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Lemon Tuna and Chickpea Pasta Bake

One 9 × 13-inch/23 × 33 cm bake; 6 portions · Active 30 min · Cook 45 min · Total 1 hr 10 min

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Tuna pasta bake does not have to become a dry block after one night in the refrigerator. A light milk sauce, tender chickpeas and a deliberately generous amount of peas keep the filling moist, while lemon goes in after the sauce thickens so its flavor stays clear. The drained tuna weight is specified because can labels describe the fish and packing liquid together. Each portion contains its share of pasta, fish, beans, vegetables and crust; there is no separate side to account for.

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Lemon tuna and chickpea pasta bake with green peas and a golden crumb top.

Drain the fish, reserve the moisture for the sauce

Choose tuna canned in water and drain it well without squeezing it into a dry wad. Break it into broad flakes rather than pulverizing it with a fork. The sauce supplies the moisture the finished bake needs, so there is no reason to carry an unpredictable amount of can liquid into the dish. The chickpeas should also be drained and rinsed before they are folded in.

Give the pasta a little unfinished business

Boil the pasta two minutes short of its stated al dente time. It will finish absorbing liquid in the oven, and the slightly firm starting point helps it survive reheating. Do not rinse it: the small amount of starch clinging to the tubes helps the sauce adhere. Stir gently once the tuna is added, using a broad spoon so the fish remains visible among the pasta and chickpeas.

Protect the portion you plan to reheat

A golden crumb lid is pleasant at the first meal, but an uncovered storage container dries the whole bake. Cool the portions promptly, cover them for refrigeration and add a tablespoon of water before reheating. Heat covered until the center is hot, then uncover briefly if you want to revive some of the crust. Lemon is already measured into the recipe; an extra squeeze at the table is a personal addition rather than a required finishing step.

Ingredients

  • 10 1/2 oz dry penne (300 g)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (45 ml/42 g), divided
  • 1 medium onion (150 g), finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves (6 g), minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (40 g)
  • 2 1/2 cups 2% milk (600 ml/610 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt (4.5 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (1 g)
  • 4 cans tuna in water (5 oz/142 g each), drained (450 g total drained fish)
  • 2 cans chickpeas (15 oz/425 g each), drained and rinsed (510 g total drained)
  • 2 cups frozen green peas (280 g)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml/30 g)
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (4 g)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (45 g), divided
  • 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (60 g)

Set out

9 × 13-inch/23 × 33 cm baking dish, Large pasta pot, Medium saucepan, Whisk, Instant-read thermometer, Fine sieve or slotted spoon for lifting cooked peas

Allergens

Fish, Wheat, Milk. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oven to 400°F/200°C. In the pasta pot, boil the measured frozen peas according to their full packet instructions, then lift them out with a sieve or slotted spoon and drain. In the same water, boil penne for 2 minutes less than its package al dente time; drain. Prepare the sauce alongside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes and garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Add salt and pepper; simmer gently for 4–5 minutes, whisking, until the sauce coats a spoon. Remove from heat.
  3. Stir lemon juice, zest and 30 g of the Parmesan into the sauce. Fold in pasta, tuna, chickpeas and fully cooked drained peas, keeping tuna flakes intact. Spread in the baking dish.
  4. Mix breadcrumbs with remaining tablespoon oil and remaining 15 g Parmesan. Scatter evenly over the filling. Bake 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden, the edges bubble and the center reaches 165°F/74°C. Rest 5 minutes and divide into six portions.

Take the whole portion

Scoop each serving from the bottom of the dish so the sauce and chickpeas travel with the pasta. A container filled only from the dry upper layer will not represent the recipe's intended balance. Six equal portions are easier to distribute before the bake is placed in the refrigerator.

A useful detail

Use plain breadcrumbs, not a pre-seasoned mixture that adds an unpredictable amount of salt. Canned tuna is already cooked; the final temperature check is for the complete casserole.

Another way

  • Replace peas with 280 g frozen chopped green beans, weighed frozen, fully cooked according to their packet and drained before folding into the bake. This is not a short-cooking fresh-bean substitution; a longer packet preparation extends time.
  • Use 450 g cooked salmon in place of tuna, removing all skin and bones; the nutrition estimate will change. Use salmon cooked today or yesterday and safely chilled, and keep the final bake within 3 days of that original fish cooking date.

Keep it well

Cool in shallow containers and refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep up to 3 days or freeze portions up to 2 months. Reheat covered with 1 tablespoon/15 ml water per portion until the center reaches 165°F/74°C. Pack cold with two cold sources in an insulated lunch bag.