Tuna + Spinach Macaroni Schotel

This month I wasn't going to do a recipe either—because I've been swamped lately and (let's face it!) recipes are the last thing on my mind. However, I feel like I would be betraying my commitment by not creating another recipe this month, so here we are! (Sorry for the super long prologue to this recipe!) Anyway—ahem!—today's recipe has no theme whatsoever other than upcycling some leftover tuna from dinner, which makes any cooking experience easier, to be honest. Schotel is basically dutch for casserole and macaroni schotel has been an essential childhood food for many Indonesian children—it dominated my childhood, anyway. It's not vegan/vegetarian-friendly, I'm afraid—sorry to all my vegan friends—and the preparation does feel a bit tedious, but it feels like it can be a future comfort food. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

• 300 gr macaroni
• 800 ml milk
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 100 gr spinach
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 nutmeg, grated
• 200 gr cheddar cheese, grated
• 250 gr steamed tuna, shredded
• 100 gr mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• oregano (optional)

1. Pick the spinach leaves off its stalks and steam it for 5 minutes
2. Boil the macaroni until al dente
3. In a small pan, melt the butter, add in the onion and sautée until fragrant
4. Preheat the oven at 180ºC
5. In a bowl mix the eggs, the sautéed onion and grated cheese, add in the nutmeg and mix well
6. Put the spinach into the mixture, mix well
7. Put the macaroni into the mixture, mix well
8. Add the salt and pepper, then the tuna and mix well
9. Line a baking dish with butter and pour the whole mixture onto it
10. Sprinkle some more grated cheddar on top
11. Bake the mixture for around 20 minutes then take it out
12. Put the mozzarella on top of the half-baked mixture and stick the dish back into the oven
13. Let bake for another 10-15 minutes
14. Serve while hot!

Tips: As usual, make sure the ingredients are room temperature before starting with the mixing. It's not really essential, but it does help ease the mixing process. In this one, I used long pipe-like macaroni, but you can use the rainbow-like macaroni as well. The nutmeg is used to give a typical dutch aroma, while the oregano gives a more Italian twist—I used both and they work perfectly together. The only reason I used tuna was because we have a few leftover, but you can use sardines or mackerel if you want—I would recommend that, because tuna is one of those overfished fishes. Would recommend eating this on rainy days or days when nothing seems to go right. Lass es euch schmecken!