Creamy Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake is an easy budget-friendly family meal that's ready in just over 30 minutes. It can also be made from store cupboard or pantry ingredients which makes it a great go-to on busy days. Instead of a heavy cheese-based sauce, I've used a tomato sauce, thickened with a little soft cream cheese all topped off with a gooey cheesy topping.
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Pasta bakes are great family-friendly one-pot dishes and a tuna pasta bake is budget friendly and full of protein. I've kept this recipe fairly simple to make it an easy go-to recipe for busy days.
For a different fish pasta bake that's equally as budget-friendly, try my Creamy Smoked Mackerel Pasta Bake, or for a meat version my Creamy Sausage and Vegetable Pasta Bake
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Ingredients
- Pasta - Use any pasta shapes such as penne, fusilli, rigatoni, or swirls for examples.
- Tinned or Canned Tuna - is widely available, fairly cheap, and can be bought in vegetable oil, brine, or spring water. You may find that tuna in oil has a slightly stronger taste than the ones in brine or spring water. This is because none of the oil from the tuna is lost in the vegetable oil.
- Cream Cheese - A soft cream cheese such as Philadelphia helps to thicken up the sauce and also adds a nice creamy texture. Using a low-fat version will give you the same flavour but is healthier than a full-fat version. If you don't want to use cream cheese, you can leave it out.
- Cheese - For the topping, I've used grated or shredded mozzarella cheese as it has a nice gooey texture when melted and a mild taste which is fine as tuna has such a strong flavour. You can use any hard-grated cheese such as cheddar. Buying cheeses that are already grated is an easy option, but you should be aware that packet-grated cheeses contain additives to stop it from clumping together in the bag which also means it won't melt as well as a cheese that you grate yourself.
- Spinach - I've added some spinach to the pasta bake as it's such an easy vegetable to add and takes no cooking.
- Tinned or Canned tomatoes - buy the best quality you can afford. Cheaper versions will have a higher water content which will make your sauce thinner or more watery.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water two minutes short of the packet instructions, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes
Add the canned chopped tomatoes and stir in the cream cheese. This will take a couple of minutes to melt and mix with the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 2 minutes.
Add the spinach, tuna, and pasta to the pan and stir until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.
Transfer to a casserole dish, sprinkle the grated or shredded cheese over the top making sure the top is lightly covered, and bake for around 20 minutes.
Hint: Drain the tuna well before adding to the sauce.
Substitutions
This Tuna Bake recipe is very versatile and there are several substitutions you can easily make.
- Tinned Tuna - you can also use tinned or canned salmon.
- Vegetables - take the opportunity to use up any vegetables or add in some extras. For example, red or yellow peppers, sweetcorn, mushrooms, spring onions, and broccoli. or kale. Whole cherry tomatoes are also a great addition.
- Cream Cheese - if you want a lower-fat version, you can buy very light cream cheese with just 3% fat.
- Pasta - you can easily substitute wholewheat pasta for a lower-calorie and more nutritious version. Wholewheat pasta has a different texture but contains more vitamins, minerals, and fibre than regular pasta. It usually has a slightly longer cooking time.
Variations
- Gluten Free - to make this gluten-free, simply swap out the pasta for a gluten-free version.
- Deluxe - add crushed-up crisps to the top of the pasta bake with the cheese for a lovely crunchy kid-friendly topping.
- Healthier - to make a healthier tuna pasta bake, replace the pasta with wholewheat pasta. You can also leave out the cream cheese from the sauce. For the topping, replace half the cheese with breadcrumbs.
Meal Prepping
You can prepare Tomato Tuna Pasta in advance and store it in the fridge. If you are doing this, it's best to cook the pasta until 'al dente' or a few minutes short of the packet instructions. This is because the pasta will continue to soften in the sauce. To reheat it, place it in the oven on the middle shelf at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for around 20 minutes until piping hot.
