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I love an easy gluten free pasta recipe, and this gluten free tuna pasta bake is one of my childhood favourites.
I remember my mum making tuna and pasta, and although I’ve revamped it slightly to give it my own twist, it’s still an absolute classic that takes me right back.
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s soooo cheap to make. One tin of tuna can stretch to feed 4-6 people, so you’ve got a hearty meal at a low cost.
If you’re looking for a budget meal idea which is ready in 30 minutes, then you have absolutely come to the right place.
An easy gluten free pasta recipe
When it comes to gluten free pasta recipes, this one is pretty much as easy as it gets.
You can cook the basic sauce up in the time it takes for the pasta to cook, then just add the drained pasta to it and mix.
Topped with cheese and baked in the oven, it’s ready in around 30 minutes with a gorgeous crisp cheesy top.
I flavour the sauce with some dried herbs and add a little ketchup to give it a nice colour and taste. This was always my mum’s top tip!
Sweetcorn helps to bulk it out and add some veg – plus tuna and sweetcorn is the ultimate combination, don’t you agree!?
Overall it’s just so easy to make and it’s something the kids could easily help with, grating the cheese and helping to stir it all together, with supervision of course.
How do I make this tuna pasta bake?
To make this gluten free tuna pasta bake you’ll just need a few basic ingredients.
You’ll hopefully have a lot of these in your cupboard already so it should be super easy to whip up.
There’s a full printable recipe card below with the method, but for your shopping list you’ll need:
- 300g gluten free shell pasta (or the shape of your choice!)
- 30g butter
- 30g gluten free plain flour
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 450ml full fat milk
- 1 x 160g tin of tuna (drained)
- 150g tinned sweetcorn
- 200g grated mature Cheddar cheese (Plus a handful extra for topping)
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
The herbs can be switched up for whatever you have in the cupboard – or just use salt and pepper if you don’t have them – but they do add a lovely subtle flavour.
You can also omit the cheese from the sauce if you’re not a fan but I put cheese with everything so I definitely include as much as possible!
I haven’t tried this as a dairy free sauce but I’m sure you could easily substitute it with dairy free spread, milk and cheese to make this a gluten and dairy free pasta bake.
Eating gluten free on a budget
The reason I love this meal so much is simply because eating gluten free can be expensive some of the time – but this is a really cheap dinner to make.
When shopping for gluten free pasta, it’s definitely worth checking out if there are any deals.
Generally you can get a bag of own-brand supermarket pasta for around £1 but sometimes they’re on offer for half price (ish) so it’s worth stocking up.
Tins of tuna are also relatively cheap (buy as ethical as you can afford!) and tinned sweetcorn again costs pennies.
I do love to bulk meals out with veggies to spread the cost – you could make this stretch even further by adding some tinned tomatoes or even some peas to the mixture too.
Pasta is great because the sauce takes up a lot of space, meaning you can stretch this meal to fit a family with just 300g of gluten free pasta.
I do have plenty of other money saving tips on a gluten free diet which you can check out here.
I also find batch cooking also really helps – you could bulk make this sauce and then freeze it in portions to save on time, money and effort.
My gluten free tuna pasta bake recipe
If you’ve got 30 minutes then definitely throw this gluten free tuna pasta bake together for dinner tonight, you won’t regret it!
This recipe makes enough for 4-6 (depending on if you’re feeding adults or children!) so is a very simple dinner to make for a midweek family meal.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And if you loved it, please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Tuna Pasta Bake
This easy gluten free tuna pasta bake recipe is a failsafe family meal. Perfect for cooking on a budget as you can stretch this to feed 4-6 hungry mouths for a quick, 30-minute meal.
Ingredients
- 300g gluten free shell pasta (or shape of your choice)
- 30g butter
- 30g gluten free plain flour
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 450ml full fat milk
- 1 x 160g tin of tuna (drained)
- 150g tinned sweetcorn
- 200g grated mature Cheddar cheese (Plus a handful extra for topping)
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Preheat the oven to 200'C / Fan 180'C / Gas Mark 6 and set aside an ovenproof dish. While the pasta bubbles away, make the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Once melted, add the flour and mix into a thick paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to ensure it does not stick. Add the dried parsley, paprika, garlic powder and chilli flakes (if using) and stir for another 30 seconds to one minute until all mixed in.
- Add a splash of milk and mix well until it forms into a paste with no lumps. Continue to add the milk around 50-75ml at a time, each time mixing until there are no lumps. Once you've added all the milk you should have a smooth, thick sauce.
- Add the drained tuna and sweetcorn to the sauce and stir well. Next add in the 200g of grated cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Add the ketchup, stirring until it is fully mixed together into a smooth sauce. Turn off the heat. You may want to taste it at this point and add some salt and black pepper if you feel it needs some extra seasoning.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the sauce. Stir really well until the pasta is coated, and then pour the whole thing into the ovenproof dish, spreading it out evenly. Top with the grated cheese and cook for around 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve hot.
Notes
- My mum used to always serve this up with a good helping of peas, if you want an extra bit of veg with your dinner!
- You can also try adding crushed up gluten free ready salted crisps with your cheese for the topping, or add some slices of tomato before placing the bake in the oven.
- Can also be served without baking if you're short on time!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 654Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 501mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 37g
Need some more gluten free meal inspiration?
If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try? They’re perfect for baking away all of your troubles.
- Chickpea and sweetcorn fritters (vegan)
- Vegan and gluten free chickpea curry
- The ULTIMATE potato salad recipe
- Easy spinach pasta with ‘no cook’ sauce
Giving this recipe a go? Let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this recipe? Pin these recipe cards below for later!
Oh wow Sarah, you’ve done it again! What a smashing meal and so super yummy! Plates were definitely all clean 😋
It’s tricky making pasta at my hoiuse. My husband is allergic to wheat so he is on a gluten free diet. I cannot tolerate rice pasta and am allergic to most of the other gluten free flours/pastas he uses, so If I have pasta I use wheat based noodles.
Thus, I attempted to make a 1/2 batch for him by using a box of Annie’s Gluten Free mac and cheese shells and adapting the instructions for it using most of the ingredients and 1/2 the amounts from this recipe. I did swap out the paprika and chili flakes and used cilanteo and turmeric instead to suit his tastes. It turned out “really good” he said. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
That does sound tricky – but I’m glad you managed to make this and it was a hit!
I’ve never come across GF she’ll pasta – where do you buy yours please? Thanks 🙏