Tuna Melt in a Bowl: Dru Ann's Cheesy, Creamy Tuna Mac Casserole (as made by Cleo Coyle)

One of the ways Marc and I keep ourselves warm and cozy during the freezing cold winter months is by cooking up comfort food casseroles like this one. Every time we make this easy, one-bowl meal, we love it, which is more than appropriate since it came from a woman named Love, award-winning blogger and book reviewer Dru Ann Love!

So let's get Dru's recipe started...

👇

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A Note from Cleo 

Several years ago, Dru Ann Love shared this easy recipe when she appeared here as the guest of our co-blogger Lucy Burdette. (See her original post here.) We made only a few small changes to Dru's recipe, which she adapted from something she learned years ago in a Home Economics class. 

One of the reasons we're re-posting today is because we wanted to share a convenient, downloadable PDF of the recipe. Now you can print it out, too, and keep it on hand in your own kitchen for some culinary comfort. As we said at the top, we love this dinner. It's a quick and easy meal, yet oh-so satisfying on a cold winter's night. May you eat with one-bowl, tuna-melt joy!

~ Cleo 

🍴

To download Dru's recipe in a
free PDF that you can print,
save, or share, click here.

Click for Free Recipe PDF.

🍜 Dru Ann Love's Tuna Mac & Cheese Casserole 

-

(or as we call it) "Tuna Melt in a Bowl"

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

1/2 box of medium pasta shells (1 lb box)

3/4 of an (8 oz) block extra sharp cheddar cheese (or you can use the entire block if you want it extra-cheesy)

1 (5 oz) can solid white tuna in water

2 - 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise (Hellman’s is Dru's favorite, and ours, too.) 

1/2 teaspoon or so of seasonings (see the suggestions in the note below)

Directions: First preheat your oven to 350° F. Prepare the pasta as directed on the box, and be sure to make it al dente (do not overcook or the casserole will be mushy). While the pasta is cooking, drain the tuna well, place it in a large bowl, and flake it with a fork. Season it (see note below) and set aside. Slice the block of cheese into small cubes and set aside. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain well, and pour it into the bowl with the seasoned tuna. Add the cubed cheese and mayonnaise. Toss well, until all the pasta is coated. If needed, add more mayonnaise. Pour the pasta into a casserole dish (1-1/2 quarts in size) or a loaf pan (9x5-inches) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before digging in!

A note on seasoning: 

Dru Ann suggests Black & Red from spice merchant Penzeys. This is a great seasoning suggestion! If you don’t have this on hand, you can make your own by mixing freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of hot red cayenne. 

Our suggestion from Penzeys is either Northwoods Fire (if you like a little heat) or Northwoods Seasoning (if you prefer no heat or spiciness). To make your own version of these spice blends, mix these spices togehter: coarse salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary and granulated garlic. For heat add a bit of cayenne red pepper and ground chipotle pepper. If you'd prefer a mild version, simply leave the pepper spices out.

Click for Free Recipe PDF.

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Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries 

Alice and Marc in Central Park. 

Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
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A "Best Book of 2018!" 

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"A magnificent cold case 
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"He is hardboiled in the tradition
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Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

When friends were visiting, I wanted to make dishes they would love but I didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking. I was thrilled when I spotted this slow cooker Mac and Cheese recipe from Trisha Yearwood. I admit I was a little disappointed that I had to cook the macaroni. After all, wouldn't it be fun to throw everything in the slow cooker and forget about it? Except for the macaroni, that's what you do with this recipe.

All the other ingredients are fairly standard, so I guess the evaporated milk is the secret ingredient that makes this work so well. Am I the only one who never thought to make Mac and Cheese with evaporated milk? I thought it might lack something in flavor, but that wasn't the case at all!

The only change I made was to butter the slow cooker instead of spraying it with cooking spray. Buttering worked fine. This would be a really great recipe for a beginner cook. You could print it on a recipe card and give it as a gift along with a slow cooker to a bride who doesn't cook yet. I bet it would be one of their favorite dishes.

