Tuna Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

A fellow mom of a 9-month-old just shared this recipe with me, and although I'm skeptical of Baby Girl's reception of tuna (given her complete rejection of my modified "Broccoli Cheddar Nuggets"), I am ready to try out this recipe. I am dying to find ANY recipe that includes meat that she will eat!

My only question on this one was whether or not I should be concerned about the mercury content in the tuna. I know canned tuna is safe for solid-eating bambinos, but this recipe makes quite a bit of food, and I'm not sure how well tuna pasta freezes - which means, we will be eating this meal every day for quite some time...

However, after looking up the tuna stats, I am confident that this recipe, even if eaten every day for a week (or even two!) is safe for little ones. According to the EPA, young children may "eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury." (This includes shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish). The EPA also says, "Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week." So, depending on what type of tuna you purchase, you will want to limit the serving span of this recipe to either 1 or 2 weeks. I think that's doable!

Tuna Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

1/4 C small pasta shapes

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 T vegetable oil

1/2 C canned crushed tomatoes

One 6 oz can tuna in oil, drained & flaked

Cheese Sauce

1 T unsalted butter

1 T all-purpose flour

1/2 C milk

1/4 C grated cheddar cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, but without adding salt to the water. To make the cheese sauce, follow the instructions below. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until softened, stir in the tomatoes and flaked tuna and cook for about 4 minutes. Mix the cheese sauce with the tuna and tomato and stir in the cooked pasta.

Cheese Sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour to make a smooth paste, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk, bring to a boil, and cook for a few minutes over low heat until thickened and smooth. Stir in the grated cheese until melted.

My friend also uses this cheese sauce to go along with lots of other veggies like steamed broccoli & cauliflower, etc.

I'll let you know my review after we've tried it this evening!