Tuna pasta bake is a classic family favourite. It is so easy to make and uses minimal low cost store cupboard ingredients which making it a fabulous, budget friendly dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Our easy tuna pasta bake is a great 'one-pot' midweek family dinner which can be ready in just under 40 minutes (including 20 minutes in the oven). Our recipe can be easily adapted using alternative ingredients. Our recipe already makes enough to feed 8 people but you can double up the recipe again to make an extra batch for the freezer or half the recipe to make a smaller portion.
Pasta bake (or pasta casserole as it's also known), is a fantastic dish where pasta and other ingredients are mixed together with a sauce, topped with cheese and baked in the oven. The result is a dish with a lovely texture with oodles of flavour.
Tuna and pasta go great together and since this recipe uses mainly store cupboard ingredients, chances are you already have everything you need to make it. This dish is perfect for quick and easy week night dinner with plenty leftover for lunch the following day or for popping in the freezer for a quick easy 'ready made meal' on another day.
We made a large batch to ensure we had plenty leftover after feeding our family of 4 so we could freeze a batch for another day. Here is our low cost, easy to make one-pot tuna pasta bake recipe. We have also listed some variation and substitution ideas...
Tuna Pasta Bake Recipe
Makes: 8 servings
Cost to Make: Approx. £6.40
Cost per serving: Approx. 80p
Ingredients
500g pasta (fuselli, penne, spirali... ) (approx. 85p)
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped (approx. 25p)
1 onion finely chopped (approx. 25p)
1 tsp chopped garlic (optional)
2 or 3 tins of tuna (approx. £1 per tin)
2 tins chopped tomatoes (approx. 70p per tin)
1 tin sweetcorn (approx. 65p)
150g grated cheddar cheese (approx. £1)
sunflower or vegetable oil for cooking
Optional Extras
Garlic
Breadcrumbs
Basil or Oregano
Method
Cook off the pasta according to the pack instructions then drain. Rinse under a cold tap to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion, carrots and garlic (if using). Season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Bring to the boil then simmer for approx 15 minutes adding a little more seasoning if necessary. You can also add a sprinkle of basil or oregano if you have any in your store cupboard.
Add the pasta to the pot together with the tuna and sweetcorn and mix together.
Add half of the grated cheese to the mix and stir well.
Lightly oil a casserole dish to prevent your mixture sticking to the dish after cooking, then pour the pasta mixture into the dish. This recipe makes a large batch, so use a large deep casserole dish or two smaller dishes.
Sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese. Optional - If you have any breadcrumbs you can sprinkle some over the top to give a crunchier texture to your dish.
Pop into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for approx 20 minutes or until the topping is slightly browned.
Serve with a salad or sliced garlic bread (optional).
Substitutions
Sweetcorn – Not a fan of sweetcorn? Switch up for another veg such as broccoli or leave out the sweetcorn altogether.
Tuna – Not a fan of tuna? Try chicken instead. Although then it would be a Chicken Pasta Bake! 😆
Variations
Crispier Topping – If you have breadcrumbs in your freezer you can sprinkle them on top of your mixture before putting into the oven to give you a crispier topping. You can try also sprinkling a little parmesan on the top too! 😋
Spicier – If you like a bit of a chilli kick to your food, try adding a few chilli flakes whilst your cooking off the onion and carrot mixture. You can use dried or frozen, whatever you already have.
Quantity – You can of course simply adjust this recipe as necessary. If you only have one tin of tuna for instance, just half the recipe. Or add some vegetables to help bulk out the meal.
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