Our easy pressure cooker tuna noodle casserole without cream of mushroom soup will bring you back to your childhood! This cheap Instant Pot recipe comfort food can now be made in no time, but with the same great flavors.
Chunk tuna, noodles, veggies, sauce and cheese is another food group right. 😉 Making it in your oven is a given, but now you can make it quickly using this pressure cooker tuna noodle casserole recipe! Definitely one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes we make several times a month.
Instant Pot Tuna Casserole Recipe
You can make this oldie but goodie in your Crockpot Express, Mealthy or as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe as well. All the brands work basically the same and all have the high pressure function you need.
I used egg noodles and frozen vegetables but you could leave out the peas if you wanted. Prefer canned chicken to canned tuna instead? Swap that out instead if you’d like. It is very versatile. It is kinda’ like an Instant Pot tuna helper type of meal done quick!
Ninja Foodi Tuna Noodle Casserole
If you haven’t tried any Instant Pot casseroles yet they are our favorite because everything cooks together and is done in no time. In fact you’ll love it more because it takes no time at all to make!! In the foodi the only difference is that you use the lid that is not attached.
I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and tuna noodle casserole was just a staple dinner that almost all of us had probably every month. It’s a feel good meal that’s creamy and packed with everything for a complete meal right?? As I got older I appreciated a great tuna steak but still it isn’t the same as the creaminess of this dish.
Ingredient Notes
This meal was a staple meal in my era. My mom also made what we call pressure cooker chicken and rice. She had to use the stovetop back then though. Incorporating a vegetable was always important. So, peas are added but optional if you aren’t a fan. Mushrooms bring a great flavor to this recipe too. Those are optional too if you want it just plain with no additional add ins.
Some people only know how to make this with canned or homemade cream of mushroom soup but if you use the ingredients below instead, it comes out better. Often times condensed soups will trigger the burn message so I highly suggest that you make it from scratch as directed below instead.
We like to top it with cheese for added flavor, after all everything is better with cheese right??!! What else could you top this killer meal with? Crushed potato chips is always fun like we did on top of our Pressure cooker Dorito casserole your kids will love You’ll love crushed fried onion strings on top too.
How to Make it Thicker
Most pressure cooker recipes using a creamy sauce takes a few minutes to really thicken up. If you want that outcome then I suggest taking the lid off once it’s done and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. It will need a bit of time to cool before serving anyway so this will allow it to thicken up a bit.
You can always take some sauce out and into a small bowl and whisk some cornstarch into it too, then add back into the pot and stir to thicken it quicker.
I promise you though if you just give it a good 15 minutes to sit it will be as thick as you want it. The next day with some added cheese on top warmed up is a great lunchtime treat too. 😉
Do you cook noodles before putting them in a pressure cooker?
Nope, you can skip that step and add them into your pot right out of the bag. Just make sure your egg noodles are submerged into the liquid or sauce in the pot so they can “boil” to al dente or as tender as you would like. Gently press down so they are coated (not stirred) before sealing the lid.
Pressure Cooker Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz egg noodles
- 1 can tuna, 8-12 oz. albacore chunk preferred, drained
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper, optional
- 1 cup half and half
- 1.5 cup cheese, optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for half and half and cheese into your Instant Pot and gently stir together.
- Put lid on and close steam valve.
- Set to pressure high for 3 minutes.
- Do a quick release and open the pot.
- Slowly stir in half and half and cheese (can use less or more cheese depending on your taste). Put lid back on ajar and allow to sit for about 3 minutes so it can thicken up and cheese can melt.
- Then take lid off. The longer it sits the thicker it will become. (you can add some hot liquid in a bowl with some cornstarch then add back into the pot to thicken quicker too) Serve!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Stored in an airtight container, cooked tuna will last for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. You could freeze it too in covered containers or freezer bags. If you don’t have those cover with aluminum foil.
