Gluten Free Tuna Casserole Recipe
I am going to just spit it out – I love tuna casserole! There I said it. I know it is not hip, not trendy and certainly not “foodie” (you can add that to my mounting list of why I will never be called a “foodie”), but it is just plain good!
I thought about adding some flair to this casserole, tossing in some sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and portabella mushrooms, maybe some fresh basil and I am sure that would be delicious but what I really wanted was something very close to what I recall from when I was a kid – simple, comforting and homey. But I wanted it with less fat and calories and of course, it had to be gluten free.
I kind of think my mother made her tuna casserole with canned soup but when I started cooking I made mine with rich, thick, fattening-as-all-get-out white sauce laden with butter and cream. So I cut the fat and calories by using mostly gluten-free chicken broth for my sauce, low-fat milk in place of cream (rice milk can be used making this dish dairy free) and olive oil instead of butter. Then I added extra fiber by using Pastariso’s Brown Rice Gluten Free Vegetable Rotini – I love the way the spirals add extra texture to this casserole and the fact that this delicious gluten free pasta only takes 6 -8 minutes to cook.
Since there is high probability you just may have some turkey left over fairly soon, this works just as well with shredded turkey meat.
So go ahead, fess up – what food do you love that could threaten your reputation as a “foodie?”
Gluten Free Tuna Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- Kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 (1-pound) bag Pastariso Gluten Free Brown Rice Vegetable Rotini
- 3 tablespoons olive oil – use divided
- 1 medium white or yellow onion
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons gluten free flour blend or sweet rice flour
- 2 ½ cups gluten free chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups low fat milk (or rice milk)
- 2 (6-ounce) cans solid light tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1 cup frozen peas – thawed
- 1 cup gluten free panko style bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the Pastariso Gluten Free Brown Rice Vegetable Rotini and cook for 6 – 7 minutes. Drain and rinse with hot water.
- While the pasta is cooking heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until they are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and milk, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until the sauce thickens, 6 – 8 minutes. Stir in the tuna, peas and cooked pasta. Pour the mixture into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
- Combine the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the panko bread crumbs and top the tuna mixture. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the top is browned and the sauce bubbly. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
I guess I am not a foodie either – I loved tuna casserole. Haven’t had it since going gluten free – thanks for the reminder. (And you are still a “foodie” in my eyes – just not a pretentious one!)
I can’t remember the last time I made a tuna casserole–I always loved the sweet peas mixed in to contrast with the salty aspects of the recipe. Time to add it back into my menu rotation. Thanks
Looks so yummy – thanks! Who makes “gluten free panko style bread crumbs”?
Thanks Anne – Kinnikinnick makes them – I LOVE them! I get them at my local natural foods store (and it is not a big one) or you can look on the internet. It is a pantry staple of mine!
I love it too, but my family hates it :( Sometimes I have my friend over and we indulge guiltily together, making sure we eat up any incriminating evidence!
Oh! I haven’t had this since going gluten free – I love it! Thanks for the recipe and I think I will take your suggestion and make with left over turkey!
This looks delicious, even for those without an intolerance to gluten. Thanks for dropping by Older Mommy Still Yummy, the cookbook I reviewed, that you commented on, has many, many gluten free recipes, you would love it.
Loved this recipe! I have not eaten tuna casserole since going gluten and dairy free almost 2 years ago. Made your recipe tonight and me and my daughter give it two thumbs up. We put crushed potato chips on top instead of the bread crumbs.
Thanks Debbie! Love the idea of potato chips, yum. Now I want this for lunch :)
This was wonderful! Better than the way I used to make it with cream of mushroom soup (though that was always great too!). My daughter was thrilled that I found a gf tuna noodle casserole and it will be made much more often now! Thank you!!!
Thanks so much Wendy! So happy you and your daughter enjoyed it! I have to say, I did like the kind I used to make with canned mushroom soup too :)
Do you think the recipe would be okay without peas? I cannot eat legumes.
Of course. I don’t enjoy peas, so I just made a GF tuna casserole with broccoli, but mine had cheese. I’m sure cut green beans would be wonderful too.
I agree – beans would be great. Personally I love peas but the hubby? Not so much :)
I have subbed in Sweet corn when I am out of peas and it is great that way too! :)
Hi Riley – absolutely! You an use any kind of veggie you like to exchange. For casseroles I like to use defrosted frozen veggies as they just seem to cook up well. Also you can just leave the peas out! Enjoy.
The easiest way I have found to make Gluten-Free tuna casserole is to use mushroom alfredo sauce. I could never find GF mushroom soup. They have rows of alfredo. Easy Peasy!
I just found a terrific, easy and fast recipe for homemade cream of mushroom soup, and it was perfect in my tuna casserole. http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/make-your-own-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup-in-less-than-5-minutes
Thanks Anne!
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I haven’t had Tuna Casserole since I was a kid and before I was diagnosed with dairy issues. Can you use dairy free milk, like rice milk in this recipe? Also can you freeze it or eat it the next day?
Yes, you can use rice milk or other dairy-free milk. I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it could work – I recommend freezing individual portions, wrapped tightly. And yes you can eat it the next day.