Tuna Pasta Bake

If you liked my Cheat's Lasagne Recipe from a last month then you'll love this variation. I used to spend hours coming up with elaborate meals to prepare, but these days with a young baby I don't have enough to time to prepare, let alone think of such creative meals as I used to. Well not regularly anyway. 

This pasta bake is great in that I can throw this in the slow cooker in the morning (while the little one naps) and then it's ready to serve in the evening. Perfect for if we have a busy afternoon ahead. It's so easy and pretty darn tasty too. The leftovers keep us going for a couple of days and best of all, even the baby likes it!

Ingredients:

• 2 x 185 gram tins of tuna in spring water
• 1 x 400 gram can of creamed corn
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 300 grams dried pasta 
• 1 & 1/2 cups of grated cheese
• 1 & 1/2 cups of milk
• 2 eggs

Oil the bowl of the slow cooker, and turn on to high setting to preheat. 

In a food processor mix the tuna (including liquid), creamed corn, stock, celery, carrots, onion, and salt and pepper till well combined. 

Spread 1/4 of the mix in the bottom of the slow cooker dish. Cover with half of the dried pasta, then another 1/4 of the mix over that. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, before layering the remaining pasta, then the rest of the tuna mix on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. 

In the same food processor (don't bother cleaning it in between) combine the eggs and milk, then pour this over the top of the cheese. Put the lid on the slow cooker and reduce the temperature to low. Cook for 5-6 hours, before slicing and serving. 

Cousin Reid's Tuna Pasta Salad

So as you can tell by the name, this isn't my recipe, but one that my cousin Reid shared with me on a recent dinner catch up. First let me describe Reid, he's a 6'4 mountain of a man, the kind of guy that has seconds of seconds and then still has room for dessert. 

Let's just say, he has a BIG appetite, so when he shared his staple pasta salad with me, I knew it must be good. Reid will make a batch of this to last him for a couple of days; dinner, and the next couple of days lunches sort of thing. 

Ingredients (6 servings; or 4 Reid sized serves): 

• 500g packet of spiral or shell shaped dried pasta
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup of canned corn kernels, drained  
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 stalks celery, sliced 
• 425g can Chunky Style Tuna in oil, well drained 
• handful of parsley, finely chopped 
• 2/3 cup of mayonnaise - Best Foods is good, just not light mayo
• 1/2 cup green pitted olives, sliced - optional 
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced - optional  

Cook the pasta according to packet directions. *You could boil the eggs in the pasta water if you need to, just add the room temperature eggs to the water when there is 9 minutes of cooking time left. 

While the pasta is cooking prepare the vegetables and pop them into a large salad bowl. Half the tomatoes, drain the corn, slice the celery and olives (if using) chop the onion (if using) and parsley. 

Drain the tuna and add it to the salad bowl with 2/3 of a cup of mayonnaise. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to the salad bowl. Use two dessert spoons to toss everything together till coated and well mixed. Chill until required.