Low Carb Tuna Casserole – This is my low carb, gluten free take on a traditional classic. You won’t even miss the pasta.
Tuna casserole is always reminiscent of my childhood dinner table. Quick and easy. The poor mans friend. Back then it only took a box of pasta, a couple cans of tuna, some condensed cream of mushroom soup, and peas. Now, I am giving it an elevated low carb, gourmet face lift. The dill and the mustard powder really bring this sauce to life. Serving it over cabbage was just a no brainer. Cabbage is a favorite among low carbers and makes an excellent substitution for noodles. It is filling, inexpensive and versatile. That is a winning combination. If you are a fan of cabbage recipes, check out some of my other variations. Fried Cabbage with Kielbasa, Oven Roasted Cabbage Wedges, and Paleo Cabbage Roll Soup just to name a few. What are some of your favorite ways to eat cabbage?
Check out some of my other favorite low carb, keto casserole recipes:
- Cheesy Smoked Sausage Cabbage Casserole
- Eggs Benedict Casserole
- Big Mac Casserole
- Three Cheese Ham and Broccoli Casserole
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Cabbage Noodle Tuna Casserole – Low Carb, Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp grass-fed butter
- medium head green cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into large shreds
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp dried dill or 2 tbsp fresh dill
- 2 tsp dry mustard powder (get it here)
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
- 3 – 5oz cans albacore tuna, drained (I use this brand)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in an extra large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
- Once heated, add the cabbage, onion, celery, garlic, sea salt and black pepper to the pan.
- Sauté until the vegetables are crisp tender – about 10 minutes.
- Mix in the dill, mustard powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Pour the heavy cream and 1 cup Parmesan cheese into the pan. Mix in and keep stirring until the cheese has melted and combined with the heavy cream.
- Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer to allow the sauce to thicken.
- Once the sauce has started to thicken, stir in the tuna and the peas.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top of the dish and transfer to the oven.
- Broil on high for 3-5 minutes or until the Parmesan on top has made a golden brown crust.
Notes
Per Serving – Calories: 377 | Fat: 28g | Protein: 23.5g | Total Carbs: 10g | Fiber: 3g | Net Carbs: 7g
***Please note that nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary greatly between brands. Always be sure to read labels***
***Some links contained on this page are affiliate links and I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remunerations for any products purchased through these links***
Tobbe says
October 24, 2016 at 10:52 pmLove, love, love your Fried Cabbage with Kielbasa recipe. It’s so good!: ) Can’t wait to try this. Was always a fan of Mac n Cheese casseroles with tuna. This sounds like a much tastier and healthier alternative 🙂
Kim (Buffalo / Niagara Falls, NY area) says
November 7, 2016 at 6:58 amMade this last night for dinner. It was yummy and a nice warm comfort meal reminiscent of the old classic. I am sad there were no leftovers for today’s lunch! Thank you for a great easy recipe. I prepped my cabbage noodles earlier in the week and used them for spaghetti and meatballs and then I packed up the rest of the cabbage noodles in the fridge to use for this. Will definitely make again. For those that don’t like tuna, I think it would be delicious with chicken too. And next time instead of the parm cheese browned on the top, I think I might try some crushed pork rinds.
Carol Jenkins says
November 11, 2016 at 5:06 amSince my tuna noodle casserole calls for cream of mushroom soup, I just HAD to add mushrooms. I pureed them into the heavy cream. I really like this recipe…my husband did not, but, then, he does not care for tuna noodle casserole either!
Alison says
November 14, 2016 at 9:23 amMade this, so delicious! I used gruyere. My only question, my cream didn’t think as much as I hoped for, but otherwise, love it and making this again and again!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
November 14, 2016 at 7:02 pmYou can always simmer it a little longer or add a little more cheese to the sauce to help thicken it. So happy you enjoyed it!
Kim says
November 16, 2016 at 1:51 pmThis was so yummy! A gourmet version of my childhood memory. My husband and noodle loving 16 year old kept adding more and more to their plates. There was only a smidge leftover which I gladly ate with lunch the next day. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lisa says
November 30, 2016 at 8:55 pmDo you think you can use almond cream or coconut cream?
