QUICK SUMMARY
This healthy tuna noodle casserole is Mama Z’s family-tested makeover of the comfort-food classic she grew up eating at her Grandma’s house. It keeps the creamy sauce and crunchy topping while using brown rice pasta, wild-caught tuna, soy-free vegan mayonnaise, unsweetened non-dairy milk, gluten-free breadcrumbs, and a dairy-free cheese alternative.
The recipe is gluten-free as written and can be made fully dairy-free by using coconut oil instead of butter. It is simple enough for a weeknight, freezer-friendly for busy seasons, and one of those practical meals that proves healthier comfort food can still taste like the recipes you remember.
For families who eat tuna regularly, choose the type thoughtfully. FDA and EPA classify canned light tuna as a “Best Choice” for lower mercury, while albacore or white tuna is a “Good Choice” and typically contains more mercury. (1)
This healthy tuna noodle casserole recipe came from my Grandma, and I often enjoyed it as a child. I swapped a few ingredients to make it fit our lifestyle, and now my family enjoys it just as much as I did!
That is one of my favorite things about healthy cooking. You do not have to give up the meals tied to family memories. Sometimes a few thoughtful swaps are all it takes to turn an old favorite into something that works beautifully for the way your family eats today.
Table of Contents
This recipe is simple and requires little prep. If you can make boxed macaroni and cheese, you can make this dinner!
Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
Servings
Ingredients
Casserole
- 1 8-ounce package organic brown rice pasta
- 2 7-ounce cans wild-caught tuna fish, drained
- 1 ½ cups soy-free Vegenaise OR your preferred avocado-oil or grapeseed oil vegan mayonnaise
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- ¼ teaspoon organic white pepper, ground
Topping
- ¼ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup dairy-free mozzarella-style cheese alternative
- 4-6 tablespoons grass-fed organic sea-salted butter OR raw organic coconut oil AND ⅛ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or sea salt, ground
Supplies
- 2-quart casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Add olive oil and sea salt to flavor the noodles. Drain, run briefly under cool water, and drain again. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the drained noodles to keep them moist.
- In a large bowl, combine the vegan mayonnaise, almond milk, sea salt, and white pepper. Mix well. Add the pasta, then stir gently to combine. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix the gluten-free breadcrumbs, shredded cheese alternative, and two tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle on top of the noodle mixture. Pour the rest of the butter over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips for Casseroles
When cooking with alternative ingredients, there is always a learning curve. Often, these lessons happen when you're experimenting. The great thing about my recipes is they are tried and true! I've taken the guesswork out of healthy cooking and have some hacks to make your culinary creations awesome.
- Follow the recipe for a creamy sauce in a healthier, more decadent version of the classic tuna noodle casserole. If you want to lighten it up, you can use 1 cup of almond milk and 1 cup of vegan mayo. This creates a thinner sauce mixture that's lower fat.
- Brown rice breadcrumbs are my favorite, but you can easily make your own. Take your favorite gluten-free bread, toast it, and pulverize it in a blender until it reaches the proper consistency. You can store any extra breadcrumb topping in the freezer!
- Be sure to cover all of the noodles with the crunchy breadcrumb topping mixture. Gluten-free noodles crisp easily, and if any little bit is exposed, it can throw off the whole pan, especially for picky eaters!
- You can add ¼ cup of my Vegan Grated Parmesan Cheese to the bread crumb topping to give this dish extra flavor. Yum!
- Proper preparation prevents poor performance! To stick to your healthy eating goals, consider making two casseroles. Stick one in the oven to enjoy for dinner, and place the leftover tuna noodle casserole in the freezer to bake on a busy day.
- To keep your dairy-free topping from sticking to the parchment paper, lightly spray the casserole with coconut or olive oil cooking spray before baking. This keeps your cheese where it belongs!
Healthy Casserole Simple Ingredients
How do you make a gluten-free, dairy-free-friendly meal that doesn't taste like cardboard? The answer is simple: start with high-quality ingredients. Here's what you'll find in this healthy tuna noodle casserole.
