Cheesy tuna spinach pasta bake in pink sauce
This easy recipe for tuna spinach pasta bake is a wonderfully complete meal that can be served on for dinner, at a picnic, or potluck.
Main ingredients:
 | Penne pasta – I’m using penne, but you can use any other type of pasta such as farfelle, fusilli, rotini, rigatoni, etc. |
 | Spinach – fresh or baby spinach |
 | Tuna – low-sodium canned tuna |
 | Grated cheese – any type of grated cheese such as gruyère, cheddar, emmental, parmesan, etc. I’m using cheddar and emmental. |
For the Pink sauce:
 | Heavy cream – any type of heavy cream or crême fraiche |
 | Tomato sauce – tomato coulis or any other type of tomato sauce such as marinara, etc. |
 | Garlic powder or flakes |
 | Basil – dried basil or fresh |
 | Oregano – dried oregano |
 | Thyme – dried thyme or fresh |
 | Pinch of salt and pepper |
Canned tuna is one of the easiest ingredients to experiment with and to always have in your pantry. It works as a meat substitute, with plenty of flavor and protein to any dish.
And one of my favorite ways to use tuna is in a pasta bake with oodles of cheese, a creamy sauce, and of course some spinach to get those veggies in.
This tuna pasta bake is quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious. The tuna, spinach and cheese are all baked together in one dish until the fresh spinach is just wilted and the cheese has melted.
It is a dish you can easily serve for dinner, take to a potluck, or even serve cold at a picnic, to the delight of all your family and friends.
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Tuna and spinach pasta bake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 g of penne pasta (0.9 lb)
- 1 cup of fresh spinach
- 5 oz can of tuna (140 g)
- 1 cup grated cheese eg. parmesan, gruyère, cheddar, emmental, etc.
Pink Pasta sauce
- 3/4 cup of crême fraiche or heavy cream
- 3/4 cup of tomato coulis or tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot on the stove, cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for the pink sauce.
- Chop the spinach and drain the tuna from the can.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain the pasta and place it in a large casserole dish.
- Layer the spinach and tuna between the cooked pasta.
- Top the casserole with the pink sauce mix it into the pasta bake.
- Preheat the oven at 375°F (190°C).
- Sprinkle the top layer with shredded cheese, added liberally.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese on top looks cooked and golden brown.
- Serve while warm.
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve with it?
You can serve this tuna spinach pasta bake and cheese with a salad like this tuna corn salad with greens or a starter like tomato tartare.
How to store it?
If you do want to prepare this tuna spinach pasta bake in advance, let it cool completely and place it in an airtight glass container. However, it is not a dish that freezes very well because the pasta gets soggy, so I don’t recommend it.
