Tuna potato bake
Thin potatoes layered with tuna and sweetcorn in a cheesy sauce, baked until golden and bubbling, pure budget comfort.
- 75 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.32 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups milk, cold
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar, divided
- 2 cans canned tuna, drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 530 calories, 32 g protein, 50 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $2.32 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No canned tuna? Canned salmon works.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F. the potatoes about ⅛ inch thick.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
the butter in a large pot over medium heat and in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 30 sec
the cornstarch into the cold milk until smooth, then pour it into the pot with the salt, pepper and mustard.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Cornstarch lumps in hot liquid. Always whisk it into cold milk first.Add the potato slices and gently for 8 to 10 minutes, carefully now and then, until just tender and the sauce has .
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Stir from the bottom so nothing sticks. The slices should still hold their shape.Take the pot off the heat and gently 1 cup of the cheddar, the tuna, corn and most of the green onions.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
Spread it in an 8x8-inch baking dish and scatter the rest of the cheddar over the top.
for 25 to 30 minutes, until and bubbling and a knife slides easily through the potatoes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 27 min 30 sec
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scatter the rest of the green onions over and serve.
Timer: 10 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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