No Noodle Tuna Casserole Recipe

This No Noodle Tuna Casserole recipe is now, officially, my go-to tuna casserole!

I used to make tuna casserole with pasta and tons of cheese. That’s how my mom taught me to make it, and it was total comfort food. But since I really didn’t want to do the carb/fat combo, I thought I’d try a no-noodle version just to see how it would turn out. And turn out, it did. It was delicious.

A No Noodle Tuna Casserole sits on a white background. A red serving spoons has scooped up a portion of casserole and it holding it up to the camera.

Tuna Casserole Without Noodles

Tuna casserole doesn’t need noodles or rice or any other carby addition to be delicious. In fact, it’s quite good without it, as you’ll see if you make this.

However, if you are a die-hard noodle fan, feel free to mix in about 2 cups of cooked pasta to make this a tuna noodle casserole recipe. I’ve used egg noodles in the past, and I cook them al dente so they can finish cooking in the oven.

I know that for some of you, this may end up being a tad on the dry side. I personally like it that way. But for those of you who don’t, mixing in a bit more mayo before or after baking does the trick nicely!

Low Carb Tuna Casserole

If you are watching your carbs, this dish might be a perfectly delicious fit for your eating plan. At only about 1 net carb per serving, it’s super easy to fill up on this dish without being worried about your carb intake. So enjoy!

Mercury In Tuna

Every time I post a recipe that uses tuna, I can count on getting at least one comment admonishing me for “promoting tuna” when it’s such a direct source of mercury.

I get that this is a concern for many people. And if you don’t want to eat tuna, simply don’t eat tuna. This casserole can also be made with chicken. Otherwise, I have many other recipes here you’ll enjoy.

A red serving spoon holds a scoop of No Noodle Tuna Casserole over a full casserole dish.

About The Ingredients

Garlic cloves – If your cloves are larger, you’ll still want to use 2 cloves. However, if they are smaller, you’ll want 3 or 4 of them.

Celery stalk  – You’ll want to chop this as fine as possible.

Red bell pepper – Chop this just as finely as the celery. 

Red onion – Chop this fine as well. The finer you chop, the better the texture of the finished casserole will be.

Green beans – I used frozen/thawed, but fresh works too. These don’t have to be chopped as fine as the celery, pepper, and onion, but you still want to chop them on the smaller size.

Olive oil – You can use any oil you prefer. Olive oil is simply what I had on hand.

Water-packed tuna fish – This was 4 standard cans. Make sure it’s water-packed, not oil-packed. I use albacore tuna, but use what you prefer. Drain the water well. If you prefer, you can substitute with canned or fresh, shredded chicken instead.

Mayonnaise – store-bought or homemade – see links above

Grated cheddar cheese – It’s best to hand grate from a block of cheddar.

Almond flour – You can use almond meal too, but almond flour will give you better consistency.

Salt and pepper – I added these to taste after cooking.

Optional Ingredients

I did not use these for this recipe, but you could add them if you like.

1 cup frozen peas – Do not sauté these with the veggies. Just pour them into the mixing bowl frozen.

4 oz. sliced mushrooms – Toss them in to sauté with the veggies above.

1 tablespoon butter – or more, as you like.

How To Make No Noodle Tuna Casserole

Step one is to collect all your ingredients in one place.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Collect all your ingredients in one place.

The vegetables sautéing in a skillet for this No Noodle Tuna Casserole Recipe

In a medium skillet, sauté the onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, and green beans in the olive oil over medium heat to low heat until the onions are translucent. Allow to cool.

Step four is to mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, stir the veggie mix, tuna, mayo, and cheese (and cooked noodles if you want to use them) in a medium mixing bowl to combine. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish or baking dish and spread it out evenly.

Step five is to sprinkle the almond meal over your casserole and bake.

Sprinkle the almond meal over the top of the casserole and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (just enough to get the cheese melted.)

A red serving spoon holds a scoop of No Noodle Tuna Casserole over a full casserole dish.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step seven is to serve with your favorite sides.

Pairs well with a salad or other veggies.

How To Store No Noodle Tuna Casserole

You can either keep it in the casserole dish and cover that with plastic wrap, or you can transfer it to an airtight container with a lid. This will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Can You Freeze No Noodle Tuna Casserole?

It’s not recommended. Mayo does not freeze well. So it’s best to eat this all within three days.

How To Reheat No Noodle Tuna Casserole

You have a couple of options for reheating. 

  • Microwave – Heat in 30-second intervals. Overheating this in the microwave will give you rubbery tuna.
  • Oven – Simply place this into the oven at 350 F. for approximately 10-20 minutes or until warmed through. But again, don’t over-warm it. It’s already cooked.

