Cheesy Tuna Skillet Pasta

I really love skillet meals like this Cheesy Tuna Pasta. Meals/entrees that can be cooked all in one pan on top of the stove. In the summer they are especially welcome as they don't heat up the kitchen like oven bakes do.

This Cheesy Tuna Pasta is just like your favourite Tuna Casserole, except it is cooked in a skillet. Amazingly there is no need to cook the pasta first. It cooks right in the pan with everything else, which also helps to cut down on the washing up!

So what do you need to cook a fantastic meal like this? Nothing unsual. Its simple, economical, quick and easy to make.

small pasta shapes (I used smaller size macaroni)
Albacore white tuna (I only ever buy albacore)
whole milk (homogenised, don't use a lower fat milk, the richeness of the sauce comes from the use of whole milk)
water
butter
dry mustard powder
sweet paprika (the opposite of hot paprika)
greated strong cheddar cheese (don't be tempted to use pre-grated cheese please, it simply doesn't work well in this recipe.)
frozen petit pois (sure you can use full size peas, but I prefer petit pois)
salt, pepper, hot sauce and chopped parsley to garnish

As you can see, nothing too out of the ordinary here. The most expensive bits will be your cheese and your tuna. I buy my Albacore tuna in glass jars from Ocado. I end up with really great tuna, and an empty glass jar that I can use when I make jam in the summer time.

Do you save your glass jars? I always have done, and plastic bags, etc. When I lived in Canada we used to buy our milk in plastic bags, in the 4 litre pack we would get three bags. After the milk was gone I would wash and dry them and store them for future use. They made great freezer bags! Nice and heavy duty!

This is a fabulously tasty skillet meal. It goes together really quickly and is done in about 15 minutes time maximum. While it is cooking you can be putting together a nice salad to serve on the side.

You do need to keep an eye on it while it is cooking. First when you bring everything to the boil. Milk has the magic quality of being able to just about double in size when it comes to the boil, so keep watch.

You also want to keep a watch on it and stir it often while it is simmering away so that all of the pasta cooks equally and none sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Don't attempt to cut fat in this recipe by using skimmed milk. You want at least 1% or higher. I use whole milk. It gives a lovely rich sauce. I have never used any other kinds of milk in this dish other than cow's milk so I cannot speak as to how well they would work. (Soy, oat, almond, etc.) I can't think that they would be very nice actually.

You can use fresh garden peas if you have them. I use frozen petit pois (baby peas). I am thinking that frozen chopped broccoli would also work in the same quantity as the peas, as would a mix of frozen peas and corn.

Always grate your own cheese when you are using it for cooking like this. They add things to pre-grated blends to help them flow smoother when pouring out of the bag and they can often give you a poor finish. It doesn't really take too long to grate your own, and it is so much nicer tasting and texture wise! Also use a nice and flavourful cheese. I use strong cheddar. You can also add a TBS or two of grated Parmesan if you wish. This adds an extra special touch!

I only ever use Albacore Tuna. An old Italian woman told me to never use anything else once. I was in the grocery store and buying tuna. She was right. There is really no comparison and, to me anyways, it has always been worth it to pay a bit more and get albacore. Its just nicer and tastes far superior.

Make sure you use a pasta in this recipe which says it can be cooked in 6 to 8 minutes as per the instructions on the box. I used small elbows which worked perfectly. All in all I think this is one winner of a weeknight supper! My children have always loved it. As a busy mom raising five children this is a recipe which always came in handy!