Tuna Pasta Bake with Tomato and Lemon Ricotta
A comforting tuna pasta bake with a rich tomato sauce, fennel and generous pockets of lemon ricotta. Simple enough for a weeknight, but with just enough of a twist to make it feel special.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 596kcal
Cost: 15
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- large frying pan
- Medium baking dish
- Small Bowl
- Fine grater or microplane
Ingredients
- 500 g short pasta such as rigatoni, penne or fusilli
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or grated
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 800 g diced tomatoes
- 425 g tinned tuna drained
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 100 g mozzarella grated
- 40 g Parmesan finely grated
For the lemon ricotta
- 200 g fresh ricotta fresh from the deli
- 1 lemon zest of - finely grated
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan finely grated
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional / 180°C fan-forced.
- Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic and crushed fennel seeds and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes before adding the passata. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, combine the ricotta, lemon zest and Parmesan in a small bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Add the drained pasta and tuna to the tomato sauce. Gently fold everything together, keeping some of the tuna in lovely larger flakes.
- Spoon half the pasta mixture into a baking dish. Dollop over half of the lemony ricotta. Add the remaining pasta and spoon over the rest of the ricotta, nestling it into the pasta rather than completely mixing it through.
- Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until bubbling around the edges and golden on top.
- Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cook the pasta for around 2 minutes less than the packet instructions so it doesn’t become too soft in the oven.
Keep some of the tuna in larger flakes rather than breaking it up completely.
Don’t fully stir the ricotta through the pasta. The little pockets of lemon ricotta are one of the best parts of the dish. Fresh ricotta is especially lovely here - the good stuff from the deli & definitely not the ricotta pre-packaged in tubs. Tuna in olive oil gives a richer flavour, but tuna in spring water works well too. Drain it thoroughly before adding. The pasta bake can be assembled earlier in the day and refrigerated. Allow a little extra baking time if cooking it straight from the fridge. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat beautifully.
Don’t fully stir the ricotta through the pasta. The little pockets of lemon ricotta are one of the best parts of the dish. Fresh ricotta is especially lovely here - the good stuff from the deli & definitely not the ricotta pre-packaged in tubs. Tuna in olive oil gives a richer flavour, but tuna in spring water works well too. Drain it thoroughly before adding. The pasta bake can be assembled earlier in the day and refrigerated. Allow a little extra baking time if cooking it straight from the fridge. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat beautifully.
Nutrition
Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 483mg | Potassium: 729mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 608IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 338mg | Iron: 4mg