This tuna mac and cheese recipe (or tuna noodle casserole for some of my very midwestern friends) is cheesy, creamy, comforting, and has 40 grams of protein a serving! This healthier midwestern comfort food is the perfect addition to your weeknight meal rotation, and beats box macaroni and cheese every single time.

Let's talk about the recipe.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Light tuna
• Whole milk
• Butter
• Flour
• Spinach
• Chicken bouillon
• Mustard
• Thyme
• Sharp cheddar cheese

Cook the Pasta

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil, and salt liberally. Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350f. Add the pasta to a 9x13 casserole dish, and spread the tuna out over the pasta.

This sounds more specific than it needs to be, but you just need to cook the pasta. That's all! Boil some water, make sure it's salty, and cook the pasta until it's al dente. Tuna macaroni and cheese is an art, not a science. I would just make sure to use a glass baking dish instead of metal unless you want very crispy edges.

Make the Cheese Sauce

Melt the butter over low heat, add the flour, and stir. Toast for about a minute, or until foamy in appearance. Slowly drizzle in milk while whisking continuously and repeat this process with 1 cup of water. Stir in the spinach, bouillon, mustard, thyme, and cheese, and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the pasta and the tuna. Stir and then bake for 30 minutes.

If you've never made a roux, this part can seem a little complicated. It's a classic French technique for making sauces, but it's not as intimidating as you think. As you add milk to the butter and flour mixture over low heat, it will incorporate, homogenize, and stay nice and thick. If it breaks and thins out, it's nothing to worry about too much since we're baking this mac and cheese.

And that's that on tuna mac and cheese casserole! If you want to get very midwestern with this you could add toppings like fried onions, or butter and Ritz crackers, but it's pretty fantastic as is.

Tuna Mac and Cheese Casserole Recipe

Download the recipe here

Servings: 6

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1lb dry pasta
• 2 cans light tuna, drained
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 5 oz spinach
• 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 2 cups sharp cheddar, grated

Method:

1. Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil, and salt liberally. Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350f.
2. Add the pasta to a 9x13 casserole dish, and spread the tuna out over the pasta.
3. Melt the butter over low heat, add the flour, and stir. Toast for about a minute, or until foamy in appearance. Slowly drizzle in milk while whisking continuously and repeat this process with 1 cup of water.
4. Stir in the spinach, bouillon, mustard, thyme, and cheese, and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the pasta and the tuna. Stir and then bake for 30 minutes.

See Nutrition Info

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	573
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g	31%
Saturated Fat 14.1g	70%
Cholesterol 156mg	52%
Sodium 671mg	29%
Total Carbohydrate 49.5g	18%
Dietary Fiber 0.6g	2%
Total Sugars 3.3g
Protein 39g
Vitamin D 28mcg	142%
Calcium 406mg	31%
Iron 3mg	19%
Potassium 561mg	12%

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About the Author

Hi! I'm Alexandra Massengale, and I've been cooking and baking for over 12 years. My passion is making cheap, convenient, nutrient-dense food that still tastes amazing, and helping to perpetuate healthy eating habits without perpetuating diet culture. I want you to find recipes that make your body and heart happy, without putting any food off limits or making you feel guilty for loving delicious things.

By Alexandra Massengale