Tuna Bake (Casserole)

Food_Lush's Note:

I made this to try to imitate a tuna bake which I used to purchase in a jar. I used a combination of recipes I found on the web and on Recipezaar as inspiration. Comfort food that is simple to prepare. Can be prepared earlier in the day, refrigerated and then cooked.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 casserole

• 400 g dried penne pasta
• ½ brown onion
• ½ red pepper
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 100 g chopped spinach
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese (or any other you like)
• 1 (400 g) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (400 g) can tuna , drained
• ½ cup cheddar cheese , extra
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (can omit)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius (~375 degrees F).
3. Very finely chop onion and red pepper.
4. Heat oil in small saucepan on low heat. Add onion and cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Place chopped red pepper and cook for further 2-3 minutes, ensuring heat remains low as not to burn the onion and pepper. Take off heat.
5. In another saucepan, melt butter and add flour to make a roux. Slowly add milk until creamy and there are no lumps. Add cheese and stir well.
6. Slowly add creamy mushroom soup to the cheesy sauce, again ensuring no lumps form.
7. Add onion, pepper, tuna and spinach to sauce and stir until warm.
8. In a large bowl mix pasta and sauce together.
9. Pour pasta into casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese.
10. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Reviews

[Mrs. Delishis]

This actually turned out pretty decent. It wasn't all that flavorful, but with a little salt and pepper it was pretty good. Also nice that it has fresh veggies in it. Didn't taste very fishy at all, so kids might like it.