom! Crushed chips on top after stirring. Turned my pot to broil and let it go for an additional 3 min!
I just finished making this casserole. Easy recipe, although I noticed the texture too thin (more soupy). Followed measurments exactly as listed. Let it sit a while to thicken, that didn’t help so cooked more noodles to add to it. Next time I might initially reduce the broth and or soup, can always add later.
Yes, soupy but very good.
Did you use the correct amount of noodles? If you don’t use the full amount there will be extra liquid left. I always weigh my pasta for Instant Pot cooking.
This was amazing! I didn’t have dill, so I used thyme, but other than that followed the recipe 100% (opted for the mushroom and celery for soups) and it came out perfect. Super flavorful. Keeper for sure!
I’m very new to Instant Pot and thought I’d give this staple a try. Holy cow, delicious!! Easy to follow instructions, no strange ingredients (though, I did leave out the peas and dill). Will definitely make this one again.