More Healthy Tuna Recipes

RECIPES USED:

STORE-BOUGHT MAYO:

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A No Noodle Tuna Casserole sits on a white background. A red serving spoons has scooped up a portion of casserole and it holding it up to the camera.

No Noodle Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole takes a twist with this no-noodle version. Low carb and great on flavor!
3.56 from 36 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 202kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • 1 large celery stalk chopped fine
  • ½ large red bell pepper chopped fine
  • ¼ large red onion chopped fine
  • 1 cup green beans cut into small pieces (I used frozen/thawed, but fresh works too)
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 20 oz. water packed tuna drained
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise (store bought or homemade – see links above)
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp. almond meal or flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Collect all your ingredients in one place.
    Step one is to collect all your ingredients in one place.
  • In a medium skillet, sauté the onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers and green beans in the olive oil over medium to low heat until the onions are translucent. Allow to cool.
    The vegetables sautéing in a skillet for this No Noodle Tuna Casserole Recipe
  • In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine the veggie mix, tuna, mayo, and cheese (and cooked noodles if you want to use them) in a medium mixing bowl. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish or baking dish, and spread out evenly.
    Step four is to mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.
  • Sprinkle the almond meal over the top of the casserole and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (just enough to get the cheese melted.)
    Step five is to sprinkle the almond meal over your casserole and bake.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    Step six is to remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
  • Pairs well with a salad or other veggies.
    Step seven is to serve with your favorite sides.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 638IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 5/20/15.

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32 Comments

  1. Can I use another type of cheese?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Phyllis – Sure! Whatever sounds good to you! 🙂

  2. I am making this tonight for dinner. I love tuna casserole. I have shied away from them since I am GF AND LF in the last few years. Sounds yummie!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jan – Great! Let me know how you like it! 🙂

  3. Tiffany, I made your tuna casserole…Holy Moley, delicious!! I did tweak it a bit. I didn’t have green beans so I added chopped spinach and no almond meal so I topped it with sliced almonds and I added a couple of shakes of Cayenne pepper for a little POP. I added some GF pasta by Tinkyada (my favorite) shells. I also added CABOT LF cheddar cheese (from VT). I will be making this again…thanks! I love tuna casseroles!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jan – Fabulous!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 😀

  4. Is there a way to know the nutrition facts? Like calories, fat and so on?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Vanessa – There are a lot of online calculators where you can easily enter the recipe. I recommend MyFitnessPal.com because all you have to do is copy the recipe page url into the appropriate box and it will import the entire recipe for you. It’s awesome! Hope that helps.

  5. Paula Ann McCabe says:

    What should the oven temperature be?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Paula – 350 F.

  6. My husband liked this except for the green beans. Hr is not a big veggie person and is very sensitive to texture issues with veggies – somehow he didn’t like the ways the beans were cooked. I could either boil and cook them or possibly just try french style green beans for him.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Patti – Sorry he didn’t care for them! You could leave them out all together if you prefer.

  7. Tiffany, is there any NON Facebook way to read your Low carb recipes?

  8. Jessica Lynch says:

    Have you ever tried to make this and freeze it? Either before baking or after baking and cooling?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jessica – No I haven’t. Technically, you can freeze anything. But I’m not sure what the texture would be like after thawing.

  9. This is AMAZING. I really didn’t think it would be as good without pasta, but somehow this is even better than the classic!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      E – Thank you so much! I’m so happy you loved it!! 😀

  10. This would probably be good scooped into a half of a cooked spaghetti squash too

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      A – I hadn’t thought of that, but you might be right! 🙂

  11. I want to try this recipe but just so i am correct..it calls for 4 5oz can tuna, right?

  12. Anne Cooper says:

    This sounds delicious! How many cups or ounces is a serving?

    1. Anne – I never measured. Because it’s in a casserole dish, I just cut it into 8 equal potions. I’ll try to measure next time. Sorry about that!

  13. Terry Row says:

    5 stars
    It sounds great, but everything I make it, I can’t get past Instruction 2. No matter how long I sauté the garlic, celery, bell peppers and green beans in the olive oil over medium to low heat, the onions never turn translucent. They just sit there on the counter. I’ve had to give up several times.

  14. 5 stars
    This was so unbelievably good. I tweaked a bit. I did not have green so I substituted chopped broccoli and added slivered almonds. This will be our go to tuna casserole. Husband loved it. Thanks much for sharing.

  15. Juanda Calhoun says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. I used fresh green beans. I also used Old Bay seasoning and Slap Yo Mama Cajun seasoning for a slight kick.