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    Home » MAINS » PASTA

    Cheesy Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake

    Published: March 8, 2021 · Updated: June 14, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    A different take on a family-favourite – Tuna Pasta Bake! The dish is transformed with the addition of pesto, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Simple to make, budget-friendly and certainly full of flavour, our Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake is a fancier take on a more traditional pasta dinner!

    Take Me To:
    • Humble Tin of Tuna
    • Does Pesto Go With Tuna?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Method
    • What To Serve With Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake?
    • Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Humble Tin of Tuna

    Tinned tuna is something we always have at home. There are so many things you can do with it:

    • jacket potatoes
    • sandwiches
    • a lovely Nicoise salad
    • Tuna Fishcakes
    • Tuna and Grapefruit Rice Salad

    So many recipes in our repertoire, but this tuna and pesto pasta bake has to be one of Seb’s favourites!

    Tuna and Pesto Pasta bake served in a pale pink bowl, with the rest of the bake in a white ovenproof dish in the background.

    Does Pesto Go With Tuna?

    Pesto somewhat enhances the flavour of the fish, so this recipe is definitely for people who don’t mind strong-tasting fish. We love the pasta with the sheer amount of spring onions, mixed with rich basil pesto and topped with melted stringy mozzarella.

    The idea to first make this dish was born when I tried a lovely salmon and pesto lasagne dish on our holiday in Venice. Fish and pesto was never a combination I used, but it seems to work perfectly with any oilier fish. I’ve opted for a simple bake to show off the amazing combination of tinned tuna and pesto. So here’s our 7-ingredient tuna pesto pasta bake!

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    • pasta: choose the shape of pasta that has lots of nooks and crannies to catch all that pesto. We like fusilli or conchiglie, but penne will work too!
    • tuna: tinned tuna chunks in spring water or brine. Avoid tuna in oil.
    • lemon: you will use zest and juice, so choose unwaxed lemons.
    • green pesto: we used basil pesto.
    • cherry tomatoes: or baby plum tomatoes, cut in half
    • spring onions: finely sliced. Omit the spring onions if you don’t like onion flavour, or substitute with other fresh herbs, such as a mixture of parsley, chives and basil.
    • mozzarella ball: drained
    Ingredients for Tuna and Pesto Pasta bake recipe.

    Method

    Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than stated on the packet and drain, reserving approximately 100ml of starchy pasta water.

    Whilst the pasta is cooking, drain the tuna and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Halve your cherry tomatoes and add to the tuna. Zest and juice the lemon into the same bowl too. Finely slice all of your spring onions, but only add about ⅔ to the tuna bowl. Reserve the rest for later. Finally add the pesto, some seasoning and mix.

    Tuna, pesto and vegetables in a large metal bowl.

    Once cooked, mix in the pasta and 100ml of pasta water.

    Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish. Tear the mozzarella ball into pieces and scatter it across the top. Finally, scatter the remaining spring onions on top. Bake the tuna pesto pasta for 20 minutes until mozzarella melts and starts to brown slightly!

    A spoonful of tuna pesto pasta bake being lifted off of the white ceramic ovenproof dish.

    What To Serve With Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake?

    If you are looking for side dishes for tuna pesto pasta, we have you covered. Try it with:

    • Lemon and Garlic Tenderstem Broccoli
    • Courgette Ribbon Salad
    • Garlic Bread

    Other Delicious Pasta Recipes

    If you like making pasta dishes for weekday dinners, you may be tempted by our other simple but delicious recipes. Looking for something rich and meaty? Try our Pasta Al Forno!

    • Tagliatelle Pasta with Feta, Broccoli & Fried Lemon
    • Squid Ink Seafood Pasta in White Wine Sauce
    • Easy Lentil ‘Meatballs’ and Spaghetti

    If you want something a bit fancier, try making pasta yourself – here’re a couple of articles to get you started:

    • Filled Pasta: How to Make Ravioli, Tortellini & Other Shapes at Home?
    • Home-Made Pasta: Three Easy Pasta Dough Recipes & Ten Different Shapes

    Recipe Card

    A spoonful of Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake being lifted out of the ovenproof dish, set on a black slate board.

