This Keto Tuna Casserole has all of the classic flavors of a traditional tuna noodle casserole recipe, while being low carb and gluten free. Rich and flavorful cream sauce, with onion, garlic, peas, celery, herbaceous dill, and bright, fresh lemon, paired with shredded cabbage and albacore tuna, then topped with cheese and baked until it is golden brown and bubbly. It's the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients Notes
- Cabbage: this is what makes this recipe a keto recipe. By using cabbage in place of traditional noodles, you can cut the carbs and the gluten. I've done this in a few other cabbage noodle recipes, like my Cheesy Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Casserole, Fried Cabbage with Kielbasa, and Egg Roll in a Bowl. I use green cabbage, but any can be used: Savoy cabbage, red cabbage, Napa cabbage, even Brussels sprouts! Cut your favorite cabbage into shreds with a knife or mandolin. You can also use coleslaw mix and make this Keto Tuna Casserole even more simple.
- Tuna: for the best taste, I highly recommend using sustainably pole caught albacore, canned in water. You can also use fresh tuna or even canned or fresh salmon. For more tuna recipes, check out these Asian Tuna Cakes and Avocado Tuna Salad.
- Lemon juice and zest: again, fresh is best. The lemon in this recipe really compliments the tuna and adds some bright freshness.
- Dill: fresh herbs are my favorite way to add flavor to any dish. Dill is the perfect compliment to seafood, and tuna is no exception.
- Peas: if you really want to cut down on carbs, you can omit the peas from this recipe entirely, but I recommend keeping them! Fresh peas add a beautiful pop of color and sweetness. You can also used canned peas.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1: First, heat the olive oil and butter in an extra large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
STEP 2: Next, add the cabbage, onion, celery, garlic, sea salt and black pepper to the pan. Sauté vegetables until they are crisp tender - about 10 minutes.
STEP 3: In a separate bowl, mix in the dill, mustard powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
STEP 4: Add the lemon mixture to the pan. Stir to combine.
STEP 5: 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.
STEP 6: Then, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken.
STEP 7: Once the sauce has started to thicken, stir in the tuna and the peas.
STEP 8: Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top of the dish and transfer to the oven. Lastly, broil on high for 3 to 5 minutes or until the Parmesan on top has made a golden brown crust.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Serving suggestions: I recommend serving this Keto Tuna Casserole with some of my favorite vegetable side dishes: Lemon Pepper Green Beans, Brussels Sprouts with Creamy Dijon Cider Dressing, Balsamic Shallot Mushrooms, or even a simple side salad. You can also add mushrooms to the recipe for a boost of extra veggies.
- Storage: store in the fridge in an airtight container up to 3 days. If you plan to store it in the freezer, you can do so before baking for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: for best results, reheat this low carb tuna casserole on the stove top or in the microwave. You can add a little cream as well to keep it from drying out, especially if reheating in the microwave.
- Low carb noodle substitutions: these are plenty of low carb pasta substitutions: zucchini noodles, Shirataki noodles, rainbow vegetable noodles, and even spaghetti squash would work great in this recipe.
- Protein options: not a fan of tuna? No problem. Try this tuna noodle casserole recipe with fresh chicken, canned chicken, salmon, or shrimp as an alternative protein.
- Shortcuts: to make this tuna casserole dish even faster, you can use a canned cream of mushroom soup for the sauce and coleslaw mix instead of shredded cabbage. However, using canned soup will increase the carbs quite a bit.
- Crispy fried onion topping: this adds a great textural contrast. I outline how to make a low carb version of crispy fried onions in this recipe.
- Cheese it up: add sharp cheddar to really drive up the cheesy goodness of this recipe.
- Breadcrumb topping: add a layer of crunch without the carbs or the gluten. Try topping this Keto Tuna Casserole with grated parmesan or my nut free breading mix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook the veggies and aromatics in olive oil and butter until just tender, mix in the seasonings, add heavy cream and Parmesan for a creamy element, and let it all thicken. Finally, add the tuna and peas, sprinkle extra Parmesan on the casserole, and bake until it reaches golden, bubbly perfection.
