Tuna mornay is a favourite Aussie weeknight casserole the whole family will LOVE. This cheesy tuna pasta bake is made with our no-fail bechamel white sauce to make it even easier.
Why We Love This
Made with everyday ingredients, this classic tuna mornay recipe is super easy and 100% satisfying. The ultimate comfort food dish!
Like zucchini slice or curried sausages, this is one of those treasured recipes we both grew up eating.
Anyone can make this cheesy tuna casserole pasta at home, and the whole family will LOVE it! The combo of pasta, white sauce and cheesy topping makes it especially good for young kids and fussy eaters.
Tuna mornay is freezable and make-ahead friendly, perfect for potlucks, picnics or parties.
Related: Pasta al Forno / Chicken Pasta Bake / Creamy Sausage Pasta
What is Tuna Mornay?
Tuna mornay is a type of pasta bake or casserole made with canned tuna, pasta, and veggies. They’re mixed with a white sauce similar to bechamel, then topped with cheese and breadcrumbs and baked until golden.
This is a go-to weeknight dinner dish in many households throughout Australia. Both of our mums had it on constant rotations and still make it to this day!
We use our no-stress, no-fail white sauce method (the same one we use in our Greek moussaka ) as the base for the tuna mornay to make it even easier.
While the tuna mornay itself is amazing, the bubbly, golden browned cheese and breadcrumb topping is arguably the best part!
What You’ll Need
- Tuna – Simple canned tuna is the go-to for this recipe. Tuna in oil will have more flavour, but you can use brine or springwater tuna as well. Generally we recommend avoiding strong flavoured varieties as they can clash with the creamy cheesy sauce, but if you find a complementary flavour you like – go for it. Sub with canned salmo, leftover roast chicken / rotisserie chicken, or leftover miso salmon.
- Pasta – We love using penne or fusilli spiral pasta in tuna mornay. Any short style pasta works great to make it easy to portion out. Use a gluten-free pasta if you need.
- Veggies – A simple brown, white or yellow onion is all you’ll need to slice, then throw in some frozen peas and sweet corn, or a mix of peas, corn and carrots.
- Shredded Cheese – Tasty / cheddar cheese is a great choice because it melts well and has a good sharp flavour without being too stringy like mozzarella. Add a little grated Parmesan cheese for even more bite.
- White Sauce – Sarah’s got a knack when it comes to whipping up a quick and easy béchamel sauce. Our version is fast and easy to make, unlike traditional bechamel recipes. All you need is butter (salted or unsalted), all purpose flour (or gluten free flour), milk, shredded cheese and parmesan. Follow the method in the recipe card below, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and you’re good to go!
- Breadcrumbs / Stuffing Mix – You can use regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs. However, our secret tip for next level tuna mornay pasta bake is seasoned stuffing mix (aka breadcrumbs with herbs and spices already mixed right in). You can make your own or use a store bought one to save time. Skip or use gluten free versions if you need.
How to Make Tuna Mornay
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 360°F. Cook pasta for 1 minute less than the packet directions. Drain and add to the bottom of a large baking dish.
- Pop the butter, flour and milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk until the butter has completely melted and the sauce has started to thicken. Whisking will avoid any lumps forming, so you have a super smooth white sauce base!
- Reduce the heat to low, then add in the tasty cheese, parmesan, chicken stock, nutmeg and optional salt and pepper.
- Add the peas and corn and stir through. Add in the tuna and break in up into pieces with the whisk. You can make it as chunky or small as you like.
- Keep whisking until everything is well combined. Allow everything to heat through for a minute or two, then switch off the heat.
- Pour the sauce mix over the cooked pasta and mix it all together in a large baking dish.
- Flatten out the top with the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake for around 15-20 mins or until golden brown.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Baking Dish – A large, shallow baking dish works best to ensure you maximise your crispy cheesy topping!
- Storage – Leftovers will last 2-3 days in the fridge, or freeze for 2-3 months. Always store leftovers in an airtight container.
FAQs
Both dishes can be quite similar, but the main difference is that the ingredients for tuna mornay are mixed into a bechamel white sauce, while tuna bakes don’t use bechamel and have less emphasis on the sauce.
