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a wooden spoon scoops out a portion of tuna pasta bake in the cast iron skillet
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4.36 from 14 votes

Tuna Pasta Bake

Tender fusilli pasta, chunky tuna fish all baked in tomato sauce and topped with a copious amount of melted cheese. You didn't think canned tuna could taste this good, did you?
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Julie Chiou

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups (120 g) dried pasta
  • ½ medium onion diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 ¾ cup (424 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 15-21 ounces (425 g) canned chunk tuna in olive oil drained
  • ½ cup (56 g) whole milk mozzarella shredded
  • ¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Fresh basil finely chopped for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C)
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil then cook pasta for half the amount of time the box says. It will finish cooking in the oven.
    2 cups dried pasta
  • In the meantime, heat a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil then add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
    1/2 medium onion, 3 cloves of garlic
    onions and garlic sautéed in a cast iron skillet with a wooden spoon
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning, stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat.
    1 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning, Salt and pepper
    tomato sauce in a cast iron skillet with a wooden spoon
  • Drain the pasta and add to the skillet. Toss to coat. Add the drained tuna but do not over-mix. Just gently toss so chunks remain in tact and it doesn't turn to shredded tuna where you can't see it at all in the dish.
    15-21 ounces canned chunk tuna in olive oil
    pasta and canned tuna fish added to the cast iron skillet with the tomato sauce.
  • Sprinkle cheeses on top in an even layer then bake for 25 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through and mixture is bubbly and cheese is melted.
    1/2 cup whole milk mozzarella, 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
    shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of pasta in cast iron skillet
  • Sprinkle fresh basil on top, serve, and enjoy!
    Fresh basil

Notes

If you feel that the sauce is too bitter (it truly depends on brand of tomato so it varies), you can add a bit of granulated sugar to the sauce.
There are a lot of varying cans of tuna and they range between 5-7 ounces, hence the measurement for tuna is a range.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving (330 grams) | Calories: 482 kcal | Carbohydrates: 52 g | Protein: 44 g | Fat: 12 g | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 5 g

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