Tuna Mornay Casserole

The Australian school-night classic.

Why you should cook this

The Australian school-night classic. Pasta, tinned tuna, mornay sauce, breadcrumbs on top, into the oven. Twenty minutes work, kids will eat it, freezes well.

What to drink with it

A cold dry riesling, a Vodka Collins (our recipe), or a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Notes from the kitchen

Drain the tuna properly. Watery tuna makes watery mornay. Press it dry with paper towel. Cook the pasta one minute under. It’ll finish cooking in the oven.

The recipe

Tuna Mornay Casserole

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 serves
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g macaroni or penne
  • 60 g butter
  • 60 g plain flour
  • 750 mL milk
  • 150 g tasty cheese, grated
  • 50 g parmesan, grated
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 x 185g tins tuna in oil, drained
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan. Boil pasta 1 minute less than packet directs. Drain.
  2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute.
  3. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Off heat, stir in 100g tasty cheese, parmesan, mustard and nutmeg.
  4. Combine pasta, sauce, drained tuna, frozen peas in a baking dish. Salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Top with remaining 50g cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
  6. Top with parsley before serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Two things that go wrong

Watery mornay

You didn’t drain the tuna properly. Press the tuna dry with paper towel before adding.

Gluey pasta

Cooked the pasta to time on the packet. Cook one minute less; it finishes cooking in the oven.

Variations worth knowing

Salmon mornay

Replace tuna with two tins of red salmon. Richer, more luxurious.

Smoked fish

Replace tuna with 400g cooked smoked haddock or trout, flaked. Family-recipe-from-Glasgow energy.

Cauliflower add-on

Stir in 2 cups of par-boiled cauliflower florets. Softens the carb hit, adds vegetable.

Leftovers and make ahead

Two days fridge. Reheat at 180 degrees covered for 20 minutes. Add a splash of milk before reheating to loosen the sauce.