Tuna Mac Muffins

These Tuna Mac Muffins are a great way to add some protein (and fun!) to your kid's lunch box.

A few months back, I posted my lunch box-friendly recipe for ham & mac muffins (you can find it in the sidebar). Everyone loved them and we have certainly continued to love them in our home. I got to thinking about what other kinds of goodies would go well in macaroni and cheese muffins...then a childhood fave came to mind! Tuna mac is where it's at, man. My mom never made Tuna Mac, but the sweet lady who lived across the street from us always did. And I loved having dinner over at her house. These little bite-sized versions of the classic casserole are every bit as yummy. Check out the easy recipe below.

While macaroni and cheese in a muffin form seems a bit odd...it's actually really delicious. Even my picky-eater-younger-son loves these. We had them for dinner one night and I packaged the rest up for the boys' lunches the following day. And they ALL disappeared! We found that they were good either hot or cold. The tuna adds the perfect amount of flavor to totally give the macaroni and cheese a little zip.

Since I was primarily making these for my kids' lunches, I kept them simple (have you seen and eight-year-old's reaction to "green pieces" in their lunch? Yeah...I just thought I'd avoid all that.) I do have some yummy mix-ins listed in the recipe that would be fun for adults (or even kids with more refined palettes than mine. Ahem.)

You probably already have all of the ingredients for this one on hand. One of the main items is a five ounce can of tuna...I used Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore for my muffins. 

After draining the tuna, you'll want to flake it gently with a fork. Beat up the eggs a bit, too!

Then it's a simple combining of everything into one bowl to thoroughly mix.

I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to divide my "batter" into a muffin tin that's been sprayed with non-stick spray. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to smash it down and flatten it out.

Tuna Mac Muffins
Click here to download printable recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 (5 ounce) can Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore tuna in water
• 2 1/2 cups prepared macaroni and cheese (I use a box mix, but feel free to use homemade if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs + 2 tablespoons
• 2 eggs, beaten
• optional add ins: chopped green onions, chopped red pepper, grated carrot, olives, etc. You can really customize these to be your own.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and flake tuna. Combine macaroni and cheese, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, eggs, and tuna, (as well any add-ins), in a medium bowl. Thoroughly mix. Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop "batter" into a muffin tin sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Flatten out each muffin with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs on top of each muffin. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool for five minutes in muffin tin. Using a butter knife, gently go around the edge of each muffin to remove it from the tin. Serve warm or even cold. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Click here to download printable recipe.

Bumble Bee® Albacore products are an easy and delicious way to add a variety of nutrients to your diet including lean protein, healthy fat, and important vitamins and minerals.

Be sure to follow Bumble Bee® on Twitter and Pinterest for more recipe inspiration.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.