Thursday, August 7, 2014

easy tuna pasta bake with corn, red pepper and mushrooms

I was meeting up with a few friends for kopi (coffee) this afternoon so I knew that I wouldn't have time to cook dinner when I got home.

So the smart thing to do was to cook something that only needed to be finished in the oven just before dinner in advance.

That, to me, means a pasta bake!
Since I had red peppers and mushrooms that I needed to use up, I thought I'd make a tuna pasta bake. Which then led me to think about adding sweet corn because corn and tuna go really well together!

Note: I made enough to feed 13 here, so don't be alarmed by the quantities of everything I used! :P

In a hot Dutch oven, I sauteed diced onion in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until the onions had softened and become translucent.
I added shredded carrots and diced red peppers. I cooked this a further 3 minutes, or until the carrots had wilted a little.
I added minced garlic, followed by the mushrooms.
Finally, I added frozen corn.
I seasoned with salt and pepper.
And added the tomato puree and chicken stock.
Then the tuna. I prefer tuna in olive oil, but you can use any tuna you like.
Finally, I added dried oregano and dill.
I stirred everything to mix, and cooked this over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to mix. Remember to check the seasonings!

While that happened, I cooked the pasta. Once the pasta was cooked, I reserved one cup of the pasta water and drained the pasta.

Note: I always take 2-3 minutes off cooking time if I am baking the pasta.

I mixed the pasta with the sauce, and dished this into individual serving casseroles which had been sprayed with canola oil. You can also use one big serving dish if you like!
I topped this with Parmesan and Cheddar.
And baked until the tops had turned golden brown.
I served my pasta with a salad.
But you can also serve this with garlic bread or bruschetta.

Would you believe that I don't even like tuna all that much?
Me neither.

*FACE PALM*

RECIPE
Easy Tuna Pasta Bake with Corn, Red Peppers and Mushrooms (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 carrot, shredded
1 red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 punnet (200-250g) white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup (175g) frozen sweet corn
1 can tomato puree (or chopped tomato)
3 cans tuna
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
500g pasta - I used pasta shapes
1/4 cup (25g) Parmesan cheese
1 cup (125g) Cheddar

Method:
1. Saute onion in olive hot for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add carrot and red pepper and cook for 3 more minutes or until the carrots start to wilt.
2. Add minced garlic, mushrooms and corn. Stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add tomato puree and chicken stock, followed by the tuna.
4. Add oregano and dill. Stir until well-combined.
5. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Cook pasta according to manufacturer's instructions, but take 3 minutes off the cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta water (to dilute sauce if needed), and drain the pasta. Add to sauce and mix well.
7. Dish into casserole dish, top with cheese and bake at 200 for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops have turned golden brown.
8. Serve immediately, with a salad, or garlic bread or bruschetta.


To view all the delicious Baked Pasta that everyone has made, please visit Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, our bake is Plum Tartlets (recipe from Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook, pg 133 orhere). Bake this Plum Tartlets and join us! The linky will start on 21st August until 30th August. Everyone is welcome! 


12 comments:

  1. Hi Diana,

    You are cooking for 13 here!!! Are you having a party? I can't imagine cooking for 13 persons everyday... Oh, I know... I will cook this pasta bake :p

    Zoe

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  2. Diana, besides admiring your bakes and cooks, there's something else I like to look at. Your nails!

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  3. Hi Diana,
    Using tuna in baked pasta is a wonderful idea! I always have canned tuna for "emergencies"!
    I usually used it for pasta but not baked pasta. Your baked pasta looks delicious!
    Thanks for sharing with BA!

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  4. Hi Diana, Yummy! I like all the ingredients in your baked pasta.

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  5. hi diana! seriously this sounds delicious with all that you put in. I like tuna....if i was there, i would need 2 servings of these! thx for linking and thx for the mentioned of our next bake along!

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  6. Hi Diana, I see lots of ingredients in your yummy baked pasta. I love corn, red peppers and mushrooms .... hmm gives me tge idea of vegetarian baked pasta ^-^!

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    Replies
    1. Good idea, Karen! This is a good place to hide all the veg!

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