Classic homemade tuna noodle casserole uses pasta as the basis, and a small serving will have at least 22g of carbs. This is a Keto Tuna Casserole, so there are only 7g net carbs per serving.
Some great options for low carb pasta are Shirataki noodles, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or even cauliflower.
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Keto Tuna Casserole
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 Servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Keto Tuna Casserole has all of the classic flavors of a traditional tuna noodle casserole recipe, while being low carb and gluten free. Rich and flavorful cream sauce, with onion, garlic, peas, celery, herbaceous dill, and bright, fresh lemon, paired with shredded cabbage and albacore tuna, then topped with cheese and baked until it is golden brown and bubbly. It's the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- medium head green cabbage (about 1 ½ lbs), cut into large shreds
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 - 5oz cans albacore tuna, drained
- ½ 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
- net carbs per serving: 7g
- Storage: store in the fridge in an airtight container up to 3 days. If you plan to store it in the freezer, you can do so before baking for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: for best results, reheat this low carb tuna casserole on the stove top or in the microwave. You can add a little cream as well to keep it from drying out, especially if reheating in the microwave.
- Low carb noodle substitutions: these are plenty of low carb pasta substitutions: zucchini noodles, Shirataki noodles, rainbow vegetable noodles, and even spaghetti squash would work great in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Casserole Recipes
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛th of the recipe
- Calories: 377
- Fat: 28g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 23.5g
Keywords: keto tuna casserole, low carb tuna casserole recipe, low carb pasta substitutions, homemade tuna noodle casserole, cabbage noodle recipes, gluten free tuna casserole
**Recipe originally posted October 24th 2016 - Updated May 14th 2021**
Tobbe says
Love, 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
Made 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
Since 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
Made 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
You 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
This 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
Do you think you can use almond cream or coconut cream?
Peace Love and Low Carb says
Yes, the sauce just won't be as thick. You may want to add a little xanthan gum to help thicken it.
catherine says
how 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
If you are worried about it spoiling, you can always freeze it to reheat later.
Peace Love and Low Carb says
If you are worried about it spoiling, you can always freeze it to reheat later.
Meredith says
I'm so excited to see this. I miss tuna casserole enormously!
Laurie Ebarb says
I 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
Lemon zest is just the rind of the lemon peeled off with a zesting tool.
Rachel says
I LOVED this! And both husband and stepkid had 2 helpings each! Total success.
Thank you!
Stacy says
Omg, 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
This 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
This 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
I 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
Thank 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
Very 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
Going to try this recipe tonight, it looks really good..thanks
Kim says
Loved the recipe but next time I will leave out the dill and lemon.
★★★★★
Cindy says
I 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
Just 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
I 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!
Laura says
I 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
To 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
This 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
It'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
I 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
This was so yummy!! I will be making again for sure!!
★★★★★
TychaBrahe says
I'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
I 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
Amazing! 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!
★★★★★
LD Kay says
Made this last night. Followed recipe as written. My husband and I both loved it. So much that we finished the leftovers for lunch today. We will be making again for sure. Thanks for writing a recipe that works beautifully as written. You did a great job! I will look up more of your work.
★★★★★
Kristin Louthan says
Delicious!
I worry that I let the cabbage cook a little too long, and that I should have drained some of the liquid from the pan before adding the ground mustard, cream, etc. I added extra cheese, I used med. Cheddar, and a little grated Romano & Parmesan and crushed pork rinds on the top, along with more cheddar.. This made a huge amout of food, I used two casserole dishes to bake it and had leftovers for three days., Reheats really well. I am sharing this with friends. Thanks
★★★★★
Servaas says
Family loved this recipe.
Will Definately make it again
★★★★★
Marisa Mckeown says
Recently made this. It was delicious.
It was expecting to miss the noodles but I didn’t. In fact this solidified my love for cabbage.
Wonderful recipe!! Will make again.
★★★★★
April says
This sounds great. I'm not full-on Keto, but I'm doing weight watchers and am trying to cut carbs while also looking at my fat content (gallbladder issues). Would the taste and texture be as good using something like Aunt Penny's White Sauce?
