This tuna pasta bake is made for weeknight dinners. It’s horrendously easy to whip up, it’s fairly economical and it uses basic ingredients; all whilst still tasting absolutely delicious 😋 Follow me…
Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake Ingredients
The ingredients for tuna pasta bake are pretty straightforward. Here I’ve tried to strike a balance between packing in the flavour and keeping to what a tuna pasta bake should be – super simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
Pasta – I love using Fusilli for this recipe, but any type of shortcut pasta will do the trick. Tuna – Canned tuna, drained. Passata – This is just pureed/strained tomatoes. It makes a nice thick, rich base for the sauce. Onion & Garlic – Base flavours, both finely diced. Pepper – Bulks out the pasta, whilst adding a little flavour too. Sun Dried Tomatoes – These also bulk out the pasta, but they also pack in a gorgeous flavour that really enhances the tomato flavour in this dish. Bonus – you can use the oil to fry the onion, pepper & garlic! Basil – I love using fresh basil. However, since this is a store-cupboard kind of recipe, you can sub dried basil. Other herbs like oregano also work nicely. Cheese – I use half cheddar (for a punch of flavour) and half mozzarella (for a glorious cheese pull!) Chilli Flakes – Adds a nice gentle background heat.
What kind of tuna to use?
As mentioned, canned tuna works great here. I typically use tuna in oil, but tuna in spring water or brine will work just fine. The main thing I recommend is using tuna chunks, as opposed to flakes. The chunks will hold much better in the sauce, whereas the flakes turn mushy.
Tomato Tuna Pasta
The tomato sauce itself is pretty straightforward. Just a few things to consider:
Simmering the sauce
Important to simmer the sauce for around 20mins. This will not only help thicken the sauce slightly, but most importantly it gives chance for the flavours to marry together.
Al Dente Pasta
As with all pasta bakes, you’ll want to slightly undercook the pasta. The pasta will continue soaking in moisture as it bakes, so just knock a minute or so off cooking time so it’s al dente before mixing with the sauce.
Over-mixing the tuna
I add the tuna in at the last step. You certainly don’t want to simmer it with the sauce, because it’ll practically disintegrate. When you do mix it in at the end, don’t go overboard otherwise the tuna will turn to mush. A few chunks here and there are fine 🙂 Process shots: fry onion and pepper (photo 1), fry sun dried tomatoes and garlic (photo 2), pour in passata (photo 3), add basil, chilli flakes and seasoning (photo 4), stir then simmer (photo 5), add pasta (photo 6), stir to combine (photo 7), gently mix in tuna (photo 8).
Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake
Once everything is mixed and good to go, grab yourself a baking dish get stacking:
Layer 1 – Half of the pasta. Layer 2 – Mozzarella. Layer 3 – Second half of the pasta. Layer 4 – Cheddar.
That way the cheese can run through the pasta, instead of all being on top. The mozzarella turns perfectly gooey in the centre, whilst the cheddar goes golden and bubbly on top!
Can I prepare this ahead of time?
I prefer this fresh, but you can prep ahead if you need to. I just find it comes out slightly drier. Just allow the pasta and sauce to cool before combining, then stack and tightly cover in the fridge. Bring to room temp before baking.
Can this be frozen?
Same as above, but just tightly store in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge then bring to room temp and bake.
What can I do with leftovers?
Allow to cool and tightly store in the fridge for a few days. Reheat until piping hot!
Serving Tuna Pasta Bake
Once it’s bubbling out of the oven, just let it rest for a couple of mins to calm down (or you’ll lose the roof of your mouth!) then sprinkle with leftover basil and enjoy! This is perfect by itself but even better with some Garlic Bread 😉 For the CREAMY version of tuna pasta bake check out my Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this tomato tuna pasta bake shall we?!
How to make Tomato 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:
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