CREAMY PASTA SHELLS WITH TUNA AND SPINACH
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Serves: 8 serves
 


I have kept the sauce quite thin as it will be mixed with pasta, but once the whole dish is combined the sauce will be thick enough.

This dish can be made a day ahead, refrigerated, and then baked the next day. If doing this, take the dish out of the fridge an hour before you plan to bake.

Ingredients
  • TOPPING
  • 200g cheddar cheese, cut into chunks
  • 120g sourdough bread, or wholemeal bread, chopped into chunks
  • ½ tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes (or chili flakes)
  • BASE
  • 150g baby spinach leaves
  • 500g packet of large pasta shells
  • 20g olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 brown onion, peeled and halved
  • 50g olive oil
  • 1 litre full cream milk
  • 80g white spelt flour
  • 60g butter, cut int cubes
  • 2 tsp sea salt flakes, or 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 400g tin tuna chunks
  • 50g lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Place cheese into TM bowl and chop 4 seconds / speed 8 … put aside
  2. Place bread into TM bowl and chop 8 seconds / speed 8 … return cheese to TM bowl along with the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and mix 2 seconds / speed 8
  3. Put topping aside until later … do not clean bowl
  4. Lightly grease a large baking dish (I used 22cm x 30cm)
  5. Place spinach leaves into a large mixing bowl
  6. Add 1200g water to TM bowl and heat 10 minutes / 100 degrees / speed 1
  7. Place pasta into TM bowl through hole in lid and cook 12 minutes / 100 degrees / reverse / speed soft (check the packet for cooking directions and be guided by the suggested cooking time)
  8. Drain pasta (I place my Veroma base across my sink and use this to drain pasta) and place the hot pasta on top of the spinach and stir through lightly
  9. Rinse TM bowl and wipe it out with kitchen paper … no need for a proper clean
  10. Place onion and olive oil into TM bowl and chop 3 seconds / speed 7
  11. Scrape around bowl, then sauté 5 minutes / Veroma / Speed 1 / No MC
  12. Turn oven on to 180 degrees fan forced
  13. Add milk, flour, butter, salt and nutmeg and cook 12 minutes / 90 degrees / speed 4
  14. Drain and flake the tuna, and place on top of pasta and spinach
  15. Add the cooked sauce to the pasta along with the lemon juice and lightly stir everything together … taste for seasoning and adjust if needed ... pour mix into the greased baking dish
  16. Sprinkle cheese topping over pasta, pressing it down lightly into the pasta
  17. Bake for 30 minutes until golden on top
  18. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving
Notes
Inspired by recipe from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/891898/creamy-shells-tuna-and-spinach
Recipe by The Passionate Pantry at https://www.thepassionatepantry.com.au/creamy-pasta-shells-with-tuna-and-spinach/