This Paleo Tuna Noodle Casserole is a healthy version of the popular dish. Made dairy free, gluten free, and Whole30, but still delicious and comforting!
Paleo Casserole
Just a warning: this is not the most pretty dish in the world!! 🙂 It is loaded with flavor and veggies and makes a great dinner, though! Tuna Noodle is such a classic dish that most people grew up on. I switched out the cream of mushroom for an easy homemade version that is dairy free, and used spaghetti squash in place of the egg noodles. The results are an amazing and one of the only ways my husband will actually eat tuna. I do recommend buying tuna that is line-caught to protect endangered species. Wild Planet is a great brand and it's easily found at grocery stores- not just health food stores.
So, this is a Whole30 meal only if you leave the chips off. I know- I'm sorry!! Nothing fried on Whole30 though. I'm thinking an almond flour/fat crumble would totally work though and still be delicious.
Paleo Topping
Speaking of the chips- Jackson Honest are my favorite. They are fried in coconut oil and have only 3 ingredients: potatoes, coconut oil, salt. That's it. This isn't sponsored, I just truly love them! Crushed on top, they give the perfect contrast in texture and is reminiscent to the classic casserole topping.
You'll love how easy this is to make. It does involve a little prep work, but it's not hard and totally worth it. Here is a how-to for cooking spaghetti squash- you'll love that method. I like to use a big enough ban for the sauce where I can then mix in the tuna and mushroom sauce right in there. That's one less dish I have to wash.
Ok- there is my not-so-beautiful picture of a scoop. I was hesitant to put that up, but my husband said it looked good so I'll just go with it. Just remember-- it tastes great!
My other two spaghetti squash casseroles are 2 of my most popular recipes on my site. Paleo Baked Spaghetti and Buffalo Chicken Casserole. Both Paleo & Whole30 and so delicious. I hope you all love this one just as much! Here is a reminder how to cook spaghetti squash if you need it. My favorite method.
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Paleo Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or fat of choice
- 16 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 14 oz can coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch
- 4 5 oz cans tuna sustainable, line caught
- 2 eggs
- 1 5 oz potato chips crushed (leave off for Whole30)
Instructions
- Place the spaghetti squash in a large bowl and press excess water off with a clean towel.
- Preheat oven to 400° and line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper.
- In a large pan, add the coconut oil, mushrooms and onion and cook over medium heat until veggies are softened, About 10 minutes.
- Add in the thyme, garlic powder, salt, coconut cream and arrowroot powder. Cook for about 5 minutes, until mixture starts to thicken.
- Turn off heat and add in tuna, spaghetti squash, and eggs.
- Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove and top with crushed chips and bake for 5-10 more minutes.
Nutrition Information
Dasha says
I will prepare this dish tonight for the second time already 🙂 Love all your recipes I've tried!
KRK says
This dish is fantastic!! I substituted using paleo kelp noodles, and used fresh oyster mushrooms, but it came out perfectly and everyone wanted more!
Kendra Young says
This was so simple to make and it was delicious!!!!!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Kendra! So glad yo like it!
Kathryn Morgan Abercrombie-Rodnick says
Made this recipe for dinner tonight- my 19 month old and I loved it!! I think next time I’ll double the coconut cream- our spaghetti squashes are mammoths ? and I’ll add spinach!! Overall, filling and flavorful!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for trying it, Kathryn! I'm glad it was enjoyed!
Kristine says
Should I use a flax or gelatin egg as a substitute to hold it together? Or would that not work ? Egg intolerance) :
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Kristine- you can leave them out, the casserole will just not hold together as well, it will still taste the same. I hope you try it!
Monique says
This is a yummy casserole and even better the next day! I had roasted 2 medium spaghetti squashes earlier in the week and ran out of tomato sauce to put over them - also happened to have a ton of mushrooms in my fridge and tuna is always in my cupboard so this was the absolute perfect recipe to use up those ingredients. Love the idea of a spaghetti squash based casserole. Casseroles are so comforting but usually loaded with garbage ingredients - yours are full of veggies and free of junk. Will be trying your buffalo chicken casserole next week!
Mimi says
I found the coconut cream to make the dish too sweet. Maybe next time I will try plain Greek yogurt. Any thoughts?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Mimi- I'm sorry it didn't work out. Are you sure you bought unsweetened coconut milk? It's usually in the ethnic aisle. There is also a coconut milk sold by the alcohol that is for mixed drinks. It shouldn't be too sweet, but you can try greek yogurt if you tolerate that okay. Or cream cheese maybe. Hope that helps!
Justine Lacampuengan says
Hi! I just started easing into a paleo diet, and this was a perfect dish to compensate for my comfort food cravings! subbed in light coconut milk instead of the cream, and it still turned out great. Do you happen to have the calories per serving? Thanks in advance!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for trying my recipe, Justine! I'm so glad you liked my recipe! I don't calculate any nutritional info for my recipes, but you can use a site like My Fitness Pal to calculate it for you. Then you'll get it correct info with the substitution you made.
Ellyn says
This looks great, unfortunately mushrooms give me GI issues so I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a substitution for them? Or do you think it would turn out okay if I just omitted them? Thanks in advance!
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Ellyn- I think you should be able to just leave them out. I hope you try it!
Paula says
I personally loved it as written, but I made it a second time for hubby who isn't fond of tuna so I used ground beef instead. I topped with some shredded cheese instead of chips and served it with a dollop of sour cream (Greek yogurt would also work). It freezes beautifully and is definitely going in the regular rotation!! Thank you!!
Jessica DeMay says
You're welcome, Paula! Thanks for trying my recipe! I love the idea of using ground beef- that sounds amazing! Thanks for the great feedback!