Yep, you can. Once you’ve added the cheese and breadcrumb topping (but before baking), you can cover and pop in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the next day. Allow enough time for the pasta to come up to temperature on the kitchen benchtop (around an hour or so) before you bake it to ensure it cooks through in the middle.
You can serve tuna mornay as a standalone dish, but it’s even better with garlic bread. Add a refreshing side like Greek salad, wafu salad or fennel & orange salad to balance out the cheese and pasta. Use up any leftovers as a toasted sandwich filling the next day.
Sure, a great alternative is brown rice or freekeh, or you could just add extra vegetables for a healthier version.
Variations
- Alternate Topping – Add a layer of mashed potato then top with the cheese and breadcrumbs for an extra delicious topping, similar to a shepherd’s pie or cottage pie. Try sprinkling crushed potato chips / crisps over the topping for even more crunch!
- Garnish Ideas – Sprinkle with fresh herbs such as chives, parsley or basil.
- More Flavour – Season the white sauce with 1-2 tsp of garlic powder, onion powder and/or mustard powder. You might also like to add a splash of lemon juice for hint of citrus.
- More Veggies – Add steamed or baked broccoli, spinach, kale, pumpkin or sweet potato into the mornay mix before baking.
- Add Heat – Stir in a little cayenne, paprika or chilli powder through the white sauce for a subtle spicy zing.
- Cooking Method – This is a great dish to cook in a Remoska Tria. You can make the white sauce in the pot, add the tuna and cooked pasta, top with cheese and breadcrumbs and finish it off with the baking lid!
Try these amazing recipes next:
- Potato Bake – The ultimate cheesy goodness and epic BBQ side.
- Cauliflower Cheese – A favourite alongside our family Sunday roast dinners.
- Choo Chee Chicken Curry Recipe – Spicy Aussie-Thai fusion at it’s best!
- Best Weeknight Bolognese – Another favourite Aussie family dinner.
- Vietnamese Ginger Chicken Stir Fry – Super juicy chicken, so much flavour!
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the white sauce base
- 100 g butter 3.52 oz
- 50 g plain flour / all purpose flour ½ cup / 1.76 oz
- 3 cups milk 750 ml / 26.4 fl oz, full cream
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup cheese grated tasty or shredded pizza cheese mix
- 2 tsp chicken stock sub vegetable stock or even dashi powder!
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the topping
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs 50 g / 1.76 oz panko or our fave – seasoned stuffing mix.
- 1-2 cups cheese grated tasty or shredded pizza cheese mix
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 360°F.
- Cook pasta for 1 minute less than the packet directions. Drain and add to the bottom of a large baking dish.250 g pasta
- Pop the butter, flour and milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Keep whisking until butter has completely melted and the sauce has started to thicken (around 3 minutes). Whisking will avoid any lumps forming, so you have a super smooth white sauce base!100 g butter, 50 g plain flour / all purpose flour, 3 cups milk
- Reduce the heat to low, then add in the tasty cheese, parmesan, chicken stock, nutmeg and optional salt and pepper.1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup cheese, 2 tsp chicken stock, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, Salt and pepper
- Pour in the peas and corn and stir through. Add in the tuna and break up into pieces with the whisk. You can make it as chunky or small as you like. Keep whisking until everything is well combined. Allow to heat through for a minute or two, then switch off the heat.425 g tuna, 1 cup corn, 1 cup peas
- Pour the sauce mix over the pasta and mix it all together in the baking dish.
- Flatten out the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake for around 15-20 mins or until golden brown.⅓ cup bread crumbs, 1-2 cups cheese
Video
Recipe Notes
- Tuna – Simple canned tuna is the go-to for this recipe. Tuna in oil will have more flavour, but you can use brine or springwater tuna as well. Generally we recommend avoiding strong flavoured varieties as they can clash with the creamy cheesy sauce, but if you find a complementary flavour you like – go for it. Sub with canned salmon or leftover roast chicken / rotisserie chicken.
- Pasta – We love using penne or fusilli spiral pasta in tuna mornay. Any short style pasta works great to make it easy to portion out. Use a gluten-free pasta if you need.
- Veggies – A simple brown, white or yellow onion is all you’ll need to slice, then throw in some frozen peas and sweet corn, or a mix of peas, corn and carrots.