    Cheesy Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake

    A different take on a family-favourite – Tuna Pasta Bake! The dish is transformed with an addition of pesto, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Simple to make, budget-friendly and certainly full of flavour, our Tuna and Pesto Pasta Bake is a fancier take on a more traditional pasta dinner!
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine British, Italian
    Servings 4 portions
    Calories 615 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 280 g pasta fusilli, penne, or conchiglie
    • 320 g tinned tuna chunks in spring water or brine (2 tins) drained
    • 1 lemon zest and juice
    • 190 g green pesto
    • 200 g cherry tomatoes cut in half
    • 100 g spring onions (approx 6-7) finely sliced
    • 125 g mozzarella ball drained

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than stated on the packet and drain, reserving approx 100ml of pasta water.
    • In a large bowl, mix the tuna, lemon juice, zest, pesto, halved tomatoes and ⅔ of spring onions. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the cooked pasta and 100ml of pasta water.
    • Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish. Tear the mozzarella ball into pieces and scatter across the top. Finally, add the remaining spring onions. Bake for 20 minutes until mozzarella melts and starts to brown slightly.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 615kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 34gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 678mgPotassium: 515mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1503IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 247mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword How to Make Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake, Pasta Bake Recipes, Pasta Bake with Tuna, Pasta with Tuna & Cherry Tomatoes, Pesto Pasta, Pesto Pasta Bake, Pesto Pasta Bake Recipe, Pesto Pasta Bake with Tuna, The Best Pasta Bake, Tuna & Pesto Pasta, Tuna and Pesto Pasta Bake, Tuna Pasta Bake, Tuna Pasta Bake Recipe, Tuna Pasta Bake with Pesto
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

    More PASTA

    • Pasta Al Forno (Italian Baked Pasta Recipe)
    • Pasta Napoletana
    • Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta
    • 15-Minute Red Pesto Pasta With Prawns

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Casey

      May 14, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      5 stars
      Omg, tuna and pesto are a match made in heaven! We loved this!!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        May 14, 2021 at 3:33 pm

        Thanks, Casey! So glad you like the combination 🙂

        Reply
    2. Shadi+Hasanzadenemati

      September 27, 2021 at 1:56 pm

      5 stars
      I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to try it soon!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 27, 2021 at 8:33 pm

        Gald you found this! Let me know if you like it if you try it!

        Reply
    3. Toni

      May 14, 2022 at 3:29 pm

      5 stars
      This quickly became a favorite at my house! So good and delicious!!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 14, 2022 at 3:34 pm

        Oh wow, Toni! This is the best compliment! Thanks so much 🙂

        Reply
    4. Dannii

      August 16, 2022 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      I love a tuna pasta bake and the addition of pesto sounds delicious.

      Reply
    5. Holley

      September 02, 2022 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      This is a great weeknight meal for the family! Very flavorful and filling!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 02, 2022 at 4:17 pm

        Thanks, Holley!

        Reply
    6. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      October 23, 2022 at 6:06 pm

      5 stars
      This was such a tasty dinner and I really loved the pesto and tomatoes. So much flavour in this dish.

      Reply
    7. dana

      December 11, 2022 at 3:27 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! Tasty, hearty, and easy. The ultimate weeknight win.

      Reply
    8. Beth

      January 16, 2023 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      One of the kids most requested dinners! So much flavour and so easy.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        January 17, 2023 at 9:16 am

        So nice of you to let us know, Beth! So glad your kids enjoy this recipe 🙂

        Reply
    9. Biana

      March 05, 2023 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      This pasta bake looks delicious. Tuna, pasta and pesto are a great combination.

      Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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