From Alice
- ½ stick butter [1], margarine, or other solid fat
- 4 oz (½ container) tofu cream cheese (we use Tofutti)
- 4 cups (1 container) chicken or vegetable broth
- 4-6 Tbsp flour for thickening. (Try Wondra next time.)
- 3 cans tuna (we use albacore in olive oil to avoid undisclosed “vegetable” broth contamination)
- 1 bag frozen shelled edamame
- ½ bag petite baby carrots, diced
- 1 package penne or rotini
- Spices of your choice.
Directions:
This fills one 6-quart slow-cooker.
Chop your carrots and bring a saucepan of water (enough for your pasta) to a boil.
Melt the margarine in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add flour to make a roux. Add cream cheese and stir until melted together.
Slowly add chicken broth, stirring, to keep the sauce creamy and well-mixed. Bring to a boil and cook for at least 2-3 minutes to cook the flour.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta, keeping it al-dente or ever-so-slightly undercooked rather than overcooked. Drain.
Add carrots to a saucepan of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the edamame and cook according to package directions, erring on the side of too long rather than too short. Drain.
Mix pasta into sauce in slow-cooker pot.
Drain tuna and mix into pasta and sauce.
Mix in veggies.
Cook in slow-cooker on low for 3-3.5 hours. This cooks down any extra sauce and melds flavors. An extra 2-3 hours on “keep warm” won’t hurt it, but you might want to stir it once or twice in there.