Cheesy Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake

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!

Jump 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
• Cheesy Tuna Pesto Pasta Bake

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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:

• traditional Tuna Pasta Bake or our beloved 15-Minute Tuna Pasta with Olives and Capers
• jacket potatoes with Mexican Tuna Salad
• sandwiches (Tuna Sweetcorn Sandwiches or Tuna Cucumber Sandwiches)
• a lovely Nicoise salad
• Tuna Fishcakes
• Tuna and Grapefruit Rice Salad or Tuna Pasta Salad

Need more ideas? Head to our Canned Tuna Lunch Ideas to find the right recipe for you!

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

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!

We also love Vegetarian Basil Pesto Pasta and Red Pesto Pasta With Prawns!

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

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.

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!

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! Or go for extra creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake!

• Tagliatelle Pasta with Feta, Broccoli & Fried Lemon
• Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad With Mozzarella
• 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