- Shredded Cheese – Tasty / cheddar cheese is a great choice because it melts well and has a good sharp flavour without being too stringy like mozzarella. Add a little grated Parmesan cheese for even more bite.
- White Sauce – Sarah’s got a knack when it comes to whipping up a quick and easy béchamel sauce. Our version is fast and easy to make, unlike traditional bechamel recipes. All you need is butter (salted or unsalted), all purpose flour (or gluten free flour), milk, shredded cheese and parmesan. Follow the method in the recipe card below, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and you’re good to go!
- Breadcrumbs / Stuffing Mix – You can use regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs. However, our secret tip for next level tuna mornay pasta bake is seasoned stuffing mix (aka breadcrumbs with herbs and spices already mixed right in). You can make your own or use a store bought one to save time. Skip or use gluten free versions if you need.
- Baking Dish – A large, shallow baking dish works best to ensure you maximise your crispy cheesy topping!
- Storage – Leftovers will last 2-3 days in the fridge, or freeze for 2-3 months. Always store leftovers in an airtight container.
Nutrition
12 Comments
Helen
29/03/2024 at 1:53 pmWhat a delicious dish and recipe!!! 😋
It was a first on our home rotation menu and it was a hit!!!
I doubled the recipe and my substitutes were using sirena tuna in springwater, lactose free milk for the bechamel and the addition of cooked off onion and garlic in the nuttelex butter prior to adding the milk.
It re heats very well and froze two portions… so good!!! 👍
Wandercooks
30/03/2024 at 3:08 pmNice work Helen! We actually made this last night too hehe. Great minds! Love the addition of onion and garlic too, that would be so delicious!
LucretiaBorgia
03/02/2024 at 8:19 pmA1 Comfort Food ladies!
The White Sauce technique is gallingly simple And Works… Well done!
Served with a good sprinkle of chilli flakes, the plates were left clean. 😉
Wandercooks
05/02/2024 at 12:32 pmOh so happy you like the white sauce method! It really is such a game changer. Thanks for the feedback and love the idea for the chilli flakes – definitely trying that on our next batch.
Marjorie Holste
16/01/2024 at 4:09 amI made this tuna mornay last night with some changes because I didn’t have some of the ingredients and because it was 15 Fahrenheit outside I’m sure you will forgive my substitutes. I used 70 percent coconut milk which thickened when I added the mozzarella cheese, tuna in water, drained. I didn’t have breadcrumbs either so sprinkled some sweet paprika on top.
It was delicious. 🙏🏻🌷🇺🇸🇦🇺
Wandercooks
16/01/2024 at 1:47 pmWoohoo! Way to make what you have on hand work for you. Well done! So glad you enjoyed it.
Laura
05/08/2023 at 9:48 pmLove this recipe! We do it with tuna in springwater and it turns out amazing! 😊 Second time I do it and the whole family loves it!
I do use lactose free milk due to allergies but the bechamel sauce turns out great regardless 👌
Wandercooks
08/08/2023 at 7:20 pmAmazing – how easy is that sauce! That’s great to know it works just as well with the lactose free milk too – thanks for sharing.
Dianne Jones
10/04/2023 at 3:32 pmI have been making bechamel sauce for at least 50 years, following the traditional method with varying degrees of success.
I was skeptical when I read the directions in this recipe, so I tried it. It really worked and was so easy. I will never go back to the tedious task of making a roux then slowly adding the milk and hoping for no lumps.
This recipe really is a “no-fail” version. It really is “fast and easy to make”. It really works. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wandercooks
10/04/2023 at 9:34 pmOh thank you so much for your kind words and feedback on the recipe. So happy to hear you enjoyed cooking the bechamel our quick way – it definitely speeds things up in the kitchen and takes away that stress!
Paul
23/09/2022 at 6:30 pmThe tuna in olive oil didn’t appeal to me so swapped it for tuna in brine which works just as well
Wandercooks
24/09/2022 at 5:13 pmHey Paul, that’s a completely personal choice with the tuna. We love the flavour of tuna in olive oil, but we have already mentioned in the post you can use brine or fresh water if you prefer. 🙂