Peace Love and Low Carb says
December 1, 2016 at 9:37 amYes, the sauce just won’t be as thick. You may want to add a little xanthan gum to help thicken it.
catherine says
February 11, 2017 at 7:45 pmhow long does this keep? i made this a few days ago but i dont want it to go to waste and i also dont want to get sick. My husband wont eat it and neither will my son.. i dont know why its freakin delicious.
Peace Love and Low Carb says
February 12, 2017 at 9:09 amIf you are worried about it spoiling, you can always freeze it to reheat later.
Peace Love and Low Carb says
February 12, 2017 at 9:09 amIf you are worried about it spoiling, you can always freeze it to reheat later.
Meredith says
March 2, 2017 at 9:37 amI’m so excited to see this. I miss tuna casserole enormously!
Laurie Ebarb says
June 6, 2017 at 12:29 pmI just made this. Yumm!! I tried to keep to your recipe but I used broccoli instead of peas, added more cheese and put all of it in instead of topping it off and broiling it. I try not to turn on the oven in the summer here in Houston! It tastes great, but mine is mushier than what your photo looks like. My cabbage probably cooked too long while I was getting the remaining ingredients prepared.
Oh also, I couldn’t find “Lemon Zest” so I used Lemon extract instead. Is it similar?
Peace Love and Low Carb says
June 6, 2017 at 2:06 pmLemon zest is just the rind of the lemon peeled off with a zesting tool.
Rachel says
June 28, 2017 at 11:10 amI LOVED this! And both husband and stepkid had 2 helpings each! Total success.
Thank you!
Stacy says
January 17, 2018 at 7:15 pmOmg, this is so amazingly delicious!! I’ll be honest, I was nervous this would just be all right but not great; a poor excuse for the real thing. Man was I wrong! This is even better than regular noodle based tuna casserole. I love the texture the cabbage adds and the flavors in the sauce are dead on. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Kristi says
February 25, 2018 at 5:37 pmThis was delicious. I made the sauce separately with the cream and cheese reducing until thickened in a small saucepan. Then I added salt, pepper , dry mustard, dill, lemon zest and lemon juice. I poured this over the sautéed cabbage, onion and garlic and mixed well. Finished the recipe as written.
So good!
★★★★★
Kate says
March 21, 2018 at 4:23 pmThis is my go to for comfort food. The only thing I did different is swap out the dill and lemon and used celery seed and Worcestershire sauce. Thank you Kyndra for this fabulous recipe!
★★★★★
Charity says
March 27, 2018 at 6:21 amI haven’t tried this yet but I’m planning on it, I like the idea of adding some sauteed mushrooms to the cream,and ill probably throw in some red pepper flakes for a little heat but I’m also going to use edamame instead of peas to lower the net carbs and sugar as well I think they will will make a great swap but ill let you know! Thanks for the awesome recipe ????
Angie says
April 5, 2018 at 4:37 pmThank you SO much for this recipe!!! I made this for my husband and two daughters (10 and 5)…and it will now be on our normal rotation. I’m brand new to this low-carb deal and it can be pretty intimidating for sure. So thank you for easing us I to it!
Debbie in TX says
April 11, 2018 at 11:55 amVery versatile recipe that allows you to sub out whatever veggie you may have on hand, as well as type of meat. Love it!
Susan says
April 14, 2018 at 1:58 pmGoing to try this recipe tonight, it looks really good..thanks
Kim says
April 17, 2018 at 10:02 amLoved the recipe but next time I will leave out the dill and lemon.
★★★★★
Cindy says
April 17, 2018 at 12:33 pmI was amazed at how good this was! Will definitely make it again. I think this would be good with chicken breast, too, if you don’t like tuna! Just got your book Kraveable Keto and I’m looking forward to making more of your recipes!
