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Tuna pasta bake recipe

4 ratings

Rich and cheesy, this tuna pasta bake recipe is just the type of meal you want to tuck into on a busy weeknight. Using store cupboard ingredients, it’s full of tuna chunks and veg in a creamy cheese sauce, plus quick and easy to make – a great all-round budget-friendly dish. See method

  • Serves 4
  • 15 mins to prepare and 20 minutes to cook
  • 692 calories / serving

Ingredients

  • 350g penne pasta
  • 150g broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 125g frozen sweetcorn
  • 40g butter
  • 40g plain flour
  • 600ml milk
  • 100g mature Cheddar, grated
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 x 160g tins tuna chunks in spring water, drained
  • 120g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 10g Parmesan, finely grated

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2920kj
    692kcal     35%

  • Fat

    23g 33%

  • Saturates

    13g 65%

  • Sugars

    12g 13%

  • Salt

    1.7g 29%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 86.1g Protein 40.6g Fibre 2.2g

Method

  1. Preheat the grill to medium high. Cook the pasta following pack instructions, adding the broccoli and sweetcorn to the pan for the last 3 mins of cooking or until the broccoli is just tender. Drain well, reserving 100ml of the cooking water, and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour to make a smooth paste. Cook for 1 min, then gradually whisk in the milk to make a thick white sauce. Bubble over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened slightly. Stir in a little of the Cheddar along with the mustard and season well.
  3. Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, sweetcorn and tuna to the white sauce and stir well. Add a little of the reserved cooking water if the sauce seems too thick and stir until it is the desired consistency. Gently stir through half the cherry tomatoes.
  4. Spoon into a large baking dish and smooth the surface. Scatter with the remaining grated Cheddar and the Parmesan.
  5. Top with the remaining cherry tomatoes and grill for 5-6 mins or until the cheese on top is golden and melted, and the dish is piping hot throughout. Serve immediately.

Tip: Frozen spinach or peas would also work instead of the broccoli. Defrost a handful of frozen spinach, drain any excess liquid and stir into the white sauce before adding the pasta. If using peas, just stir the frozen peas directly into the hot white sauce to defrost.

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