Mac & Cheese with Tuna and Green Chiles

This recipe is adapted from the January 2013 edition of Bon Appetit Magazine where they shared a recipe for "No-Boil Mac and Cheese". Brilliant really in that the uncooked pasta is covered with the cheese sauce and then baked in the oven. Easy and delicious. I copied the technique exactly so all credit goes to them, but I lightened it up a bit and added canned tuna and roasted green chiles for flavor and whole wheat pasta, extra virgin olive oil and coconut milk for the health benefits. Wonderful as a main dish with a green salad. Perfect to take for a "potluck" dinner. Try this recipe...comfort food at its best. Enjoy!

Mac & Cheese with Tuna and Green Chiles
adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2013
(serves 4)

extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (from dairy case not canned)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta, shells or elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
2 5 oz cans white albacore tuna
1 4 oz can fire roasted green chiles, drained
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to large saucepan over medium high heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in the coconut milk and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Remove from heat.

Add pasta to rimmed, deep dish pie plate. Add tuna, chile and 1 cup cheese, stir to combine. Pour sauce over pasta mixture ensuring pasta is totally submerged. Do not stir. Cover tightly with foil and bake until pasta is almost tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove dish from oven. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Add back to oven and bake for 5-10 minutes longer. Pasta should be "al dente", cheese bubbling. Let sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

It is "Mac & Cheese" week at Comfort Food Feast roundup. Check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends. Do you have a favorite mac and cheese recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. 

Feed Me Phoebe: Jalapeno-Scallion Mac n Cheese
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Triple Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake
Dishing With Divya: Baked Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese
Weelicious: Green Mac and Cheese
The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese
Taste With The Eyes: Macaroni and Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Gravy
Red or Green: Mac & Cheese with Tuna and Green Chiles
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mac & Cheese with Roasted Cauliflower and Leeks
Virtually Homemade: Ham and Cheese Mac and Cheese Bites
Domesticate Me: Skinny Mac with Cauliflower Cheese Sauce and Chicken Sausage
The Sensitive Epicure: Cauliflower 'n Cheese (Gluten-Free)
Devour: Mix-Ins for Macaroni and Cheese
From My Corner of Saratoga: Queso Mac and Cheese
FN Dish: 10 Ways to Make Mac and Cheese

best,
Diane

red or green? 

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