Tuna and sweetcorn pasta
An easy family favourite recipe that incorporates healthy fish within a tight budget. Use your favourite pasta shapes and feel free to add alternative frozen, fresh or tinned vegetables too.
This recipe is part of a Budget meal plan for four. In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £2.82 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 300g/10½oz dried pasta shells, or other pasta shapes
- 200g/7oz frozen sweetcorn
- 200g tub full-fat cream cheese (also known as soft cheese)
- 145g tin tuna chunks, any kind, drained
- 200g/7oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- ground black pepper
Method
Half-fill a large saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but retains just a little ‘bite’. Stir occasionally as the pasta cooks, so it doesn’t stick.
Add the sweetcorn to the saucepan, cover and return to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes more. Take out a couple of ladles of the water (around 150ml/¼ pint) and put to one side in a bowl.
Drain the pasta and sweetcorn in a colander then return to the pan. Add the tomatoes and the drained tuna and toss together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes or until the tomatoes are beginning to warm.
Pour the reserved water over the pasta, add the soft cheese and stir well over low heat until the cheese melts and coats the pasta. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
If you don’t have any cherry tomatoes, you can use salad tomatoes instead and cut into quarters.
Full-fat soft cheese is the kind you use for spreading or making cheesecakes and should be available in the chiller cabinet of any supermarket.
Use tinned sweetcorn instead of frozen if you like, or swap for peas or frozen mixed vegetables.
You’ll need to serve this dish as soon as it is made as the pasta will continue to soak up the lovely sauce. If you do have leftovers to reheat, add a splash of milk or water before warming