For my friends in Australia, this is essentially a Tuna Mornay. For my friends across the pond, I believe this is similar to a Tuna Casserole. And for my folks here in the UK, I’m sure you’ll recognise this as a weeknight dinner staple! Follow me…
Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake Ingredients
I don’t know about you, but in this house tuna pasta bake is considered an SOS meal. A cupboard cleanout meal if you will. It requires simple, no-fuss ingredients, but they all come together so beautifully! Here’s what you’ll need:
Pasta – Here I use penne, but any shortcut pasta will do the trick. Rigatoni is also a popular choice! Butter, Flour & Milk – To create the bechamel sauce. Veg Stock – I love subbing some of the milk for veg stock, just for a boost of flavour! Cheese – A nice strong/mature cheddar works best here. Dijon – This enhances the cheesy tones of the recipe. Tuna – Canned tuna does the trick! Make sure it’s chunks, not flakes (flakes turn mushy). Breadcrumbs – I pulse up a slice of bread and sprinkle it over before baking, for a gorgeous, crunchy topping! Any type of breadcrumbs will do the trick though. Sweetcorn – A classic addition to a tuna pasta bake. Salt & Pepper – To season the sauce and the topping. I typically use white pepper in the sauce, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you’ve only got black pepper. Chives – To garnish. These add a pop of colour and flavour!
Creamy Tuna Pasta
Making the tuna sweetcorn pasta is actually a pretty quick process. Just a few things to consider:
Room temp milk
I recommend making sure your milk is at least room temp. Whisking in cold milk increases the risk of lumps and at the extreme, increases the risk of the milk curdling. You can warm your milk in the microwave to speed things up.
Al Dente Pasta
As with all pasta bakes, you’ll want to make sure the pasta is ever-so-slightly undercooked. The pasta will continue soaking in moisture as it bakes, so you’ll need to just knock a minute or so off cooking time so it’s al dente.
Over-mixing the tuna
Just make sure that when you do mix it in at the end, you don’t go overboard; otherwise the tuna will turn to mush. A few chunks here and there are fine 🙂 Process shots: melt butter (photo 1), add flour (photo 2), stir to create roux (photo 3), gradually whisk in liquid then add mustard and seasoning (photo 4), stir in cheese (photo 5), add pasta (photo 6), stir to combine (photo 7), gently stir in tuna and sweetcorn (photo 8).
Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
Once everything is combined, you’ll want to whack it in a baking dish, then top with breadcrumbs. I recommend seasoning the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper (nothing worse than a bland topping to a pasta bake) and also liberally spraying with oil (this will help it crisp and turn golden).
Do I have to add the breadcrumb topping?
The breadcrumbs create a gorgeous crispy layer, to counteract the soft pasta filling. It’s not a deal-breaker, but I’d at least sub with cheese, if only to create a layer on top to prevent the pasta from burning. Process shots: add tuna sweetcorn pasta to baking dish and level off with wooden spoon (photo 1), top with breadcrumbs, seasoning and oil (photo 2).
Are there any subs to make this recipe even more economical?
You get a pretty good bang for your buck with this recipe already, but there are a few ways you could stretch it further:
Sub chives with spring onion. A bunch of spring onions is cheaper and you get a wider use out of leftovers. If you’ve got English or wholegrain mustard on hand, either of them will do the trick. Alternatively, you could sub mustard powder if you’ve got that. Sub canned sweetcorn if you’ve got frozen needing to be used. If you’ve got chicken stock instead of veg stock that’s fine.
Can I prepare this ahead of time?
I recommend making this fresh. The texture is much better. However, if you need to prep ahead of time I recommend draining the pasta and tossing in a knob of butter. This will help prevent it from bloating in the sauce as it rests. Also allow the sauce to cool to around lukewarm temp, then combine with the pasta. Store in the fridge then bring to room temp and bake.
Can this be frozen?
You can just follow above (don’t bake) then store in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge then bake.
Serving Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
To serve, I love sprinkling over fresh chives. They add a final layer of flavour and add a pop of colour. I’d recommend letting it sit for a few mins, at least until it stops bubbling like crazy (otherwise you’ll lose the roof of your mouth). Then tuck right in and enjoy! For the TOMATO version of tuna pasta bake check out my Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake Recipe! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this creamy tuna pasta bake shall we?!
How to make Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake (Full Recipe & Video)
For another tuna pasta recipe check out my Tuna Pasta Salad and Tuna Puttanesca! For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Pasta Bake Recipes
Veggie Pasta Bake Taco Pasta Bake Meatball Pasta Bake Chicken Pasta Bake Broccoli Pasta Bake Chicken Bacon Pasta Bake