Of course. If you have leftovers just let them cool to room temperature and store in freezer bags. Lay flat and store for 2-3 months. To reheat leftover tuna noodle casserole allow to thaw out first. Then put into a microwave safe dish and heat in 30 second intervals stirring in between. Add cheese on last round so it melts and makes it creamy again.
Other family friendly recipes you’ll love
We have a version of Crockpot tuna casserole you can try too. If you love this style, try our Instant Pot crack chicken casserole too!
Once you’ve made this you should try these other Instant Pot dinner recipes like this easy deconstructed Pressure cooker lasagna recipe. It is basically an easy way to make a lazy lasagna style dish. Instant Pot taco casserole you can see below. It is creamy and hearty with ground beef or sausage.
What goes well with tuna casserole?
Green veggies like snow peas because the pod adds variety in color and taste. Fresh green beans on the side would also work as they compliment our Instant Pot shrimp boil too. We added mushrooms inside this meal, but could be cooked in butter and served on the side.
So good! I used a 16 oz bag of egg noodles and 4 cups of chicken broth, whole milk instead of half n half. My four year old says “I love it” as he eats his bowl!
I’m wondering if I can use a can of cream of mushroom in this instead of fresh mushrooms?
That may make it too liquidy at the end, you can skip the mushrooms.
Justine- Thank you for the recipe can’t wait to try it. Please ignore the haters!!
After you add the cream & cheese do you just leave it on warm to thicken or do you need to move it to something like sauté to get it to a simmer? Sounds wonderful, left over chicken would be great, but I might even try it with tuna, I had that a few times in college, but haven’t tried canned tuna since. Growing up tuna noodle casserole was always made with chicken, even though mom still called it tuna noodle casserole.
Have you ever doubled this recipe?
I have a 6 qt. and I wouldn’t be able to double it but if yours is larger there shouldn’t be an issue.
I doubled the tuna fish and added a tsp of crushed red pepper. Soooo good!
Yeah!!
My mom made this all the time using Campbell’s cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. She also used frozen peas and carrots, mushrooms or broccoli, a can of milk,(more if needed), and precooked noodles. Mixed it all together and topped it with what ever was available, crushed potato chips, cheese crackers, buttered saltines or cheese. In to the oven until it was hot and top was browned or cheese was melted. Cool a few minutes to let set before serving.
Wonderful happy memories. Think I’ll make this in the next day or two, haven’t had this in years.
Keep those IP recipes coming, I’m hooked on my pot. Love it.
I tried this recipe tonight and my husband and I loved it! Thanks for sharing it!
Had this for dinner and it was delicious! My husband loves tuna noodle casserole. We both agree it would be great with pretty much any meat. Also with the addition of other veggies! Thanks so much! ?
Yes totally!
I am on a low sodium diet as much as I can. Why is there so much salt in this? Is it the tuna or the cheese or both?? I was so excited to make this, but now…unless I can do some modifications, I can’t eat this. 🙁
Lee Anne, Could you use low sodium products wherever possible and decrease or remove the salt to accomplish your lower sodium goal. That’s what I usually do.
I don’t calculate that, the widget does it automatically so I don’t know how accurate it is. You could use water instead of broth or low sodium broth.
You can get Herbox sodium free chicken bouillon on amazon!
Use low sodium tuna and lower sodium or no sodium chicken broth. That should bring the totals down a lot.
There are lo-so products out there. A friend found me some lo-so tuna, but it was for specialty stores in industrial-sized cans. No salt added or lo-so broth. Skip adding additional salt. You’ll have to read labels. Many frozen, canned, and prepackaged foods are high in sodium (preservatives). You’ll want to reduce the amount of cheese, too.
Your average chicken broth has 860mg of sodium per cup, table salt has 2325mg per teaspoon. Switching to no sodium broth or water & eliminating the salt would reduce the sodium by 800+ mg per serving. Getting it down in the neighborhood of 220mg per serving. Just under 10% of the daily value. Want to cut back further, check your brand of tuna, they vary about 50mg per serving, & cutting back the cheese to a cup will save you about 60mg per serving, depending on the cheese.