Hello, macaroni, my old friend… those of us on a tight budget have probably at least thought along those lines at some point. Pasta is reasonably cheap, quick to make and filling – and above all else, highly adaptable. It can be a quick, cheap meal, or a very decadent meal. Above all else, it is a life-saver for when you just don’t know what to make!
My daughter loves Tuna Mate, but to feed my family, I have to buy two boxes of the kit, not counting the other ingredients. This is way too steep for my liking, so I have developed a ‘fake-out’ version of this. It works out much cheaper, and we have left-overs for lunch the next day.
It is actually quite simple and quick to make:)
Ingredients:
2 x tin shredded tuna, drained.
1 x packet macaroni
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons flour (or a packet of instant cheese sauce + 1-2 tablespoons flour)
Four tablespoons margarine
Sauce:
There are two options here – you can either make a white sauce from scratch, or use the “cheat” version that allows you to cut back on the amount of cheese added. If using regular white sauce, use four tablespoons flour instead of the instant sauce. If you want cheese flavour, add cheese as desired.
If I am making garlic tuna-mate, I normally just use regular from-scratch white sauce, but if I am making cheese flavoured, I use a packet of instant sauce as my base.
Version 1:
Melt four tablespoons margarine. Once the margarine is melted, add the contents of one packet of instant sauce (I normally use the four cheeses or the three cheeses flavours). (If making white sauce, use flour). Stir into the margarine, then add a tablespoon or two of flour, and stir that in. Gradually add your milk, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Once all the milk has been incorporated, add the macaroni and allow the sauce to simmer until the macaroni is cooked. This should take around 20 minutes. Add the tuna, stir through until the food is warmed through out and serve hot.