This casserole is easily made with just a few steps. It's so rich and creamy, and totally kid-approved!
We love casseroles in our household! But I seriously contemplated whether or not to post a casserole recipe on our site. I typically love to use all fresh ingredients and make pretty much everything from scratch. But you can't really fancy up a casserole too much or you miss the actual point. So don't get used to it, but I'm actually using some cans of soup for this Instant Pot tuna casserole. It's just the only way to do it! And you could even take this a step further and add something crunchy on top of each serving... Mmmm.
The Process
Using sauté setting - add oil, mushrooms, onions, celery, and ½ teaspoon of salt to pot...
...and cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid releases from veggies and then evaporates.
Add 2 cans of tuna (with liquid) to pot...
...along with both cans of soup, ½ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper.
Give a good mix. Then pour mixture into a 1.75qt Pyrex dish. Set aside.
Add chicken broth to pot. No need to rinse out first.
Then add egg noodles to pot and place 2-inch trivet on top.
Place Pyrex dish on top of trivet. Lock lid and cook for 2 minutes at high pressure. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure.
Then remove lid, Pyrex bowl, and trivet. Add cream cheese to noodles...
...and gently mix until cheese is melted.
Finally, pour tuna/soup mixture into pot...
...and stir to combine.
And this is the AMAZING result…
Expert Tips:
- If starchy bubbles try to escape when you release the pressure, simply close the vent and try again in 30 seconds. Every now and then, depending on the type of pasta, the produce lots of starch. Just release the pressure in increments.
- The pot-in-pot method is necessary to reduce the risk of a burn notice. Our original recipe was written without the pot-in-pot method. However, several readers reported burn notices, so we after testing and development, we rewrote the recipe to insure a delicious casserole with no burn notices!
- The rule for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is this… Divide the time on box in half, then subtract 2 more minutes. So if it says 8 minutes, you’d do 8 divided by 2 (which is 4) minus 2 — a total of 2 minutes with quick-pressure release. If you plan to substitute a different kind of pasta for this dish, adjust the cook time accordingly.
★ Did you make this Instant Pot Tuna Casserole? Please give it a star rating below! ★
Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms roughly diced
- ¾ cup yellow onions diced
- 1 tsp. sea salt divided
- ¾ cup celery diced
- 10 oz. canned tuna
- 10.5 oz. cream of mushroom soup
- 10.5 oz. cream of celery soup
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 12 oz. egg noodles
- 4 oz. cream cheese
Instructions
- Using sauté setting – add oil, mushrooms, onions, celery, and ½ teaspoon of salt to pot and cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid releases from veggies and then evaporates.
- Add tuna (with liquid) to pot, along with both cans of soup, ½ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper.
- Give a good mix. Then pour mixture into a 1.75qt Pyrex dish. Set aside.
- Add chicken broth to pot. No need to rinse out first. Then add egg noodles to pot and place 2-inch trivet on top. Place Pyrex dish on top of trivet.
- Lock lid and cook for 2 minutes at high pressure. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure.
- Then remove lid, Pyrex bowl, and trivet. Add cream cheese to noodles and gently mix until cheese is melted. Finally, pour tuna/soup mixture into pot and stir to combine.
Notes
Nutrition
More Instant Pot Comfort Food Recipes
- Pressure Cooker Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Instant Pot Mac & Cheese
- Instant Pot Potato Salad - Deviled Egg Style
- Pressure Cooker Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Instant Pot Veggie Lasagna
patti
I followed the recipe exactly. My family really liked it and it was really quick and easy. It was a little soupy at first but it thickened up and tasted great.
Slb
Easy and tasty
Cindy
Oh, I tried. I did. Three burn messages (I have an Ultra).didnt press noodles too hard, even added more liquid. Good taste, but have decided, some things are just better cooked conventionally.
I’m rating this for the clear, concise directions. Maybe it was my pot, who knows.
I DO love your blog and the way you write, so will gladly follow you. I have at least six of your recipes tagged to try. Look forward to many positive experiences!!
Gary
Dang, I'm so sorry about the burn notices. Not sure what caused that. But thanks for being willing to give us another try. What other recipes are you interested in?
June Snelling
Could this be done pip? I haven't tried it yet but think it might help with the burn. Sounds like not enough liquid to cook noodles before the cream soups stick.
Gary
I've rewritten the recipe so that we can avoid the burn message altogether! Thanks for your feedback.
Andrea
Me too... I’m not a newbie at Instapot so I was annoyed by my 3 burn messages ;-( looks like I might have to just let it sit and have tisidual heat cook it ;-(
Gary
Sorry to hear that! We've heard from other recipe developers that there's been a rise in the number of burn notice incidents, even in recipes that have successfully been made multiple times with no burn notices. Here's a great article with some advice on trouble shooting: https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-burn-message/
Audrey Arnold
Good flavor. Easy to make. I used 8 oz of cream cheese as I knew I wouldn't use the other half of the package in time. It tasted great.
RetiredATLATC
Continually receiving burn notices as well, for the first time after many successful other recipes.
Amber Elrod
Awesome, quick, easy recipe
K
Made it to the recipe. Got some burn messages, but I don't care because it tastes so good. The kids love it, and my husband gave me the thumbs up to make it again.
Christine
We tried this tonight and it’s instantly a family favorite. It felt great to see everyone go back for seconds.. including two picky teenagers. I added 2 cups of frozen peas/carrots and red pepper flakes prior to the high pressure step.. topped with fresh Italian parsley. Looking forward to trying more recipes from your site.
Kayla
Not something I’ll make in the instant pot due to burn notice. If I do won’t mix in the soup like the recipe says.
Claire
So good!! Only change I made was using cream of cheddar cheese soup in place of mushroom soup because we don't like mushrooms. I sauteed in separate saucepan due to comments. This is much better than my traditional oven recipe. The cream cheese makes it so creamy. Family loved it.
Laura
Will never make this dish the old way again. Loved this super easy recipe. Made it exactly how the recipe stated. Turned out perfect. You know a good recipe when husband goes back for seconds!
Thank you for sharing with us!
Melissa Clark
We were very sad that it showed “Burn” before we even had a chance for it start counting down. We are taking it out now and gonna try just putting it in the oven.
Gary
I've rewritten the recipe so that we can avoid the burn message altogether! Thanks for your feedback.
MARION SHEPPARD
The instruction call for adding chicken broth in two different steps. Am I to assume that it is only for cooking the noodles not added to tuna mix ?
Gary
Only in step 4, that was a misprint. Thanks for the heads up!
Angeline Campbell
I have ultra and No Burn Message received.
Made a few changes, such as no additional mushrooms, no cream cheese, whole wheat pasta, and two cans of cream of mushrooms soup. At step 2 I included the broth and added the pasta. Set high pressure for 9 minutes and then quick release. Family loved this dish. I loved the taste and the speed in which this is done. Thank you.
Susan
I can’t wait to try this!! Thanks, Gary.
Katie
This recipe was so easy and so good! You know it’s a good recipe when there are no leftovers!
Becky
Haven't had tuna casserole since I was a kid but wanted to try it again. This is so good! I love the addition of the cream cheese.