Tuna pasta bake

A delicious and affordable tuna pasta bake, that's really easy to put together – perfect healthy family food!

Serves: 6

Time to make: 35 mins

Hands-on time: 10 mins

Ingredients

400g small pasta (such as risoni)
25g reduced-fat spread
1 teaspoon dried thyme or dried mixed herbs
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups skim milk
1 cup freshly grated reduced-fat cheese
2 x 180g cans tuna in spring water, drained
1 cup corn sweetcornXkernels
4 spring onions, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

$AVER recipes were costed at $5 or below at the time of publication. We are mindful that seasonal and regional availability and price fluctuations occur - click here for healthy shopping tips for greater savings.

Instructions

Stay Awake

1 Cook pasta following packet directions. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish (see tips). Preheat oven to 190°C.

2 To make sauce, melt spread in a pan. Stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute then gradually add milk to make a thick sauce. Remove from heat and stir in herbs and half the cheese.

3 Add drained pasta to sauce with remaining ingredients. Spoon into baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden. Serve sprinkled with parsley and Warm winter salad on the side (see tips).

Serving suggestion

Serve with Warm winter salad (see tip).

Variations

Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free cornflour instead of flour.
Can be made with whole-wheat pasta and whatever pasta shape you wish.

HFG tip

You will need a large 2.5-3 litre capacity ovenproof dish to make this bake. Reduce the cooking time by about 5 minutes if made as individual servings.

Warm winter salad

This yummy salad goes well with pasta dishes:

Grate red cabbage, white cabbage and carrot. Thinly slice spring onions. Toss together in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Heat for a few minutes then add baby spinach and cook for a few more minutes. Drizzle with avocado oil and serve with pasta bake.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 416 cal

Kilojoules 1740 kJ

Protein 28 g

Total fat 8 g

Saturated fat 4 g

Carbohydrates 55 g

Sugar 9 g

Dietary fibre 4 g

Sodium 450 mg

Calcium 320 mg

Iron 2.5 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.