Healthy Tuna Brown Rice Casserole
This Healthy Tuna Casserole is every bit as delicious as the original version. I've used brown rice instead of white rice and swapped the milk and cheese-based sauce for an easy to make and much healthier creamy cashew sauce. It tastes just like the casserole I remember loving as a kid.
When I was a kid, tuna casserole was my all-time favorite. My sister and I would've eaten it every day if mom would have made it every day. #MorePlease
My mom would smother a bunch of white rice in a cheese-heavy white sauce made with flour, butter, and milk. It was awesome.
I had a craving for old-school comfort food the other day, but I couldn't bring myself to make this the traditional way. I wanted tuna casserole, but I wanted it to be a healthy tuna casserole. The only problem is that I didn't want it to TASTE healthy, I just wanted it to BE healthy.
Cue the cashews ….
Cashews have this amazing ability to create a cream sauce that in every way mimics the real thing. Remember that Magic Mushroom Sauce I shared with you a while back? In this healthy tuna casserole recipe, I've used cashews in much the same way. That is, to create a delicious, dairy-free cream sauce.
By blending soaked cashews with a little garlic and adding tuna, I was able to create a healthy cream sauce to smother the rice in.
Healthy cashew sauce + tuna + brown rice = one delicious and healthy tuna casserole.
You know that feeling you get when you're in the kitchen and you want to try making whatever it is you're making 100 different ways? Ya, that feeling. That's how I started feeling when I was making this. Expect to see lots of tuna casserole variations popping up here on the blog soon. 🙂
Mix up your healthy tuna casserole:
- Use quinoa instead of brown rice.
- Or farro.
- Or some other fancy, ancient grain.
- Swap the tuna for some salmon.
- Get crazy and crumble up some leftover salmon from last night's dinner.
- Add some corn.
- Or some chopped carrots and onions.
- Throw in a handful of nuts. Why not?!
- Turn this into a noodle casserole.
- Add the tuna to some Magic Mushroom Sauce and use that to smother the rice. Yes, definitely do this!
The only thing I would not budge on is the croutons. My mom used to soak them in butter so that when they baked they'd get all buttery crispy and out of this world delicious. I've used olive oil instead of butter, which is a pretty good substitute. But … if you eat butter and aren't opposed to heaps of it, don't be afraid to add lots to the croutons. It makes them extra good.
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More Delicious Casserole Recipes:
- Healthy One Pan Chicken Potato Gratin
- Makeover Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Casserole
- Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Ribbon Casserole
- Sun-Dried Tomato + Feta Quinoa Casserole
- Healthy Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Healthy Tuna Casserole
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 2 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water for 4-24 hours
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 clove garlic, grated on a Microplane or very finely minced
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 cans tuna, use both the tuna and the liquid in the cans!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups cubed bread, gluten-free if needed
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice in 3 cups of water until soft, about 40 minutes.1 ½ cups brown rice
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the casserole. Drain the cashews and place them in your food processor or blender with 2 ¼ cups of water, the sea salt and garlic. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Stir in the frozen peas and tuna.2 cup raw cashews, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 clove garlic, 2 cups frozen peas, 2 cans tuna
- Place the bread crumbs in a medium-sized bowl and toss them with olive oil.2 cups cubed bread, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Once the rice is cooked, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and assemble the casserole. Begin by covering the bottom of a 9×11 inch casserole dish with a thin layer of the cashew cream sauce. Top with half the rice then half the remaining sauce. Repeat once more. Top with the bread cubes.
- Bake, uncovered, in your oven for 30-40 minutes, or until it is hot and bubbling and the croutons are toasted. Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes before serving.
I’ve been trying to not eat as much dairy so used your recipe. Loved the flavor and will master it again!
I made this with quinoa instead of the rice and it turned out great
How many calories are in this meal and what is the serving size
This will serve 6 people. We’re working on adding the nutritional info to all of our older recipes but unfortunately, we don’t have it for this one just yet.
This looks amazing… and I don’t even like seafood! Can you recommend a good tuna substitute?
I’ve never made it with anything besides tuna. Maybe some chopped or shredded cooked chicken breasts?
Love that you kept it dairy-free!
My mom never did tuna casserole, but she would always make tuna noodles with macaroni pasta! So good!
That sounds so good, too!
GMTA! I just finished a batch of tuna salad that I was thinking of casseroling. I notice that you didn’t specify tuna in oil or in water. I love tuna in oil.
Yes they do!!
I use tuna in water because that’s typically what I have on hand. I have to agree that tuna in oil is way better, though!