Tuna pasta bake
A tomato-based tuna pasta bake with sweet corn, spinach and a bubbling mozzarella top. Canned fish and frozen vegetables keep the shopping list short.
Estimated calories and US ingredient costs.
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Ingredients, steps and a live timeline. Ready for 2 people.
Step timeline
Cooking order
10 leftHeat the oven
~1 minHeat the oven.
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Set out a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the pasta and sauce with a little headroom.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Undercook the pasta slightly
~2 minUndercook the pasta slightly.
Add 6 oz pasta to the boiling water.
Cook for 2 minutes less than its package al dente time; it will finish in the sauce.
Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
Ingredients
- 6 ozDry short pasta
Start the tomato sauce
~7 minStart the tomato sauce.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add 1 tsp garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Add 14 oz tomatoes, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
Simmer for 6 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tbspOlive oil
- 1 tspGarlic
- 14 ozCrushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tspDried oregano
- 1/4 tspKosher salt
- 1/8 tspBlack pepper
Add the tuna and vegetables
~2 minAdd the tuna and vegetables.
Fold 5 oz tuna, 1/2 cup frozen corn and 1 cup spinach into the sauce.
Cook 2 minutes until the spinach wilts, breaking the tuna into large flakes.
Ingredients
- 5 ozCanned light tuna in water
- 1 cupBaby spinach
- 1/2 cupFrozen corn
Fill the dish
~1 minFill the dish.
Stir the drained pasta into the sauce.
Add enough reserved pasta water to make it slightly looser than you want to serve.
Spoon into the baking dish and scatter 2 oz mozzarella over the top.
Ingredients
- 6 oz total for recipeDry short pasta
- 2 ozShredded mozzarella
Bake until bubbling
~15 min cookBake until bubbling.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles at the edges
Bake longer if needed
After ~15 minCheck that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer; bake longer if needed.
Rest and serve
~5 min cookRest
Let the pasta bake rest for 5 minutes before spooning onto serving plates.
The center will be very hot.
Check pasta
After ~5 minCheck Tuna pasta bake and continue when ready.
Serve meal
~1 minOnce all dishes are cooked and ready, plate and serve the meal together.
Tuna pasta bake: serve.
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Ingredients
For 2 people
- 6 oz dry short pasta
- 5 oz canned light tuna in water, drained
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 2 oz shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Method
- Heat the ovenHeat the oven to 400°F. Set out a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the pasta and sauce with a little headroom. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Undercook the pasta slightlyAdd 6 oz pasta to the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes less than its package al dente time; it will finish in the sauce. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
- Start the tomato sauceHeat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add 14 oz tomatoes, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Simmer for 6 minutes.
- Add the tuna and vegetablesFold 5 oz tuna, 1/2 cup frozen corn and 1 cup spinach into the sauce. Cook 2 minutes until the spinach wilts, breaking the tuna into large flakes.
- Fill the dishStir the drained pasta into the sauce. Add enough reserved pasta water to make it slightly looser than you want to serve. Spoon into the baking dish and scatter 2 oz mozzarella over the top.
- Bake until bubblingBake for 12–15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles at the edges. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer; bake longer if needed.
- Rest and serveLet the pasta bake rest for 5 minutes before spooning onto serving plates. The center will be very hot.
Before you cook
What to get ready
The recipe's baking dish, saucepan or skillet for the filling, oven mitts and thermometer.
Drain the tuna well and stop boiling the short pasta while it still has a firm center; it finishes in tomato sauce.
If something needs adjusting
Top browns before the middle heats
Cover loosely with foil and continue until the center is hot; an uncovered deep dish can brown unevenly.
A larger batch heats unevenly
Use a second shallow dish rather than making a much deeper casserole. Check the center, not only the bubbling edges, before serving.
Store for later
Portion the cooked casserole into shallow containers for prompt chilling. Reheat the center to 165°F, covering if the topping browns too soon.
Refrigerate perishables within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep the fridge at 40°F or below; use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. USDA storage and reheating guidance.
Make the ingredients go further
Use leftover mozzarella on a pizza rather than buying a second cheese.
Next use for your ingredients: Margherita pizza →
Calculate this meal with your own prices →
Cooking notes updated October 24, 2026. How we create recipes.
Tips, swaps and questions
A little kitchen know-how
A shallow dish heats more evenly than a deep one. Keep some pasta water in reserve in case the sauce thickens before it goes into the oven.
Make it work for you
Use peas in place of corn. This is a tomato-sauce bake; adding cream is unnecessary for the sauce to cling to the pasta.
Use the rest of your pasta in pasta primavera.
Can I assemble this pasta bake ahead?
You can assemble and refrigerate it promptly for baking later the same day. A cold dish takes longer to heat; follow the dish maker’s oven instructions and check for 165°F at the center.
Times are estimates. Check ingredients for allergens. For safe temperatures and storage, see FoodSafety.gov.