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Three-Cheese Tuna Bake with Semi-Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Smooth operator.
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Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: easy dinner, three cheese, tuna, tuna bake
Servings: 4 generous or 6 with salads etc

Ingredients

  • 300 g pasta, penne or other tube shape. Use gluten free pasta if required/preference
  • 425 g tuna, drained (throw in an extra small tin if you like a more robust tuna to pasta ratio). Omit tuna and replace with medium tin of drained corn or other vegetables for vegetarian.
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓ cup cheddar, shredded
  • ⅓ cup mozzarella, shredded, plus extra for topping
  • 2 tbsp parmesan, grated, plus extra for topping
  • 60 g baby spinach leaves
  • 200 g semi sun-dried tomato, chopped (you can use sun-dried, I just prefer the texture of semi sun-dried)
  • olive oil
  • salt, pepper, a handful of chopped herbs to taste

Sauce

  • 60 g butter
  • 2½ tbsp flour
  • 3 cups milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200℃ / 390℉.
  • Cook pasta according to packet directions. Drain and cool slightly.
  • Fry onion, add in garlic until fragrant. Throw onion and garlic into a 22cm/8" baking dish. Chuck in the semi-sundried tomatoes and some herbs. Flake in tuna.
  • Make sauce. It should take around 15 minutes, depending on your stove top. But time is less important than looking for visual cues and feeling the sauce thicken on the spoon. Make sure you have the flour and milk to hand.
    Melt butter in saucepan over low to moderate heat. When butter is melted, add flour, stirring constantly so the roux comes together with no lumps, it bubbles, and you can't smell flour. It will look like a thick sauce itself.
    Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan, add half milk. Stir to incorporate. You'll know now if the sauce will be okay. If it does get lumpy, easiest to start again. Add in the other half milk.
    When stirring, ensure the spoon's always in contact with the bottom of the saucepan, because the sauce likes to congeal there. The spoon should glide across the bottom like a figure skater.
    Take your time, keep on stirring over a low to moderate heat until sauce thickens. Don't worry at this stage if you think it's too liquidy. The cheese will take care of that. You will feel and see the sauce thicken on the spoon, and then it will come to a boil, about 10 minutes. It seems to take forever, but it does happen.
    Take sauce off heat and stir in cheese until melted through, salt, pepper, herbs.
  • Add pasta and half spinach to baking dish. Add warm sauce and mix through so spinach wilts. Add in remainder spinach and continue to mix, ensuring vegetables are well distributed and submerged. Pat down with an eye to your hostess aesthetic (pasta as top layer better for your Instagram).
  • Sprinkle top with mozzarella and parmesan and extra seasoning if you wish. Bake for 15-20 minutes until top is melted and golden.