It would be great for times when you need to bring a hot dish to a pot luck or to a scout meeting. Especially when you're having a busy day. It takes almost no time to assemble - then you can do something else and forget about it. Or maybe on a snow day when a filling and hot comforting dish would hit the spot. The flavor is perfect. It's creamy and satisfying, and it makes a lot. Everyone thought it was delicious. And I got to spend more time with my friends!

Trisha Yearwood's Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

from Food Network

Cooking spray or butter
8 ounces cooked elbow macaroni
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk (or 2%)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
2 10-ounce bricks sharp cheddar cheese (about 5 cups)
dash of paprika

Cook the macaroni. Butter the slow cooker. Add the macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, eggs and all but 1/2 cup of the cheese. Mix. Add the 1/2 cup of cheese on the top, sprinkle with paprika and cook on low for three hours and fifteen minutes.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

A few weeks ago, I had every intention of making a bacon, Gruyere, and onion quiche. I prepared as much as I could the night before and had everything ready to assemble in the morning. Which I did–omitting the Gruyere. I didn't even realize it until someone asked me what it was. Oy.

So every time I opened the refrigerator, two nice packages of Gruyere stared me in the face. What to do with them? If you're not familiar with Gruyere, it's a very mild cheese, probably best known for being used in fondue.

I considered several options and finally decided to make a Gruyere macaroni and cheese, with broccoli in it. I think it turned out well. Please do not imagine that this will taste like traditional cheddar-based mac and cheese. The cheese is much milder, but it's still very comforting. And truly, you can't taste the broccoli at all!

Gruyere and Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
a dash of nutmeg
1 large clove garlic
2 cups milk
8 ounces Gruyere
1/4 cup Panko
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the macaroni according to the package but add the broccoli to the water and cook it with the macaroni. Drain and set aside.

Shred the Gruyere or cut into small pieces and mince the garlic. Butter a 9x9-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, whisk together the butter, flour, salt, nutmeg, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until it becomes fragrant and begins to turn golden. Add the milk and bring to boil. Pour the drained macaroni and broccoli into the milk mixture and mix well.

Pour into the baking pan. Mix the Panko with the Parmesan and sprinkle over the top. Bake about 30 minutes or until the top is golden.

Cook the broccoli with the macaroni.

Mix everything and pour into a baking dish.

Sprinkle top with Panko and Parmesan.

Look! Little bits of broccoli!

The Dreaded Thanksgiving Hors d'oeuvre Dilemma

Thanksgiving dinner is undoubtedly the biggest meal I cook all year. It's not that we have so many people but everyone seems to have a special dish without which it's just not Thanksgiving. I must not be the only person who feels this way because I just heard about a woman who contacted all her guests in advance to be sure no one will be disappointed at Thanksgiving dinner.

Since there's so much food, I tend to be inclined to skip hors d'oeuvres. I mean, really folks, just sit down and eat! But every year, somebody comes in search of just a little nosh before we eat. Even if we're ten minutes from eating. Even if the turkey is already on the counter, beautifully done. I guess that makes me sound like a Thanksgiving Scrooge, which I'm not – really!

So it's always a dilemma. I don't want anything that will tie up the oven. I'll be busy making gravy and juggling all those other dishes, so I really don't want to have to make anything time-consuming. No one wants anything heavy. I know you're thinking so put out a cheese platter and be done with it.  Um, yes, that's what I usually do. A quick platter that everyone ignores!

This year, as I perused recipe ideas that ran from odd (balsamic drizzled radicchio) to weird (whipped ricotta with chilies and green olives) to too plain (popcorn), I stumbled across this brilliant idea in Food and Wine. Mini mac and cheese!

It does tie up the oven for 10 minutes, but I can live with that. Best of all, it can be made a day ahead, so when chaos reigns in the kitchen, all you have to do is pop them in the oven. Unless someone eats a lot more than one or two, they won't spoil their appetite for dinner, and there are very few people who won't eat mac and cheese.