Gluten-Free Pasta: When choosing gluten-free pasta noodles, it's best to purchase kinds made of brown rice that don't contain corn or soy. You can get creative with this recipe and use your favorite pasta shape. Egg noodles are popular in traditional casseroles, but we love elbows, fusilli, and spirals!
As consumers learn more about their bodies, these ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores. If you can't find brown rice pasta near you, you can always find a great selection online.
Tuna Fish: We recommend using wild-caught tuna fish whenever possible. Tuna is a convenient source of protein that's budget-friendly, and its mild flavor works beautifully in a creamy casserole.
For families, the type of tuna matters too. FDA and EPA classify canned light tuna, which is usually skipjack, as a “Best Choice” for lower mercury. Albacore or white tuna is a “Good Choice” and typically contains about three times as much mercury as canned light tuna. (1) When I am serving tuna regularly to children or during pregnancy and breastfeeding, I prefer to keep current FDA/EPA fish guidance in mind.
Don't stress about packaging. Canned tuna works just as well in this recipe as tuna in a pouch.
Vegan Mayonnaise: Many mayonnaise brands are made with soybean or canola oil. Those are not the oils we prefer to build our family's meals around, so I recommend soy-free Veganaise or your preferred avocado oil or grapeseed oil vegan mayonnaise.
One factual update from older versions of this article: ordinary soybean and canola oils should not be described as automatic sources of artificial trans fat. FDA identifies partially hydrogenated oils as the former major source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, and manufacturers can no longer add those oils to foods in the United States. (2) Our recommendation here is about choosing the ingredient profile we prefer for our family.
Almond or Coconut Milk: To keep this dish dairy-free, we use unsweetened almond or coconut milk. Both of these options are delicious and have no odd aftertaste, so grab the milk of choice.
One word of caution: Be sure your carton says “unsweetened.” Sweetened non-dairy milk can change both the flavor and the sugar content of a savory casserole.
Sea Salt: We love fueling our family with Colima sea salt because it's hand-harvested and minimally processed. I love the clean flavor and the way a good sea salt can make simple ingredients shine.
Sea salt does contain trace minerals, but the amounts are small, so I do not treat salt as a mineral supplement. Its main nutritional contribution is still sodium, which the body needs in appropriate amounts.
Dairy-Free Mozzarella Cheese: A little dairy-free cheese makes everything better! This ingredient adds terrific flavor and gooey texture to this dish. I consider it to be the cherry on top of a wonderful meal.
Great brands of dairy-free cheddar cheese or mozzarella-style cheese alternatives include Daiya, So Delicious, Kite Hill, Violife Foods, and Follow Your Heart. Check the ingredient list and choose the option that best fits your family's needs.
Healthy Fat: This ingredient makes the topping crisp in all the right places. We love using organic, grass-fed, unsalted butter in this recipe.
If you prefer to keep this recipe totally dairy-free, you can use raw coconut oil.
Make Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole
The recipe card above gives you the complete ingredients and instructions. These step-by-step photos show you exactly what the casserole should look like as it comes together.
Step One: Boil the Noodles
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Boil the pasta noodles according to the instructions on the package. Add an additional olive oil to the water so the noodles don't stick. I always add a little salt to my pot for extra flavor.
Drain the noodles.
Step Two: Combine Casserole Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the tuna, vegan mayonnaise, almond milk, sea salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the pasta to the tuna mixture and stir again. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish.
Step Three: Make Crunchy Breadcrumb Topping
In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, dairy-free mozzarella, and butter. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.
Lightly spray the top with olive or coconut oil cooking spray. Cover with parchment paper and bake for 30-35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.
Take one bite of this dinner with its creamy sauce, and you'll be convinced: Healthy food can taste just as good, if not better, than traditional recipes.
There's no need to give up your favorite foods! When I started my natural living journey, I couldn't imagine giving up our beloved Italian dishes. So, I made it my mission to transform them into nutritional powerhouses.
That is exactly what this casserole represents to me: one of Grandma's comforting recipes, lovingly adapted for the way our family eats today.
- https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/questions-answers-fdaepa-advice-about-eating-fish-those-who-might-become-or-are-pregnant-or
- https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/trans-fat
