Ideally, you should begin preheating the oven before poaching the tuna, boiling the pasta, or preparing the sauce. Doing so will ensure that the oven is ready for the tuna pasta bake by the time your other ingredients are finished.;
, Fill a medium stockpot halfway with water, then set the pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Allow the water to reach a simmer.


Once bubbles and steam begin to appear, you can continue to the next step. You do not need to wait for the water to reach a full boil.
Note that the poaching step is only necessary if you decide to work with fresh tuna steaks. If you use canned tuna, simply open the cans, drain the water or oil, and set the tuna aside until needed.
 Place the tuna steaks, lemon half, and thyme in the simmering water. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, keeping the water at a gentle simmer.


You can cook the tuna without the addition of lemon and thyme, but these seasonings will give the tuna more flavor and add more dimension to the finished tuna noodle bake.
 Cook the tuna, uncovered, at a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.When the tuna is ready, remove it from the water and gently flake it apart with two forks. Set the flaked tuna aside until later. Discard the water, lemon, and thyme.
 Fill a separate saucepan with roughly 4 qt (4 L) of cold water. Set the pan on the stove over medium-high heat, and bring the water to a boil.


If desired, you can add a little salt to the water after it reaches a boil, but doing so is not strictly necessary.
 Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it for 2 minutes less than the recommended time marked on the box.


Since the pasta will continue to cook while the dish bakes, you should not boil it to completion during this step.
You can use nearly any type of short pasta for this recipe, but cooking times will vary depending on the type you choose. While you should always follow the package guidelines, the following cook times are typically accurate:Egg noodles, regular: 8 minutes
Egg noodles, extra-wide: 10 minutes
Elbow macaroni: 8 minutes
Farfalle: 13 minutes
Penne: 9 minutes
Rigatoni: 12 minutes
Rotini: 8 minutes
Shells, medium: 9 minutes
Wagon wheels: 10 minutes
Ziti: 14 minutes



, When the pasta is ready, drain the water. Set the pasta aside, keeping it warm until the recipe calls for it again.
 Place the butter in a medium saucepan. Set the pan on the stove over medium-high heat, and melt the butter completely.


As the butter melts, tilt the pan so that it evenly coats the entire bottom.
 Toss the chopped onions into the melted butter. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.


When ready, the onions should be wilted, translucent, and more fragrant.
 Sprinkle the flour over the butter and onion mixture. Whisk the flour into the mixture until it soaks up all the butter and becomes thoroughly moist.


Continue cooking the flour for an additional 1 minute, whisking constantly. This additional cook time is necessary to destroy the bitter taste of raw flour.
 Slowly pour the milk into the pan, whisking it into the roux (the butter and flour mixture) as you add it.After adding all the milk, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking the sauce mixture for another 4 minutes or so, whisking continuously. When ready, the sauce should be notably thick.
 Remove the saucepan from the heat. Sprinkle the salt and black pepper into the sauce, then grate three-quarters of the cheddar cheese directly into the sauce.


Mix well to combine. The residual heat of the sauce should melt most of the cheese.
Cover the saucepan and keep the sauce warm until you're ready to use it again. Ideally, the sauce should be the last component you prepare before putting the entire bake together.
 Thoroughly and evenly stir together the prepared tuna, pasta, sauce, and vegetables in a large bowl. Immediately pour the combined ingredients into the prepared baking dish.


The mixture will be thick, so you should use the back of the mixing spoon to spread it evenly into the pan.
 In a small bowl, mix together the unseasoned bread crumbs and the olive oil. Continue stirring until the crumbs have completely soaked up the oil.
 Grate the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of the tuna bake, then sprinkle the freshly chopped parsley over it. Cover everything with the moistened bread crumbs.


Leave the baking dish uncovered. The cheese and breadcrumbs need to be exposed to the direct heat of the oven.
 Place the filled baking dish in the preheated oven. Cook the tuna pasta bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown and the edges begin to bubble.


To prevent the bake from burning, check through the window of the oven door every 5 minutes or so, starting at the 20-minute mark. It might be done in as few as 20 minutes or as many as 35 minutes.
 Remove the tuna pasta bake from the oven and let it rest for roughly 5 minutes. Serve the dish while it's still hot.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).Meanwhile, prepare a 13-inch by 9-inch (33-cm by 23-cm) baking dish by coating the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray.
Simmer the water.
Add the fresh tuna, lemon, and thyme.
Poach for 10 minutes.
Boil the water.
Cook the pasta until firm.
Drain.
Melt the butter.
Cook the onion.
Add the flour.
Stir in the milk.
Add the seasonings and most of the cheese.
Combine the prepared ingredients.
Mix the bread crumbs and oil.
Top the tuna pasta bake.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Serve hot.
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