Description
Sometimes you get home, open the fridge, and realize you forgot to thaw anything. That was me, staring at shelves and trying not to order takeout. But then I spotted a few tins of smoked tuna and some veggies that were hanging around, and boom… Cheesy Baked Tuna and Rice Dinner was born. It’s creamy, cheesy, and loaded with flavor, and honestly, it turned out way better than I expected.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 x 170g tins flaked tuna (smoked or regular)
- 1 cup raw rice (≈2 cups cooked)
- ½ large tomato, diced
- 12 asparagus spears, chopped and steamed
- 12 spring onions, chopped
- ½ orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ packet cream of asparagus soup mix
- ¼ cup cream + ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, for smoky flavor)
Instructions
- Cook the rice (1 cup raw rice) as you normally would until fluffy (makes about 2 cups).
- Lightly steam the asparagus (12 spears) for about 5–6 minutes, just until they’re still a little crisp.
- In a bowl, whisk together the dried soup mix (½ packet) with cream and milk (1 cup total).
- In a baking dish, mix the tuna (3 tins), cooked rice (2 cups), tomato (½), asparagus (12 spears), spring onions (12), bell pepper (½), and garlic (1 tsp).
- Pour the soup/milk mixture over everything and stir to combine.
- Bake at 400°F/205°C for about 30 minutes until bubbly.
- Sprinkle cheddar (¾ cup) and Parmesan (¼ cup) on top and bake again for just a few minutes until the cheese melts.
- Serve hot, straight from the dish.
Storage: Keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
Notes
Created, prepared, tried, and tested by Corlea from SA Tasty Recipes, Saffas Daily Recipes, and EsmeSalon Homemade Recipes