Kyndra Holley says
I've never heard of that sauce, so I really couldn't say.
★★★★★
Anonymous says
MAde this and really enjoyed it! Used 2 cans of tuna instead of 3.
★★★★★
MissMira says
Really good!!!
★★★★★
Daryl says
I've been missing noodle casseroles lately. I made this tonight and it was so flavorful and delicious!
Chrissy says
This was amazing! So, so good! The flavor was perfect the lemon really added such a fresh flavor to it. I will be adding this into the repertoire, it's SO nice to have a low carb alternative to the usual meat and veggie dinner in our house. Thanks for the amazing recipes!
★★★★★
Linda says
I love that you've started putting a pic of the ingredients all laid out in your recipes. The visual image helps me to know if I have the ingredients for a recipe or need to put any on my grocery list. Thanks for taking the time to do that extra work. 🙂
Kyndra Holley says
My pleasure!
Angel Goff says
This was delicious ! My family wanted traditional Tuna noodle casserole and I wanted it too! Excellent subsitute to keep it low carb! Kyndra Holley has some of the very best recipes. I continue to go back and make them over and over...
★★★★★
Patty says
Is there something that could be substituted for the heavy cream?
Kyndra Holley says
If you are looking for a dairy free option, you could use full fat coconut milk or almond milk
Ann Settles says
I really enjoyed this and it was so quick. My only problem is I don't like the taste of parmesan. Is there another cheese that will go well with these ingredients?
★★★★★
Katie says
This is a great recipe when we want something other than the beef/chicken rotation we tend to get stuck on. The fresh lemon and dill definitely elevate the flavors of a traditional comfort-food type of dish. My grandkids and I love it!
★★★★★
JoAnne says
Absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this. I make the cabbage and Kiolbassa recipe all the time so I knew this one was probably going to be a keeper, and it is! So quick and easy. I haven't made a recipe yet off of your site that I haven't loved. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Don Johnson says
First, I need to tell you, or feel the need to tell you, I was not a huge fan of tuna casserole growing up. I loathed all the pasta in the dish and tuna wasn't my favorite meat to eat.
From the time I saw this recipe I have wanted to make it. I finally got my chance tonight.
This is not your mom's tuna casserole. At least it isn't my mom's tuna casserole... It is better.
If you've been turned off from tuna casserole because it's loaded with noodles but you like tuna, give this a shot. I can almost guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised and glad you tried it.
★★★★★
Lulu says
Thank you for this! Very timely finding this living rural through Covid last winter with local groceries limited. It was a bit of a 'duh' moment when I saw using cabbage instead of noodles! Brilliant! In my recipe book now ☺
★★★★★
Rebecca says
I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit with the roommate and me. The flavors are awesome and the tuna flavor comes out very well. So, here are a few things that I did a little differently.
I accidentally got 2 cans of tuna in oil and 1 in water. Oops, but not a big deal.
Once the cream and parm went in, I felt that it left some of the other flavors out so I added more dill, mustard, and squirted some lime juice to pump up the bright flavors.
Other than that, this recipe is amazing and I will do this again and again!
★★★★★
Holly Currah says
I LOVE this dish! In fact, I love it even more than the 'original' that I grew up on and also made for my own kids. I make this every couple of weeks. Cheap, tasty and quick. Thanks Kyndra!
Lisa says
This recipe was so easy and so yummy! I didn't have any frozen peas so I sliced up some sugar snap peas and added those at the end because it is not a real tuna casserole without peas! Thank you so much for yet another delicious recipe 🙂
★★★★
Niamh says
So tasty and creamy. Lovely tuna casserole without the heavy pasta. Highly recommend! Thanks Kyndra!
★★★★★
Janet H Casteen says
This was easy, delicious and SO FILLING! Makes quite a bit so enjoyed for several meals. I crushed up pork rinds and sprinkled on top of leftovers while reheating in oven for that "cracker" crust replacement. Thanks for a healthy take on this comfort food!
★★★★★