Empadão de atum

Empadão de atum is the weeknight hero of Portuguese home cooking: canned tuna and vegetables under a blanket of nutmeg-scented mashed potatoes, baked until the top turns golden. Humble ingredients, honest comfort.

This version adds eggplant to the filling, which melts into the tuna and gives the pie a silkier, more generous texture — a trick worth stealing for other empadões too.

It is easy to adapt (swap the vegetables, change the protein, top it with cheese) and even easier to make ahead: assemble it, keep it in the fridge, and bake when hunger strikes. Serve with a side salad and dinner is done.

Empadão de Atum Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: 50 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~283 per serving

Ingredients

• 1⅓ pounds potatoes (about 4 medium)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 eggplants
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 jar or 2 cans (about 10 oz) tuna in water, drained
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Chopped parsley, to taste
• Scant ½ cup milk, hot
• Nutmeg, to taste
• 1 egg yolk, for brushing

Instructions

1. Wash the potatoes, halve them and cook in salted water until tender.
2. Meanwhile, trim the eggplants and slice them into thin strips.
3. Finely chop the onion and garlic, and shred the drained tuna with a fork.
4. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and eggplant until soft. Add ¾ cup water and bring to a boil.
5. Off the heat, stir in the tuna and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Peel the cooked potatoes and pass them through a food mill (or ricer) to make a mash.
7. Beat the hot milk into the mash and season with nutmeg.
8. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the tuna mixture in a baking dish, cover with the mashed potatoes and smooth the top.
9. Brush with the egg yolk and bake about 20 minutes, until golden.
10. Serve hot with a side salad.

Recipe Notes

• Carrots, peas, corn, spinach or bell pepper are all easy additions — cook them with the onion first.
• A layer of grated cheese on top of the mash makes a beautiful crust.
• Salmon, shredded chicken or ground beef can replace the tuna — cook the protein before it goes into the filling.
• The pie can be assembled ahead and refrigerated; add a few minutes to the baking time.