Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

A fast midweek meal to keep in rotation. This comes together in a snap.

This recipe was made in my favorite Instant Pot — the one I use every week. If you want yours to turn out just as good, you can grab the same one here.

All nutrition facts are AI generated and approximate.

Ingredients

• 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 (5 oz) cans tuna in oil (drained)
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (7 oz) jar mushrooms (drained)
• ¼ cup sour cream

Directions

1. Add macaroni, water, lemon juice, and spices to the Instant Pot.
2. Set Instant Pot to high pressure for 3 minutes. Do a quick release after cook time completes. Leave the Instant Pot on keep warm.
3. Stir macaroni immediately after removing the lid.
4. Stir in tuna, soup, and mushrooms.
5. Stir in the sour cream.
6. Serve and enjoy this classic comfort food.

Notes

• Stir right away: Give the macaroni a good stir the moment you lift the lid so it doesn’t clump together.
• Add dairy at the end: Fold in the sour cream on the keep-warm setting, not under pressure, so it stays smooth.
• Quick release: Release the pressure promptly after 3 minutes so the pasta doesn’t overcook.
• Tuna in oil: Drain it well; the oil-packed tuna keeps the casserole richer than water-packed.
• Reheating: Loosen leftovers with a splash of milk, since the pasta keeps soaking up sauce as it sits.

Why This Works

• One-pot pasta: The macaroni cooks directly in the measured water under pressure, absorbing it so there’s no separate pot to boil or drain.
• Dairy off the heat: Stirring the sour cream in after cooking keeps it from curdling the way it would under high pressure.
• Cream of mushroom binds: The condensed soup melts into a quick, savory sauce that coats every noodle.
• Lemon brightens: A little lemon juice cuts the richness and keeps the casserole from tasting flat.