Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
If you’re looking for a simple, creamy tuna pasta bake recipe, this is the one! Absolutely easy, cheesy and loaded with veggies!
This easy tuna pasta bake is a timeless British classic dish that always gets incredible reviews from family and friends.
Baked pasta is super easy and quick to make, a lifesaver when you need to cook something simple and tasty on a weeknight.
It's one of those fuss-free pasta recipes everyone will love. Family-friendly (picky eaters anyone?), super creamy and so easy to put together!
This tuna pasta bake recipe features chunks of canned tuna, sweetcorn and frozen peas, smothered in tasty cheesy white sauce.
The beauty of this dish is that it calls for a few simple inexpensive ingredients, it's easy to prepare ahead, and freezes beautifully too.
You can double up the ingredients, bake then freeze into portions - It's a really handy weeknight meal for those busy days!
You can also make it ahead and it feeds a a large crowd, so it's perfect for family gatherings and holiday dinners too.
All the good reasons to give it a try, and let it become a new family favorite!
Ingredients
To make this easy tuna pasta bake recipe you will need just 10 ingredients , so I totally recommend choosing the best ones you can find.
- White sauce: This 5-minute béchamel sauce is made with milk, butter and flour. For a last minute pasta, you can opt for store-bought white sauce.
- Tuna: I like to use tuna fillets sold in jars, but any canned tuna will work. Canned tuna in extra-virgin olive oil has so much more flavour than tuna in spring water.
- Sweetcorn: I prefer to use the frozen sweetcorn instead of canned sweetcorn. I feel it has a better, crunchier texture.
- Peas: I recommend frozen peas or fresh peas, instead of canned peas. They're handy, sweet and so flavourful.
- Parmesan cheese: For a kick of umami flavor and extra creaminess, my secret ingredient is Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese), which I add to the white sauce.
- Cheddar cheese: I use strong cheddar for a nice kick of flavor, but you can use mild or medium cheddar, depending on your taste.
- Parsley: This is optional, but freshly chopped parsley adds a refreshing aromatic note to the final dish.
VARIATIONS
This is such a versatile dish, so feel free to add extra veggies if you want, these are some great options:
- Baby spinach
- Finely chopped broccoli florets
- Green beans
- Roasted sweet potato cubes
- Roasted bell peppers strips
- Chopped tomatoes
If you like an extra layer of flavor, try adding some extra spices into the mix.
Red chilli flakes, mustard, onion and garlic powder, will give an extra kick of flavor to your pasta.
How to make tuna pasta bake
This recipe for pasta bake with tuna takes only 5 minutes to prepare and around 20 minutes to cook.
Here's a quick recipe overview with step-by-step pictures. Scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe.
STEP 1. Prepare the white sauce.
Melt the butter, whisk in the flour and make the "roux". Slowly pour in warmed milk and stir on low heat until you have a creamy sauce.
Once the white sauce is ready, stir in ⅔ of the cheddar cheese and ⅔ of the parmesan cheese, and set the sauce aside.
Cooking tip: Make sure the milk is warmed through. Warm milk is the key to make béchamel sauce rich, creamy and silky.
STEP 2. Prepare the tuna and pasta bake.
- Mix al dente pasta with tuna and sweetcorn.
- Add the white sauce.
- Transfer to a baking dish.
- Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
Baking tip: If you want some nice crunchy brown spots, set the baking dish under the grill for 2-3 minutes extra.
Storage tips
- Fridge: Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep well for a couple of days.
- Freezer: Divide the pasta into individual freezer-friendly containers and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Reheat: I recommend reheating the pasta in a warm oven for 4-5 minutes, rather than in the microwave, as it keeps its crunchy texture much better.
More pasta bake recipes
If you like baked pasta as much as I do, here are a few more family favorite recipes:
- Eggplant pasta bake: This Italian classic called pasta ncasciata features pasta with fried eggplant, bolognese sauce, creamy white sauce, and cheese.
- Caprese pasta bake: loaded with Mediterranean flavors, this vegetarian pasta bake combines pasta with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
- Chicken bacon pasta bake: a hearty dish featuring tender chicken, crispy bacon, and pasta, all coated in a creamy cheese sauce.
Did you try this recipe?
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Recipe
Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 400 g rigatoni pasta
- 50 g butter
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 600 ml fresh whole milk, warmed
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- a generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 125 g strong cheddar, grated
- 125 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 220 g tuna fillets in jars (or canned tuna chunks), drained and flaked
- 200 g frozen sweetcorn drained
- 200 g frozen peas
- handful fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan) or gas mark 4.
- Place a large pan of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Lightly season with sea salt, then add the pasta and cook for about 7-9 minutes.
- Look at the instructions on your pasta packaging. See how long it tells you to boil the rigatoni for, and drain the pasta three minutes before this time.
- For the white sauce, melt the butter in your saucepan and stir in the plain flour to make a “roux”, which is basically the base of the sauce.
- Once you have cooked the roux for a minute (don’t let it brown), slowly stir in 600ml of milk, and stir, gently but continuously, until the sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes.
- If the sauce starts bubbling, turn the heat to low and continue to stir until the sauce has reached a silky creamy consistency.
- Turn the heat off and season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste.
- Once the white sauce is ready, stir in ⅔ of the cheddar and ⅔ of the parmesan cheese, and set the sauce aside.
- By this time, your rigatoni should be ready and super al dente.
- Drain and transfer the pasta into a large bowl, add in the tuna, sweetcorn and peas.
- Stir in ½ of the white sauce and mix until combined. You can also add some chopped parsley if you like.
- Transfer the ingredients in a 6x8 inches baking dish, and top with the remaining white sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and parmesan cheese on top, and your pasta is ready to hit the oven.
- Bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown. If you want some nice crunchy brown spots, set the baking dish under the grill for 2-3 minutes extra.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Super filling, super tasty. What more can I say except this will become a favourite of ours.
made this last night it was so delish we all lapped it up not a crumb left for me for lunch . The best was the peas and parmeson cheese such a good idea
Just a question - if I want to prepare this for my parents. Do I cook it all the way through, let it cool and give to them for re-heat. OR do I just prepare/cook up to the oven (and let them cook in the oven)
Hi Stacey, both methods would work well! I would bake it and then hand it over to reheat it, just a personal preference 🙂
Made it for dinner and my family loved it, adding parmesan cheese to the sauce is the key for the best tuna pasta bake!
This is pretty much the same recipe I've been using for years. I love it! It's something my kids would always eat. It works well with wholemeal pasta too. I've started making it with salmon sometimes, which is just as yummy. I either use tinned salmon, or if I've got some fresh salmon, I steam it for 10 minutes, then remove the skin and break it up with a fork.