A delicious combination of pasta, tuna, cream cheese and sweetcorn, this Super Simple Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake is unbelievably quick and easy to make, but always tastes amazing! Ready in just 25 minutes, it’s perfect for busy weeknight evenings when you’re short on time but still want to eat well.
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Easiest ever creamy tuna pasta bake!
This creamy tuna pasta bake is super easy thanks to one ‘cheat’ ingredient: I use cream cheese to give it that creamy flavour. This means you don’t have to make a creamy sauce, or dirty a separate pan!
I also don’t use any onions, peppers, mushrooms etc. so there is no chopping or frying required. (Although, of course, you can add in these extras in if you want to!)
How to make Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake – the easy peasy way
All you need to do is cook and drain your pasta, then stir in tinned tuna, cream cheese, tinned sweetcorn, grated cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard and black pepper. Pop it all in an oven proof dish, scatter over some more grated cheddar, and bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned. Easy peasy!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What is the best cream cheese to use for tuna pasta bake?
You can use any brand of cream cheese for this recipe, but I recommend using Philadelphia Full Fat Cream Cheese*.
What to serve with Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
This Easy Creamy Tuna Pasta bake can be eaten on its own, as it is a full meal in its own right. But I like to serve it with a generous side salad.
If you are feeling the need for extra carbs, then I recommend serving it with garlic bread.
What to drink with Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake goes really well with Chardonnay – both oaked and unoaked styles work well. But personally, I would choose a Chardonnay with a bit of oomph from somewhere like the South of France, Chile, Australia, California or South Africa.
Other possible options include Soave, Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc.
Personally, I would not recommend a rosé or red wine, as I they don’t tend to pair well with creamy sauces.
Make it your own
This is such a flexible recipe, you can easily adapt it to what you have available in the fridge and cupboards. For example, you can…
- Use tinned salmon or sardines, instead of the tuna
- Use cooked fresh salmon or chicken, instead of the tuna
- Add extra veggies, such as onions, peppers or mushrooms (be sure to fry them first)
- Use frozen peas instead of the tinned sweetcorn
- Use a garlic and herb cream cheese for extra flavour
- Add breadcrumbs to the cheese for the topping
(I’d love to hear about how you have adapted my recipe… Let me know in the comments section below!)
Can you reheat leftover Tuna Pasta Bake?
Tuna Pasta Bake is a dish that’s best served fresh. If you leave it to get cold and reheat it, you will find the sauce all but disappears and the pasta gets a little overcooked.
That said, it’s still perfectly edible reheated! Place any leftovers in a lidded container in the fridge, where they will keep for up to 3 days.
Reheat in your oven (set to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F) for 10-15 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively, you can reheat this Tuna Pasta Bake in the microwave.
Can you freeze Tuna Pasta Bake?
Again, Tuna Pasta Bake really is a dish that’s best served fresh. If you freeze it, and then defrost and reheat it, the sauce will pretty much disappear and the pasta will be overcooked.
But if you can live with those issues, then yes, you can freeze this dish.
Place the cooked and cooled Tuna Pasta Bake in a lidded container in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Super Simple Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 300 g fusilli pasta (or any pasta shape you like: penne and rigatoni also work well)
- 290 g tuna chunks in brine (or spring water) drained (I use 2 x 145g / 10oz tins)
- 165 g full fat cream cheese I use Philadelphia*
- 200 g tin sweetcorn drained (or use 160g / 5½oz frozen sweetcorn)
- 100 g cheddar cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions / your own preferences in a large saucepan. For best results, slightly undercook the pasta. This is because the pasta will cook a little more when baked in the oven.
- Drain the pasta immediately when cooked to your liking and return the pasta to the pan.
- Add to the pan: the tuna, cream cheese, sweetcorn, HALF the cheddar, the mustard and some black pepper.
- Stir everything together until well mixed, then tip into a shallow oven dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the pasta, then bake in your preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until nicely browned.
- Serve on its own, or with a green salad and/or garlic bread.
Notes
- Suitable for freezing. (Though the flavour and texture won’t be as good.)
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Zane says
I normally add crushed potato crisps on top instead of breadcrumbs to provide an extra crunch
Eb Gargano says
Thanks for the suggestion!
Naomi says
This looks delicious! If using frozen sweetcorn do I need to cook it before adding to the mixture?
Eb Gargano says
Thank you! No need to cook first. Frozen sweetcorn is usually sold cooked (do check the pack, just in case) and only needs defrosting / warming through – which will automatically happen in the heat of the pan/oven. Enjoy 😀
Naomi Lacey says
Thank you! This is the new ‘winner dinner’ in my house, finally something everyone will happily eat! x
Eb Gargano says
Aw yay – I am so happy to hear you liked this recipe so much! Thank you for such a lovely review 😀