Gluten Free Tuna Casserole Recipe
Updated May 27, 2020, Published Nov 20, 2011
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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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. https://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/make-your-own-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup-in-less-than-5-minutes
Thanks Anne!
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.