Tuna pasta bake
Tuna, cheese and sweetcorn pasta bake great served with a tomato and cumber salad, suitable from 11 months
- 60g Butter
- 250g Pastaideally fusilli, penne, rigatoni or macaroni
- 50g Plain flour
- 500ml Milk
- 200g Cheddar cheesegrated
- 3tbsp Tomato passata
- A pinch of mixed herbs
- 260g canned tuna (in water, not brine)
- 330g Tinned sweetcorndrained
- 1tbsp Parsleychopped
Method
step 1
Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Grease a baking or Pyrex dish with a little butter.
step 2
Cook the pasta in boiling water according to packet instructions.
step 3
Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a tall saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the flour. Place back on the stove and cook for 1 minute, taking care not to burn the mixture. Gradually whisk or stir in the milk and cook till the sauce thickens, for around 7-8 minutes. Stir constantly, or the sauce will stick or turn lumpy. When smooth and thickened, remove from heat and add most of cheese, reserving a good handful for the topping.
step 4
Drain the pasta and run it under cold water to avoid it cooking further. In a bowl, mix the pasta with the white sauce, passata, herbs, tuna, sweetcorn and parsley. Top with the reserved grated cheese.
step 5
Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden.
step 6
*The pasta bake will be extremely hot on removing from the oven. Cool thoroughly before serving to a child.
Serve with a green salad for adults, or chopped cucumber, peppers and cherry tomatoes for babies and toddlers. Always supervise children closely while eating salad, in case of choking.