Weekend dinner - tuna pasta bake and soda pudding

This Sunday evening, I wanted an easy dinner, so I made a reliable old faithful from my share-flat days. It is a tuna pasta bake that is dead simple and very cheap to make, so I thought I'd share the recipe here.

You will need:

300g dried pasta, cooked
425g tuna in springwater, drained
200g jar tomato paste
one diced onion
1 zucchini, sliced thinly into rounds
5 large mushrooms, sliced
small packet of grated cheese

Place the pasta, tuna, onion and tomato paste in the base of a large shallow casserole dish (~10") and combine well.

Top the tuna mixture with a layer of sliced zucchini, then a layer of sliced mushrooms, and finally with a layer of grated cheese.



Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 40 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the food is cooked through. Serves 4-6.

Thanks to Angela for introducing me to this dish.

For dessert, I made my Mum's steamed soda pudding - it is rich and delicious, as it contains plum jam in the batter as well as on top:

Unfortunately, this one is a family secret, so I can't pass on the recipe, but I couldn't resist sharing the photographs. It is perfect to warm up your insides on a chilly winter evening.