Comments on: Summer Meal Series #7: Tuna, Vegetable, and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

By: Sonja B.

Sonja B. — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:54:35 +0000

I like the idea of adding mushrooms. We are using red pepper, onion and spinach tonight. My Dad has another chicken pasta, similar to this, that uses green olives and is quite (surprisingly) tasty.

By: DOTTIE

DOTTIE — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:33:52 +0000

A “secret” my mother taught be with cheese sauce is that you when you use cheddar cheese add just one slice of American to make it melt smoother. I do this every time and it is wonderful. I’m not a big fan of American cheese but just adding a slice is almost tasteless in the cheddar.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:40:21 +0000

I am blessed (cursed?) with a husband who’s a great cook, so I rarely have to cook for our family myself, but last night I took a chance on this recipe because it looked so good. The verdict? I loved it – and so did my husband and my two-year-old son. Two thumbs up – and SO CHEAP TO MAKE! Love it. Thanks again.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:06:12 +0000

If your sauce is grainy, you didn’t stir it long enough. Keep stirring it until it’s really smooth, it takes a couple minutes for it to smooth out.

Ug, American “cheese”? No thanks. Colby has a similar taste, melts nicely, and actually comes from an animal product.

By: Meg

Meg — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:02:57 +0000

This recipe looks great.
Do you bake alot in the Summer?
I try NOT to use the oven in the Summer to help conserve energy.
We use the crockpot alot, and if I decide to bake, it is early morning while it’s still cool outside with the windows wide open.

By: John

John — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:39:10 +0000

This looks fantastic. I can taste it through the computer. My wife is not a tuna fan so I am going to have to make this for myself.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:38:43 +0000

Not really related to this post, but Trent, i’m thinking of making my own yoghurt. Have you ever tried this?

By: Cheri

Cheri — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:11:07 +0000

@Brittany I have to agree with you. I too usually enjoy these posts but I’m not feeling this series either..I also don’t want to eat celery (since when is it a fruit) frozen with peach yogurt either! Yuck! Trent I really do enjoy reading “The Simple Dollar” but honestly, this recipe and many others you post could be a whole hella lot healthier by using low-fat, low-sodium, skim/soy milk, whole wheat pasta, etc..

By: Peggy

Peggy — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:29:41 +0000

Hi Trent, I think this is a great recipe, and I love the pictures to go along with it. These make it seem like this is easy, I can do this.
As for the other ingrates here that are doing nothing but complaining, I would recommend they just remove themselves from your mailing list, and they won’t have to be bothered with it anymore.

Keep up the good work.

By: Ashby

Ashby — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:03:56 +0000

Started this recipe and discovered that the can I thought was tuna, was actually chicken. Used it anyway, and the result was delicious. I’ll try it again and use tuna next time, but for those who don’t like tuna (or have kids or spouses that don’t) the canned chicken was great.

By: Systemizer

Systemizer — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:34:14 +0000

Either everything’s gigantic, or that’s a dessert fork.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 23:03:40 +0000

Looks fantastic…I’m sure there is far less preservatives in this than the boxed Tuna-Helper they sell up here.

To those of you complaining about the American cheese…why not just buy some low fat cheddar? I’m not surprised he used American…even though I have decent cooking skill I always find my cheese sauce grainy when I use traditional cheddar cheese.

Think I’ll try this, I’ve never thought up anything different with manicotti other than spinach and ricotta filling.

P.S. Some breadcrumbs on top would add some great crunch I’m sure.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:19:45 +0000

I second Leah.

Normally, i enjoy your cooking posts, Trent, but this series of them has been rather lack luster.

By: sarah

sarah — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:14:58 +0000

@Jules Agreed, but Trent said they were purposefully looking for something “lighter than tuna noodle casserole” and most posters are reacting to _that_. If he had just said, “hey we made this”, the debate wouldn’t necessarily have focused on less fattening, lower sodium, higher fiber versions.

By: Systemizer

Systemizer — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:20:30 +0000

@Jules:

“everything in moderation”

I used to feel the same way about tobacco.

By: Lodolfo

Lodolfo — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:38:42 +0000

I’d just like to ask people to avoid bluefin tuna as much as possible. It’s on the verge of extintion and fishing companies aren’t caring. They seem to want to fish it into oblivion, so the only thing that can save it is if people stop buying it. I think there was an article published recently on the New York Times about that subject. Here’s a quick explanation but more info can easily be found on the net.

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/smart_fishing/sustainable_fisheries/bluefin_tuna/

By: Leah W.

Leah W. — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:35:08 +0000

I was on board with the fajitas. The pasta sauce didn’t look half bad, although it could’ve used some mushrooms and about 1/2 cup of red wine. But this? Well, I draw the line here. This reminds me of a school cafeteria meal circa 1989. Not good.

By: AliceH

AliceH — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:49:16 +0000

I am making it with canned chicken today (allergic to fish). I rinse my chicken in running water and drain to lower the sodium content, but plan on using american cheese also. This may not be the lowest calorie dish or have the most amount of nutrient values, but it looks good and my family is sure to enjoy it. Keep the delicious and low cost meals coming our way!

By: DeeBee

DeeBee — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:42:37 +0000

I usually prefer only cold tuna but will give this a try with some modifications. I buy no-salt-added tuna to reduce the sodium content. I love the frozen fruit salad idea and will definitely try it.

DeeBee

By: Amy B.

Amy B. — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:59:10 +0000

Love the frozen salad idea – a throwback to my youth, for sure…