This Jollof Pasta Tuna Bake is an easy-to-make family favourite. Full of flavour and comes together in 35 minutes. It’s the perfect family week-day dinner idea.
Some people make baked beans on toast when they’re too tired to cook. I prefer making Jollof pasta – or what is my Nigerian version of pasta tuna bake, for a whole host of reasons. It’s just as easy to make, a lot more nutritious, and less processed than beans on toast. But apart from those reasons, making Jollof pasta really centres me. Because Jollof is to my Nigerian self, what afternoon tea is to the English.
Growing up in my household in Nigeria, this dish evolved as a way to use up leftover stew, from the previous days Jollof rice recipe – in the same way cheese fondue evolved in Switzerland as a way to use up aged cheese and bread. This principle of waste-not, want-not behind the evolution of this dish, (at least in my household) appealed to my frugal heart, even as a child, and Jollof pasta soon became one of my favourite dishes.
This Jollof Pasta Tuna Bake recipe might not be as easy peasy as baked beans on toast, but it really is not far off on the easy chart. Seriously, all it takes to make this dish is to:
Make the sauce.
Boil some pasta.
Mix it all together.
Throw into oven.
Reach for a glass of wine… or two …or three. I won’t tell if you don’t…
Oh yes, you are going to love this. You are going to have as much time on your hands as you do when making baked beans on toast… well almost. And you are going to have an a-ha moment – the moment you realise you have a new found admiration for pasta.
well, for Jollof Pasta!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 servings | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 35 minutes |
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This Jollof Pasta Tuna Bake is an easy-to-make family favourite. Full of flavour and comes together in 35 minutes. It’s the perfect family week-day dinner idea.
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- 400 g penne pasta
- 100 g sundried tomatoes
- 150 g hard cheese
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic
- 500 g tomato passata
- 3 cans canned tuna in brine 160g per can
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 285 g sweet corn
- 10 g fresh basil
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- Make the tomato pesto by adding 100g sundried tomatoes and 50g hard cheese and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a food processor. Blend till fine and paste-like. Set aside
- To a hot pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Then add the shredded tuna to the oil, and the spices - paprika, cumin and coriander. Fry these together, stirring frequently for between 3 - 5 minutes.
- Then add the tomato passata, and stock cube and sweet corn. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for approximately 10 minutes.
- Then add the tomato pesto, sweet corn and basil. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. While the tomato pesto is simmering, make the pasta following the directions on the packet.
- When the pasta is ready and drained, add the sauce to the pasta, stir to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce. Transfer to an oven-safe dish. Finely grate the remaining 100g of cheese on top of the pasta, then transfer into a pre-heated oven.
- Bake at 180 degrees (fan-assisted oven) or 200 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.
Is this recipe right for you?
The information shown is an estimate, and does not replace a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Did you make this recipe?
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Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #africaonyourplate.
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