Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound hollow cavatappi or elbows with lines, or macaroni with lines
- About 3 tablespoons EVOO, plus extra for drizzling
- 12 ounces line-caught canned tuna, drained
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley and tarragon
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion or scallions, whites and greens
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- About 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups grated white Cheddar or gruyere cheese
- 1 1/2 cups homemade breadcrumbs or panko
- 1/2 cup grated Parm
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to less than al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and drizzle with a touch of oil to keep the pasta loose.
In a large bowl, flake the tuna and add the herbs (reserving a tablespoon or 2 for breadcrumbs), onions, mustard, celery, lemon juice, EVOO and some salt and pepper. Add the pasta and combine well. Transfer to a baking dish or large casserole dish.
In a medium saucepot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Then whisk in the milk and season with salt and pepper, thicken to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the Cheddar in a figure-eight motion. Pour the sauce evenly over the pasta and tuna. Gently combine with a spoon to settle the sauce. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a small pan and add the breadcrumbs and reserved herbs, toss to evenly distribute the butter, remove from heat and transfer to airtight container.
To prepare, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bring the casserole to room temperature. Top the casserole with breadcrumbs and Parm cheese. Bake until golden and hot through.
Photo: Tuna Melt Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe

















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By Bob_4986262
Glen Allen, VA
on May 20, 2013
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Loved it! This will become a part of our rotating recipes so that we do it occasionally. I made it basically as per the recipe, simply omitting any salt. For the herbs, I used mostly fresh parsley and some dried dill, even though I know fresh dill would've been better. We just didn't want to invest in both fresh herbs. I liked the dill flavor running through it, and I loved the dijon taste. Going to look up more of Rachael's mac and cheese/sandwich recipes. Already love the rueben mac and cheese!
By teresaloves2trvl
angleton, TX
on May 18, 2013
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Dry, dry, dry. I would suggest doubling up on the cheese sauce. I didn't care for the strong flavors from the herbs. It just didn't work for me. The sauce tasted good by itself, but was lost in the mix of the final product. It didn't taste cheesy at all. The topping did turn out nice and crunchy so that part works. I'm going back to my standard tuna casserole.
By emnesh
New Jersey
on February 07, 2013
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Too dry, not much flavor
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