Equipment
You will need
- A large pan to cook the pasta
- A large frying pan to fry the onion
- A large oven proof casserole dish
Serving Suggestion
You don't have to serve this with anything else as it already contains vegetables, carbohydrates with the pasta, and protein with the tuna. However, if you like you could add a side serving of
- peas
- green salad
- garlic bread
Sustainability
When it comes to fish, try to buy fish that has been sustainably sourced. This means making sure it has been fished in a way that is not harmful to other marine life and that protects the stocks of Tuna. The Marine Stewardship Council has a Good Fish Guide which lists all types of fish. You can also look out for their logo on the fish you buy to make sure the fish meets sustainable standards.
Storage
You can store Tuna Pasta Bake in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. You can also freeze any leftovers although the texture of the pasta will be a little softer when it is thawed.
Re-heating
Tuna pasta bake can be reheated and leftovers are great for lunch the next day. If you are reheating a single portion, you can do this in a microwave. If you are reheating several portions, it is best to reheat it in the oven. Cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent further browning. Reheat it at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Make sure your tuna pasta bake is piping hot. You should only reheat it once.
Top tip
As with all pasta bakes, you want to slightly undercook the pasta so it still has some bite. This is because the pasta will continue to soak up the sauce in the oven. Just take a couple of minutes off the packet cooking time.
FAQ
Pasta continues to absorb liquid so the longer it is left, the drier it will become. If you are making it ahead of time, you can add a little extra sauce. You should also cook the pasta for a few minutes short of the packet cooking times to avoid it going too mushy.
Yes, you absolutely can eat it cold and this is a great way of using up leftovers. Add a green salad to make it go further.
Related
Looking for other creamy pasta recipes? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Creamy Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake
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Ingredients
- 280 g pasta shapes organic available
- 1 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade available
- 1 onion organic, peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic cloves organic, peeled and crushed
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes organic available
- 100 g soft cream cheese low fat, organic
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash black pepper organic, freshly ground
- 100 g spinach
- 370 g tinned tuna organic, in spring water, drained weight
- 100 g mozarella cheese low fat, organic, grated or shredded
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water two minutes short of the packet instructions, then drain.280 g pasta shapes
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 1 garlic cloves
- Add the canned chopped tomatoes and stir in the cream cheese (optional). This will take a couple of minutes to melt and mix with the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 2 minutes.800 g tinned chopped tomatoes, 100 g soft cream cheese, 1 dash salt, 1 dash black pepper
- Add the spinach, tuna, and pasta to the pan and stir until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.100 g spinach, 370 g tinned tuna
- Transfer to a casserole dish, sprinkle the grated or shredded cheese over the top making sure the top is lightly covered, and bake for around 20 minutes.100 g mozarella cheese
Notes
Ingredients Notes
- Pasta - Use any pasta shapes such as penne, fusilli, rigatoni, or swirls for examples.
- Tinned or Canned Tuna - is widely available, fairly cheap, and can be bought in vegetable oil, brine, or spring water. You may find that tuna in oil has a slightly stronger taste than the ones in brine or spring water. This is because none of the oil from the tuna is lost in the vegetable oil.
- Cream Cheese - A soft cream cheese such as Philadelphia helps to thicken up the sauce and also adds a nice creamy texture. Using a low-fat version will give you the same flavour but is healthier than a full-fat version. If you don't want to use cream cheese, you can leave it out.
- Cheese - For the topping, I've used grated or shredded mozzarella cheese as it has a nice gooey texture when melted and a mild taste which is fine as tuna has such a strong flavour. You can use any hard-grated cheese such as cheddar. Buying cheeses that are already grated is an easy option, but you should be aware that packet-grated cheeses contain additives to stop it from clumping together in the bag which also means it won't melt as well as a cheese that you grate yourself.
- Spinach - I've added some spinach to the pasta bake as it's such an easy vegetable to add and takes no cooking.
- Tinned or Canned tomatoes - buy the best quality you can afford. Cheaper versions will have a higher water content which will make your sauce thinner or more watery.
Storage
You can store Tuna Pasta Bake in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. You can also freeze any leftover pasta bake although the texture of the pasta will be a little softer when it is thawed.Reheating
A tuna pasta bake can be reheated. If you are reheating a single portion, you can do this in a microwave. If you are reheating several portions, it is best to reheat it in the oven. Cover the top loosely with tin foil to prevent further browning. Reheat it on 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Make sure your tuna pasta bake is piping hot. You should only reheat it once.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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