Angela Bennett says
October 5, 2018 at 9:25 pmJust made this tonight for the first time. It is delicious! My husband loves it – he keeps getting more helpings! He said it tastes like something we would get at a fancy restaurant. I’ve been missing tuna noodle casserole, a staple comfort food from childhood. Thank you for creating this recipe!
★★★★★
Jennifer Barnett says
October 12, 2018 at 12:55 pmI made this last night and I’m counting the minutes until I can dig into the leftovers. To make it more like the tuna noodle my mom would make while I was growing up I substituted the onion for some very small mushrooms and instead of topping with Parmesan I topped it with shredded cheddar cheese and sprinkled some crushed pork rinds on top. I also left out the lemon zest. It turned out amazing and took me right back to my moms kitchen!
Trudy says
October 15, 2018 at 7:13 pmThis is so yummy my family can not stop eating it. I will keep this recipe and make again and again.
★★★★★
Laura says
October 24, 2018 at 7:12 pmI made this a little while ago and it is DELICIOUS; almost dangerously so because I just kept wanting to eat it!
I was wondering what you think about a crockpot version of this..?
Thanks for another amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Pam says
November 26, 2018 at 11:34 amTo Laura. Not good for a crock pot. It will be too watery & mushy. You have to reduce the cream for the right consistency.
John says
November 5, 2018 at 4:34 pmThis is amazing! Tuna casserole has always been a guilty comfort food pleasure, and when I went no carb I assumed I’d never have it again. Wrong! I’ve made this a few times. To me the trick is evaporating enough liquid so the casserole isn’t watery, without over cooking the cabbage so it still has texture. My solution is to cook the cabbage and pour into a bowl before it is too soft. Then make the cream sauce (I add mushrooms to mimic mushroom soup), and pour in the accumulated liquid from the cabbage—there is a lot—and reduce till thick. I also add in some shredded cheddar when tossing it all together with the sauce before pouring back into the skillet to bake. Tastes just like traditional tuna casserole! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Nicole Holdridge says
December 5, 2018 at 2:47 pmIt’s insane how good this is. All the flavors are so yummy, I especially love the lemon. I’m a huge fan of dairy also! Gotta help out people that are struggling so much, yet working so hard!
Thank you for this recipe, will certainly be a family fav!
★★★★★
Jillann says
December 10, 2018 at 11:56 amI was craving my mom’s tuna hotdish that uses Campbell’s nacho cheese. I might add some spice to the receipe next time. This hit the spot and it was so delicious!!!
I will be making this again soon, thank you so much.
★★★★★
Carol says
January 23, 2019 at 6:08 pmThis was so yummy!! I will be making again for sure!!
★★★★★
TychaBrahe says
March 28, 2019 at 1:24 pmI’m going to be the person who says I changed up the entire recipe.
My tuna casserole recipe involves a massive amounts of extra sharp cheddar. I chose to make the recipe more like the way I’d make my usual tuna casserole. I cooked the cabbage and veggies in one pot, made the cream and Parmesan sauce in another, and then built the casserole in a baking dish with half the cabbage, half the cheese sauce, and half of 8 ounces of grated cheddar, repeat. Sprinkle a dash of paprika on top, and bake in a 350° oven for about 45 minutes. It was amazing!
The next time I make this, I will mix the onions and celery into the cheese sauce, as if I had used cream of mushroom soup.
★★★★★
Tina says
March 30, 2019 at 1:30 amI was having “one of those days” and wanted an easy to make comfort dish, but didn’t want to leave low carb behind. I found your recipe and feel like I’ve discovered another world. It is so much better than traditional tuna casserole! This will be part of our regular meal plan for sure. Thank you for such an amazing dish! (i like the idea of adding a bit of mushroom)
★★★★★
Kori says
April 18, 2019 at 6:49 amAmazing! I just made this and it is absolutely scrumptious!!! Full of iron too! Thank you! I have officially pinned this to my tried and true board. Next time I will be adding more cheese however, just to thicken up the sauce a bit more, but phenomenal!
★★★★★