Tuna Pasta Bake

I have said before that I struggle to find good dishes to make for lunch that go beyond the stodgy sandwich.  Recently, in a Taste magazine newsletter, I found inspiration in a really good recipe for a simple Tuna Pasta Bake.  This pasta bake only uses six ingredients.  I bumped it up to seven by adding frozen vegetables to make it a true "one pot" dish that is transportable and can be heated up in the microwave for lunch at work.

This is the kind of dish that speaks for itself, so without further ado, here is how to make it.

Gather together:

300g dried macaroni
40g butter or margarine
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups skim milk
3/4 cup reduced fat melty grated cheese
425g can of tuna in springwater, drained
250g mixed frozen chopped vegetables
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.  Lightly grease a large casserole dish.

Cook the macaroni according to packet instructions then drain, reserving a quarter of a cup of the cooking water.

Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan, then add the flour and stir for a minute over the heat.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the milk.  Stir to combine then return to the heat, and continue stirring until the sauce thickens.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir through a quarter of  a cup of the cheese.

Combine the cooked macaroni, tuna, frozen vegetables and reserved cooking water, then arrange evenly on the bottom of the greased casserole dish.      Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Serve and enjoy!  (I got 6 servings out of it.)