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 in Keto Tuna Casserole
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.
How to Make Keto Tuna Casserole
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.
More Keto Recipes
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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 (I use this brand) code kyndraholley for $5 off
- 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
**Recipe originally posted October 24th 2016 - Updated May 14th 2021**
Jan says
So delighted to find this from an old link when cleaning up my 2018 emails!! Missed this then, but will be trying this week! (Quick note: in your graphic for the ingredients in the recipe, the Parmesan Cheese ramekin is unlabeled. Love your use of those visuals!!)
Sue M says
Made this for dinner tonight! I stink at cutting up cabbage. So I got a couple 10oz bags of angel hair coleslaw from Walmart, it's all thin shred cabbage. Worked great! It came out really tasty and had hubby's approval! Thanks so.much!
Anna says
Wonderful flavor! I didn't have celery but left everything else the same. I thought, at first, the combination of cabbage and tuna a bit odd, but I love cabbage so gave it a shot. I think it's a little crazy to say that you can't tell it's cabbage etc (personal opinion), I mean, who can't tell the difference between pasta and cabbage?! But, that being said, the flavors work together beautifully. It would also be great with chicken or shrimp. This recipe is a keeper for regular rotation!
Nita Wallace says
This recipe takes me back to when my mom made tuna noodle casserole, It was so creamy and the flavors went perfectly together. My boyfriend hates cabbage and could not even tell that I was feeding him cabbage. Thanks again for an amazing recipe Kyndra!
Liz says
Simple yet delicious!! My husband insisted that we add this to our list of favorites!!
Jessica Wood says
So good! And easy! Was even better the second day! I love all Kyndras recipes. They are always super tasty and laid out very thoughtfully.
Lisa says
I have always loved tuna noodle casserole and now making it low carb with cabbage, you’d never know the difference! It’s creamy, cheesy and hearty! The dry mustard really makes. If I do not have Parmesan, I use what I have and it’s always great!
Jonoby says
I had no reference on this as it was not a dish I had growing up but the flavours are good and it reheats well. I’m definitely going to be looking for some recipes that aren’t so heavy in cream though. Anyway I cleared the pantry a bit and used a leek and a shallot for the onion, used 1/4 cabbage + 1 cup cauliflower rice, and cut the tuna to 2 cans. This is primarily because I live alone and wasn’t sure how it would taste. I’d make it again for sure, will test how well it freezes/reheats.
Caatje says
Yummie the first time i’ve maked a tuba cassrole. I’ll definitly Will make it again.
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!