Tuna Broccoli Pasta Bake

Tuna broccoli casserole with cornflake topping.

5 from 8 votes

Tuna Broccoli Pasta Bake is the perfect easy weeknight meal your family will love! That creamy comfort food casserole with NO condensed soup and NO mayo! It's a childhood favorite, all grown up with better ingredients! Loaded with veggies like broccoli and peas, a buttery crunchy topping and ready in just 30 minutes!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 831kcal

Author: Meryl Downing

Ingredients

1 pound pasta - large shells (reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining!)
1 teaspoon kosher salt added to the boiling water
3 cups broccoli (fresh or frozen) chopped small
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
¾ cup heavy cream
12 oz can tuna, drained (preferably solid, not chunk - break it up with a fork)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 grinds fresh black pepper
1 cup white cheddar shredded (or sub regular cheddar, provolone, or mozzarella)
2 cups corn flakes cereal
1 Tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large pot, boil water and then add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook pasta shells according to package instructions, about 10 minutes. In the final 3 minutes of cooking, add the chopped broccoli to boil with the pasta. So the pasta will cook 7 minutes by itself and then 3 more minutes together with the broccoli for a total of 10 minutes and finish at the same time.
Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining (a coffee cup works great to scoop it out and add to a measuring cup). Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to the pot. Add in the cooking liquid, peas, ricotta and Parmesan cheese, cream, and tuna. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and then mix very well with a spoon or spatula to combine.
You can bake it in the same pot, or transfer it to a 9x12 or round casserole dish. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and then mix with the cornflakes. Top pasta bake with shredded cheddar cheese, then with the buttered cornflakes. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the casserole is warmed through and the flakes are browned a bit. Allow to sit a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Don't skip the cooking liquid! - Pulling out some of that starchy liquid that the pasta has cooked in is one of the great techniques of sauce making! Just dunk a measuring cup or coffee cup into the water just before you drain it and measure out 1 cup. It thins the ricotta cheese a bit and keeps your pasta bake from drying out in the oven. If you did miss it and pour it down the drain, add some extra cream or milk to give the dish a bit more liquid.

Nutrition