DISCLAIMER: This post was developed in sponsored partnership with Terra Chips, however, as always, all opinions are genuine.
This healthy gluten free tuna noodle casserole is a lightened up, low carb version of the classic comfort food dish.
My mother wasn’t always enthusiastic about cooking dinner. It was no fault of hers- I was admittedly a picky polly and only ate chicken nuggets and fries, so I can only imagine how thrilled she would be to pass that job off to the pros (aka. Swiss Chalet). One dish I do remember my mom making us was Tuna Noodle Casserole topped with a bag full of salty potato chips.
As the weather gets cooler, I tend to start reminiscing about my childhood eats and I was inspired to make a healthy gluten free tuna noodle casserole to pay homage to my gluten free sister. I’m not gluten free myself, but I do like to eat light and sometimes a ton of carby pasta weighs me down. Not here! This casserole is made with spaghetti squash giving it a delicate sweetness that I really love.
How to Make Healthy Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole
It starts with the spaghetti squash as my noodles. I usually bake mine off until they’re easily scraped into “noodles” but you can also just pop it into the microwave as well.
Then comes the sauce of my healthy Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole. Instead of a ton of cream or a super fatty roux, I make min with rice flour, milk and stock plus a good amount of fresh herbs. And if you haven’t gotten your veggie fix from the squash, try adding in some mushrooms, broccoli and peas.
You can’t forget the tuna of course! I actually love recipes that use canned tuna because it’s an easy and light way to get your protein fix.
But now let’s talk about what really matters in this healthy Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole. The crown. The cherry on top. The chips! And not just any chips, I used my go-to TERRA chips. They’re made from a delicious blend of exotic vegetable and potato chips that are high in fibre, low in sodium but super BIG on flavour. In this recipe I used the Original variety (with taro, sweet potatoes, batata, parsnips, yucca and beets), but they also come in Sweets & Beets and Blue chips! Talk about a tasty way to get in a serving of veg!
To help you have fun with TERRA Chips and create your own delicious dishes, I’m giving away a Terra Prize Pack + $100 VISA card to one lucky reader! To enter you can do any of the following (the more you do, the better chance you have to win!)
- Follow me on Twitter @AbbeysKitchen
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Have you tried making this healthy Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole? What other delicious recipes can you come up with using TERRA chips? Leave me a comment below with your favourite goodies and check out their facebook page for more crunchy fun!
Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole | Healthy, Low Carb Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion finely minced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cup 1 or 2% milk
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves chopped
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 cup broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cans albacore tuna packed in water drained well
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese finely shredded
- 1 cup Original Terra chips crushed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 9x13” casserole dish and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Cut your squash in half, place cut side down onto the baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour, or until the squash flesh shreds easily with a fork. Allow to cool and reduce the heat to 375 F.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté until the onion becomes translucent and the carrot softens, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it fully coats the vegetables.
- Whisk in the stock and milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken, then add in the thyme, parsley, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, tuna and squash. Stir until fully mixed then transfer to the casserole dish.
- Top with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the casserole and top with the chips and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the casserole has thickened. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Updated on October 23rd, 2020
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
chrissy says
This looks so much more amazing than my version of tuna noodle casserole! I love the colorful chips! Maybe my girls would actually eat it because it has those chips in it. LOL
Kristin says
I loooooovvve Terra chips! They are delicious! A friend of mine always served them at parties and I was hooked. I love your idea to add them as a topping and I bet it’s delicious!
Kerri McGrail says
I love those terra chips! The taro root chip in there is my fav 🙂
Mary Cloud says
I think I’d try them in some sort of Mexican casserole
Will G says
I would make breaded chicken!
Chrissa- PHysical kitchness says
OH my gosh what a crazy clever way to use my favorite favorite chips!!
Abbey Sharp says
mine too!
Lauren Harris-Pincus says
This is totally my thing, I’d love this casserole!
Abbey Sharp says
sooooo good
Sarah- A Whisk and Two Wands says
Can’t remember the last time we had tuna casserole but I was just thinking and talking about it the week before last! I love the added chips for crunch.
Abbey Sharp says
me too, its classic
Kerri Olkjer says
This is brilliant! I’ve really been missing tuna casserole.
Abbey Sharp says
aw i know eh?
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
How creative to use Terra chips on top! Bet that is delicious
Abbey Sharp says
soo good
Michelle says
I would definitely try out this casserole, it sounds delicious!
Abbey Sharp says
so glad you like
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
Oh my gosh, tuna noodle casserole used to be my FAVORITE thing when I was little! I’ve actually tried making a vegetarian version but it’s not quite the same, haha. This looks delicious!
Abbey Sharp says
i bet but still so good!
sarah@creatingbettertomorrow says
I love terra’s and haven’t ever used them in a full recipe (just eating them plain) but i love using them in this classic recipe…my boys would even love it too!
Abbey Sharp says
oh yes, kids love this
Annmarie says
Oh my this does look delicious! Would never have thought to use Terra Chips, so creative!
Abbey Sharp says
its so good!
Kat says
I LOOOOVE meals that YOU CAN JUST THROW TOGETHER AND STICK IN THE OVEN. i’M SO GOING TO TRY THIS. AND LOVE THAT IT CAN FEED OUR SMALL FAMILY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AT LEAST BECAUSE I’M NOT THE TYPE THAT FEELS LIKE COOKING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WEEK!
Abbey Sharp says
i totally agree!
tassoku says
this recipe doesn’t tell what to do with the spaghetti squash.
And why does it say “with sage and cauliflower”? There is no sage or cauliflower in it.
I am going to try it because I love the ingredients and looks good –
Abbey Sharp says
oops so sorry, fixed that.
but where do you see sage and cauliflower??