A classic tuna pasta bake with a twist. It’s super easy to make, with ingredients you’ll most probably already have in your cupboard or fridge.
What to eat when theres nothing to eat
We’ve all been there, the cupboards are running low, the fridge is getting empty and it’s a few days away until payday. What can you have to eat!?
We live in a world, where everything has to be pretty much made for us. But, with a little imagination, you can actually create some delicious meals with whatever you have left. Even leftovers can make a new meal!
A quick peek in the cupboards and I spot a lonely tin of beans… that’s the emergency tin of beans, it can’t be used unless it’s a real emergency. I’m really not sure what type of emergency would require a tin of beans!? Not sure the phrase “quick, grab the beans” would ever be used either. But my mam always said, “it’s always an idea to keep a tin of beans for emergencies”.
Tuna pasta bake to the rescue
I spot, next to the emergency beans, a full four-pack of tuna. Why is tuna always the one at the back of a cupboard? You can’t go wrong with tuna. It’s one of them tinned items that you buy because it fits in the cupboard just right. One facing of beans, one facing of spaghetti hoops (that no one eats), one facing of soup and the gap that’s left… the tuna fits in perfectly!
We had Tuna, we had pasta and we had cheese. So, tuna pasta bake it was. This recipe is super easy. Super quick and costs next to nothing. You can add anything you want in it really, just make sure you keep the tuna part, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a tuna pasta bake.
Vegetable and Tuna pasta bake
Ingredients
- 2 tins of tuna chunks in spring water
- 500g pasta (fusilli, penne or conchiglie)
- Half an onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 450g of Mixed vegetables
- 200ml single cream
- 250g grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c / gas mark 4.
- Add the pasta to a large pan of salted, boiling water.
- After 5 minutes, add the vegetables and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- In a frying pan add a little oil, then add the onions and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, until the onions, have softened.
- Turn off the heat and pour the cream into the pan, to warm slightly.
- Drain the pasta and vegetables and return to the pan.
- Add the tuna and half of the cheese to the pasta and fold in.
- Add salt and pepper to your liking
- Add the onion, garlic and cream to the pasta and stir gently.
- Spoon the pasta mix into an ovenproof dish evenly.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese to loosely cover the pasta.
- Put the dish in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is starting to turn golden.
- Serve and enjoy!
Dont forget, you can check out my Instagram account too, for more foody photos!
Delicious and nutritious! I basically lived on a pared-down version of this at university and always enjoyed it.
Wow this meal looks delicious, and perfect for this season. Thanks for sharing Damion 🙂
Oh yes, we have lots of emergency tins in our cupboards (tuna, beans, corned beef!) but unbelievably I’ve never made tuna pasta bake before. This looks really delicious and I love that there are veggies in there too. I’d probably grate some courgettes into the creamy sauce and ditch the carrots (which my picky daughter loathes) but this is a fab recipe, thank you, Damion!
Oh yes, grated courgette would be a great addition or substitute.
That looks hearty for a winter evening! And so simple to make too.
I love tuna pasta bake and yet I’ve never made it myself. I think that’ll be changing.
Cora
Give it a go!