I have always been a fan of comfort food, and Tuna Noodle Casserole is one of my favorite cozy meals.
I think that most people are casserole lovers, and when the days get shorter and the weather gets colder- these are the types of dishes I crave.
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Growing up this was not a dish my mom made.
I was always envious of my friends who had Tuna Noodle casserole and yet they never understood why- claiming it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
So I figure you either love Tuna Noodle Casserole or you hate it.
I was lucky enough to eat this dish a few times growing up when I was over at a friends house, and when I was in university I ate this dish at least once a month.
So when I used to make this dish back then, it included noodles, tuna, peas, and some sort of cream sauce.
Of course I had to recreate this dish and make it AIP friendly.
So I swapped out the noodles for sweet potato noodles (you can sub zucchini noodles or butternut squash noodles instead) and swapped out the peas for celery and broccoli.
Instead of a dairy cream sauce I used my favorite Aroy-D full fat coconut milk, and some arrowroot to thicken it.
For seasoning I used AIP Paleo Powder but you could just use garlic powder, onion powder, sage, and oregano instead.
I made this dish exactly how I remembered it, but there are a few ways you can jazz it up.
You can add 2 Tbsp of nutritional yeast to the sauce for a cheesy flavor.
Go ahead and add crushed plantain chips or sweet potato chips and sprinkle on top of the casserole and a little bacon never hurt anyone either- just saying.
To make this meal quick on a week night:
I recommend buying your veggie noodles already spiralized so that you can just throw them in.
Or do this on Sunday along with chopping your veggies so they are ready to go for a busy weeknight.
This meal is a life saver!
When you forget to pull some protein out of the freezer and are wondering what you are going to have for dinner, cook up this AIP Tuna Noodle Casserole.
Happy Cooking!
XO Meagen Ashley
Tuna Noodle Casserole (AIP, Paleo)
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna in water drained
- 2 cups spiralized sweet potato noodles
- 1 crown brocolli, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 Tbsp lard, divided plus extra for greasing
- 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp AIP Paleo powder
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish with lard.
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Spiralize the sweet potatoes (or buy them already spiralized) and chop the onion, celery, broccoli, and mince the garlic.
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Put a Tbsp of lard in a medium pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and celery and saute until lightly golden brown (5-6 minutes). Put into a bowl and set aside.
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In the same pan, heat 2 Tbsp of lard and then whisk in the arrowroot. Simmer over medium low heat until just beginning to bubble (2-3 minutes).
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Add in the salt, AIP Paleo Powder (or seasonings of choice) and slowly whisk in the coconut milk. Whisk until fully incorporated and the mixture is thick and bubbling. Remove from heat.
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In the greased pan, mash the tuna with a fork and mix in the cooked veggies, broccoli, and sweet potato noodles. Pour the coconut milk mixture over top of the veggies and stir until all of the veggies are coated in the mixture.
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Put in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbling and lightly brown on top (If the top is getting browned too quickly then cover the casserole for the remaining baking time).
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Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. This recipe calls for 2 cans of tuna and I was wondering what size can, i.e., how many ounces per can? Thank you, Deborah
Hi Deborah, I used 170g cans- just the regular size I believe. So 6 oz per can.
Hi,
I don’t have “Paleo Powder”. Just wondering how much garlic powder, onion powder, sage, and oregano you would use instead?
Thanks!
I would do a teaspoon of garlic and onion powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of sage and oregano.
I thought I lost this amazing recipe and couldn’t find it in any of my bookmarks, did a new search and still couldn’t find it. Today it turned up on my home screen as a save in my “notes”. It was like Christmas morning…seriously! Thank you and I can’t wait to make it!
I am so glad you found it Ingrid! I hope you will enjoy it!
It was great!
Yay! Thanks for the update!
Do you think this would freeze well? I’d love to make a few batches of this for later.
I haven’t tried it but yes I think it would freeze well!
I made this using zucchini noodles and 13oz of Forager Cashewgurt in place of the coconut milk & arrowroot powder and thought it was great! Nothing fancy, but definitely a staple. Will probably add mushrooms next time.
Sounds great! Thanks for the feedback!
What is AIP powder and where can I buy it?
Hi Gloria, AIP powder is just a seasoning that you can buy that is AIP approved. I got mine from @wildmountainpaleomarket.
Curious why only good for two days in fridge? I just doubled the recipe and it’s in the oven now to serve as lunches/dinners for the coming week. Should I separate them into portions and freeze them instead of storing in the fridge?
Hi Carolyn,
As per Health Canada food storage guidelines, fish is only to be kept for 2 days. Yes I would freeze the portions you won’t eat within two days.
Can I use frozen broccoli for this recipe?
yes!
This turned out really great! Thank you so much
You’re very welcome! Thanks for trying it.
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