Creamy Tuna Pasta

This dish is truly tuna pasta, as it isn't baked, but made on the stove-top. With mushrooms, green onion, red pepper and bowtie pasta, all in a creamy Parmesan sauce.

📝 Ingredients

• 10 oz. bow tie pasta (Farfalle) (about 4 cups)
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
• 8 oz white or cremini mushrooms (sliced)
• 3 green onions (white and green part, chopped)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 12 oz canned tuna (packed in water, drained and flaked with a fork (2 cans))
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated recommended)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated recommended)
• 2 Tablespoons parsley (chopped (optional))
• 1/3 cup panko
• 2 Tablespoons butter (melted)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Tip! This is one of those recipes that benefits from having all the ingredients prepped, measured and ready. Not because it's complicated, but simply because the steps move quickly and if you are trying to prep on the fly, it can get a bit challenging.
2. 2Have an oven-safe baking dish ready, about 2 qt. in size.
3. 3Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well. Return the pasta to the cooking pot. Tip! Make sure the pasta is fully cooked, as this dish isn't going into the oven to cook further.
4. 4Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red pepper and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, green onion and sprinkling of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the mushroom juices evaporate and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir well. Cook, stirring, about 45-seconds. Stir in the milk and broth and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes (sauce should coat the back of a spoon). Remove from heat and stir in the tuna, 1/2 cup Parmesan and the cayenne. Stir this into the pasta mixture and season with salt and pepper, to taste
5. 5Spoon the pasta into an oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley, if using. Melt 2 Tablespoons butter and combine with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
6. 6Put casserole dish under the broiler in the oven, just until the topping is nicely golden, about 2-3 minutes. Serve.