Gluten Free Tuna Casserole Recipe [From Scratch]

Mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with some tuna, toss in some cooked noodles, and bam – you’re done. The ultimate comfort food, in minutes!

If canned cream of mushroom soup isn’t your thing, there’s always other canned soup options – cream of celery, cream of broccoli, cream of asparagus… IF you can have gluten, anyway.

The original version of this easy tuna noodle casserole recipe was featured in one of my Beyond Flour cookbooks, around a decade ago.

At the time, gluten free cream of mushroom soup wasn’t really a thing – certainly no where I’d shopped. If there was a gluten-free alternative anywhere, it probably cost 5-6x as much as the gluten version!

This easy gluten free tuna noodle casserole features a flavorful, creamy sauce. Basically a white sauce, built over a pile of sauteed aromatic veggies!

Fresh ingredients make for a nicer, refined flavour… So why not add a bit of wine?

This classic comfort food casserole is nice and rich, with amazing flavor. It’s definitely a departure from the uniform flavour blanket that canned soup gives traditional recipes!

Even if you’re not a tuna fan, the albacore tuna doesn’t scream “canned tuna” – my husband is not a fan of “fishy fish”, but will down a bowl of this in no time.

Sure, it may sound involved as I describe it just now, but it’s actually an easy dinner recipe. You can definitely throw it together on a busy weeknight, AND the leftovers reheat well, for a future easy weeknight meal.

Anyway, let’s get to it!

Ingredients

This healthy tuna noodle casserole uses relatively simple ingredients – mostly pantry staples, and things you can easily find in your local grocery store.

A few notes for you:

Canned Tuna

I use 2 cans of tuna in this recipe – preferably Solid White Albacore Tuna.

Yes, it’s a bit more expensive, but it’s also just better – taste and texture – than the cheaper alternatives.

If I’m going to the effort of making a healthier tuna noodle casserole, I like it to be as fantastic as it could be!

That said, groceries are definitely getting more expensive – and you can definitely use 2 cans of whatever tuna you have on hand, or what’s on sale.

Dry Gluten Free Pasta

You can use your favorite brand of gluten-free pasta– there are a lot of gf pastas to choose from – as long as it holds together well when cooked.

I like to make this easy tuna casserole recipe with Brown Rice Pasta*, but Chickpea Pasta and Lentil Pasta are also good options for gluten-free noodles.

Gluten-Free Egg Noodles exist, but I haven’t actually tried them in this recipe. If you do, be sure to let me know how it goes!

* Specifically, Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Spirals… when I can find it in grocery stores, anyway!

Produce

This recipe uses a few different kinds of vegetables – both fresh and frozen – to get the best flavour possible.

I use fresh onion, celery, and mushrooms (either crimini or button), along with some frozen peas.

If you prefer celery to mushrooms – or vice versa – you can leave one out and just double the amount of the other.

Also, my husband wants me to specify that while the amount of peas I call for is acceptable for most people (Or BALANCED!), he would double the amount, as he really, REALLY likes peas.

You do you!

Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs

Panko breadcrumbs are a pretty common topping for classic tuna noodle casserole, and you can even buy Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs.

I tend to not have it on hand, though, and usually end up using crushed up plain potato chips. Use whichever you like!

Cheese

While many people seem to make their tuna casserole with cheddar cheese, I like using shredded Parmesan cheese in this gluten free casserole.

I just think it tastes a bit more refined – if I’m going to make a tuna pasta bake from scratch, I like it to taste higher end!

White Rice Flour

I have only ever made this recipe with White Rice Flour, as I find it make the best sauces and roux, of all the gluten free flour options.

If you want to substitute a bit of corn starch, go with 2 tablespoon and toss it with the Parmesan that’s going into the sauce, rather than make a roux or stirring it right into the sauce.

I would not recommend using a gluten free all purpose flour, as they can behave unpredictably (varying ingredients), and usually contain xanthan gum.

Dry White Wine

I use a little dry white wine for a bit a refined flavour and acidity – usually Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio.

I do NOT recommend using cooking wine, as it generally doesn’t taste good, and tends to be really salty.

The alcohol completely cooks off in the simmering process, but feel free to skip the wine if you’d like – just replace it with the same amount of additional chicken broth.

I recommend adding a teaspoon or so of lemon juice or vinegar to the broth, just to brighten the sauce up a bit, in the absence of the wine.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Heavy Whipping Cream
Chicken Broth (Or Vegetable Broth)
Butter
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper