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.