Baked Tuna Macaroni Alfredo Verde

I’m giddy with excitement (yet again!)!  This week, the spotlight’s on Cafe Munchkin in the Family Bites section of FoodBuzz. *wink*  Every week, Family Bites, which is presented by Newman’s Own, showcases a collection of 9 convenient recipes, which are family friendly.  From June 28th to July 4th, the featured recipes and photos are from this humble blog.  I want to burst into giggles every time I think about it.  It’s no big deal to most people, but to me, it is. ;)

I used a Newman’s Own product in 3 out of the 9 recipes.  These are samples I received as part of the Family Bites program.  One of the easy yet yummy recipes I came up with is Baked Tuna Macaroni Alfredo Verde…

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 can albacore tuna, drained

1 jar Newman?s Own Alfredo Pasta sauce

1 ½ cups spinach, finely chopped

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

salt and pepper

½ whole wheat bread crumbs (optional)

Instructions:

1.  Cook the pasta according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 350F and start working on the sauce.

2.  In a sauté pan, add canola oil and sauté onions until translucent.  Add tuna.

3.  Add Newman?s Own Alfredo Pasta Sauce and simmer for a minute or two then add the spinach.  Continue to stir for another minute.

4.  Remove from heat then add ½ cup of the parmesan cheese and salt & pepper to taste.  Stir well.

5.  Add the cooked whole wheat pasta to the sauce.  Mix well.

6.  Transfer the macaroni and sauce mixture into a square baking dish.  Top with the rest of the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

My 5-year old daughter absolutely loves this dish.  It is a much healthier alternative to Mac and Cheese.  The sauce is all natural.  It has tuna and spinach.  And you can add mushrooms, too!  If you’re in too much of a hurry, you can even skip the baking part.

Thank you, FoodBuzz!  Thank you, Newman’s Own!

Cheers y’all and have a great week ahead! I know I will! :D