The recipe from Food and Wine by Grace Parisi had a couple of great features. She used Parmesan to line mini-muffin tins, which adds a lovely little salty crunch to the sides. And she tossed in an egg yolk to keep everything together. Very clever.

Now, to be honest, I think you could make this with your favorite mac and cheese recipe. Just cut it in half and be sure to add an egg yolk. I used an extra sharp cheddar and cream cheese, just to give it that creamy texture I like so much. When it comes out of the oven, turn a deaf ear to pleas to eat it (they smell divine!) for five minutes. They have to cool a little bit to set, otherwise you'll have a big mess.

Three-Cheese Mini Macs

by Grace Parisi in Food & Wine

tweaked by moi

Makes 24+

1/2 pound elbow macaroni 

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing  

2 tablespoons plus two tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  

3/4 cup milk 

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 ounces soft cheese (brie or cream)

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten  

1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs

Use a 24 cupcake mini-cupcake pan or two 12 cupcake mini-cupcake pans

Cook the macaroni according to package and drain.

Preheat oven to 425. Brush each well of the pan with butter. Sprinkle the wells with a total of two tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Over the sink, turn the pan to distribute, much as you would to flour a cake pan.

Melt the butter in a pot and whisk in the flour. Cook about two minutes and whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil and cook five minutes. Add the cheeses and whisk until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolk and the paprika.

Fold in the macaroni. Use a measuring spoon to add a heaping tablespoon to each well. Mix the remaining two tablespoons of Parmesan with the Panko bread crumbs and sprinkle over each well.

*At this point you can can cover and refrigerate overnight.*

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Use a thin knife to loosen and remove.

Did you know that Daryl Wood Gerber, Lucy Burdette, Julie Hyzy and I are having a contest? You could win a fabulous basket from our favorite cookbook store, Salt & Pepper Books!

Click here to start! http://statictab.com/zm2dowd

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Five Cheese Mac & Cheese

One of my friends has been raving about macaroni and cheese that is served at a local watering hole in Raleigh, North Carolina. She goes there just for the macaroni and cheese. All I know about it is that it's made with four cheeses. She has asked for the recipe, but they're not sharing. So when she came to visit recently, I made five cheese macaroni and cheese.

I didn't get it quite right. Not surprising when one considers the vast numbers of cheese available. Each one brings it's own distinctive taste to mac and cheese. When she tasted mine, she shared that the one she likes so much has ham in it. Aha. That would change the flavor. But, she said, that wasn't what she likes so much. It's supposedly very creamy. She thought that might be from sour cream. However, she liked my creation and especially liked that it wasn't as rich. I did use a triple cream cheese for some added creaminess, and I think that worked very nicely. The shredded cheeses together totaled about 2 1/2 cups of cheese.

When I was shopping for the cheese, I couldn't find plain old elbow pasta in the store. All kinds of fancy pasta, but no elbows. I finally went with Ancient Harvest's quinoa and corn blend elbow pasta. It happens to be gluten free. My tasters absolutely could not tell that it wasn't regular pasta. And believe me, they are picky about such things!

Krista's Five Cheese Mac & Cheese

8 ounces elbow pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (nonfat is okay)

.30 pound triple cream cheese (like Prince la Fontaine)
3/4 cup Comte
3/4 cup medium cheddar
3/4 cup goat Gouda
1/4 cup Apple smoked cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Preheat oven to 350. Slice the triple cream cheese and shred the other cheeses.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the garlic. Cook briefly until fragrant. Stir in the flour and add the milk. Stirring constantly, cook until thick and bubbly. Reduce the heat and add all cheeses except Parmesan. Cook and stir until the cheeses have melted. Remove from heat and add cooked pasta.

Pour into a 1 1/2 or 2 quart casserole. Top with Panko bread crumbs, then top with Parmesan.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.