Tuna Pasta with Green Beans

I've always liked Rachel Ray's recipes and her show on Food Network. The other day I saw her talk show where she made this recipe. Watching a cooking show always inspires me to cook. She made it look so easy!

Website:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/tuna-nicoise-casserole/

I made some modification to the recipe, namely, no anchovies and no "golden" brown casserole top in the oven (for presentation mostly anyway). Skipping the step makes the recipe so much quicker to prepare and eat!.

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salt

1/2 pound medium shell pasta (we used pipette)

1/6 pound skinny French green beans ("haricots verts"), cut in half (you can add more green beans if you want, I used about half a pound actually)

1/8 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil (enough to coat bottom of pan generously)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated

3/2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup dry white wine (i used white cooking wine)

1/2 cup heavy cream (i used whole milk)

3/4 cups chicken stock

Ground black pepper

1 can of 5-6oz of tuna fish packed in oil, flaked (i used packed in water kind)

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

a handful of pitted Niçoise olives, chopped (this is optional depending on what kind of olives you like and how much you can handle, etc. I used about 10....too many!)

Directions

[A. green beans]

1. boil water, drop beans in pot

2. cook for 3 min. drain and leave aside.

[B. pasta]

1. boil water, add salt, cook according to package directions (my box said 8 min)

2. drain pasta, leave it in pot

[C. sauce]

1. heat pan, add oil

2. add garlic, cook for a few mins.

3. add flour, cook for a minute.

4. add wine, reduce in half

5. stir in milk and stock, season with salt and pepper

6. bring liquid to bubble, and cook until thickened. about 5 min

[all together!]

1. stir in tuna (flaked) and green beans to the sauce, cook for a min.

2. add sauce to pot with pasta

3. add cheese and olives, stir, toss to combine

Note:

This is a great way to get your fish, dairy, grains, and veggie all in one go! I like how the crunchy green beans really soak up the creamy sauce and tuna flavors. I found that black olives did not work as well with the dish, so I'd recommend the green kind (we got assorted olives, some stuffed with cheese).