Canned Tuna Rice Puff
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Mahatma® White Rice
- Non-stick cooking spray
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt, for seasoning base
- 1 tsp pepper, for seasoning base
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cans (each 6 oz) tuna, drained and flaked
- ¾ cup cooked peas
- 6 eggs, divided
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp salt, for egg whites
- 2 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
With kitchen staples like rice, tuna, eggs, and milk, this magical Canned Tuna Rice Puff casserole bakes into a heavenly dish that will wow the crowd. Try it today!
Step 1
Cook rice according to package directions; cool completely.Step 2
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Coat a 13 x 9 (3.5 L) baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Dust bottom and sides of the dish with breadcrumbs. (This will help the rice puff up in the pan).Step 3
Melt butter in a high-sided skillet set over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic for 5 to 8 minutes or until very tender; stir in mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and thick.Step 4
Slowly whisk in milk. Continue to whisk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until very thick; remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and cool completely. Fold in the rice, cheese, tuna, and peas into milk mixture; set aside.Step 5
In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until pale yellow and thick. Fold yolks into rice mixture; set aside.Step 6
In large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer at low speed until it starts to foam. Increase speed to high. Continue to beat at high speed until stiff peaks start to form. Gently fold whipped egg whites into rice mixture; scrape the mixture into prepared pan.Step 7
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, set and puffed. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.Recipe Tip
Alternatively, bake puff mixture in individual ramekins adjusting the cooking time as needed.
Cozy Casserole
Get cozy on your couch for a relaxed evening with a warm and creamy tuna casserole. For this simple oven bake, you’ll need a few pantry essentials like canned tuna, eggs, and dijon mustard so you can put together a delicious dinner without having to make an extra grocery store run.
A casserole is a great option for an easy meal in the oven. While some oven-bakes are made with pasta or potatoes, rice is a great base for a family-friendly and hearty meal. Mahatma® White Rice is a great option for a casserole like this one due to the filling grains that give this a fluffy and soft texture alongside the warm and savory tuna and vegetables. For a more fragrant variety, try cooking Jasmine Rice.
If you don’t have an oven handy, try a warm skillet meal like an easy Mexican Rice recipe a vegetable paella in place of a baked casserole. If you need a dessert idea try Cuban rice pudding.
Baking a Great Casserole
To make a delicious casserole, there are quite a few things to keep in mind. First, you want remember that not all dishes bake the same. Metal dishes will heat up a lot faster than ceramic or glass dishes. Additionally, a metal pan versus a glass or stone cook pan will produce a different outcome for your casserole.
A metal pan is best used for dishes you want to have with crispier edges, and is not the most suitable choice for a casserole. Glass or stone pans conduct the heat evenly and the edges of the pan do not heat up as fast as their metal counterparts, making them the better option when making a casserole. As a general baking rule, for dishes that require more browning around the edges like bread or cakes, use a metal dish!
The next thing to keep in mind is to fill your dish ¾ of the way to the top. Overfilling or underfilling can produce unsatisfactory results for the perfect casserole. Overfilling the casserole dish can cause ingredients to spill out when the dish is cooking, and underfilling it can burn the ingredients and leave you with a dry casserole.
Substitute
Don’t have any cream of tartar on hand and wondering how to substitute it? Substituting plain, fat-free Greek yogurt in place of cream of tartar is a great way to cut back on sodium in the dish and sneak in some protein. Not only is it a practical nutritious substitute, but you might also have yogurt waiting in your fridge already, which saves you a trip to the grocery store!
