Ingredients

• 350g pasta
  • Fusilli, penne or rigatoni recommended
• 2 cans of tinned tuna
  • Drained
• ~½ broccoli head
  • Small florets
• 2 large handfuls of frozen peas
• 1 (small) can of sweetcorn
  • Optional
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• ½ tsp ground white pepper

Cheese Sauce

• 50g butter
• 1 onion
  • Diced
• 50g plain flour
• 600ml milk
• 200g cheese
  • Grated
  • Mature cheddar recommended
  • + extra for sprinkling over the top

Instructions

1. Put the pasta in a pan with a little salt, then pour over boiling water until well covered. Bring to the boil, then simmer for ~10 minutes (according to the pack instructions). Drain, then empty into a large mixing bowl and put to one side.
2. Using the pasta pan, bring a fresh pan of water to the boil. Drop in the broccoli and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, then put to one side.
3. In a different pan, melt the butter for the cheese sauce. Then, fry the onions in the butter for ~7 minutes, until soft.
4. Sift the flour into the melted butter, then mix until well combined into a paste. Cook this paste on a low heat for 2 minutes.
5. Add the milk gradually, stirring until well combined. The paste should become more like a dough for until about half the milk in added, then it should become more liquid. Keep warming for a few more minutes, to thicken slightly.
6. Turn the heat up to medium and add the grated cheese a handful at a time, stirring until all the cheese has melted before adding the next handful. Keep stirring until the sauce has thickened nicely, then remove from the heat.
7. Pour the sauce into the large mixing bowl with the pasta, then use a spoon to break up the pasta ‘lump’ a little. Add the broccoli, tuna, peas, sweetcorn, garlic granules, mixed herbs, and white pepper, along with any other desired seasoning. Mix thoroughly.
8. Transfer everything to an oven dish (separating off any leftovers at this point). Sprinkle the top with grated cheese, then cook in the oven at 200C for 20 minutes.

Advice

For those who do not like tomato base pizzas, this cheese sauce can be an excellent substitute. I’ve found a ⅕ portion works well for 2 14″ pizzas (10g butter, 10g plain flour, 200ml milk, 80g cheese, no onion).

Whilst this can be reheated in the microwave, the butter can often separate out of the sauce. I far prefer warming up frozen leftovers in the oven (200C, 40-50 minutes straight from frozen, or defrost and 20 minutes).

I tend to put the pasta on first, and leave that simmering whilst I prepare the other ingredients (i.e. grate the cheese, dice the onion, etc). A good rule of thumb is 75g/person (or 90 if you’re me/my family).

The broccoli could be steamed or done in another pan if you have a dishwasher or don’t mind washing up.

Make sure to cook the flour out in the cheese sauce, in order to avoid it tasting floury. Cooking the flour bursts the starch granules.

Instead of tuna, you could use any tinned fish of your choice, or omit it and make it vegetarian. Another option which I rather like is to cut up a few rashers of bacon (or use lardons), fry them out before adding to the mixing bowl, for a bacon pasta bake. Can be with or without tuna as well.

If you add breadcrumbs to the cheese sprinkled on top, it becomes lovely and crispy.