Plant-Based 'Tuna' Pasta Bake — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Plant-Based 'Tuna' Pasta Bake

This one holds a really special place for us because it scratches that comforting, nostalgic itch of a classic tuna pasta bake without any of the fish. We've been making versions of this for years and honestly, the chickpea 'tuna' filling is so good that people are always surprised when they find out what's in it. You get that creamy, savoury, slightly briny flavour from the capers and dill, all wrapped up in perfectly cooked fusilli with a golden, bubbling top. It's the kind of dinner that feels like a proper treat but comes together in 45 minutes. Make this tonight and we promise it'll go straight into your regular rotation.

Cook: 45 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large lasagne dish
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Potato masher
  • Microplane or fine grater
  • Tin foil

Ingredients

  • 400g fusilli pasta
  • 200g plant-based cheese
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 1 tbsp dill
  • 1 tbsp caper brine
  • 3 tbsp plant-based mayonnaise
  • 480g can of chickpeas
  • 1 small red onions
  • 1 small celery stick
  • 165g sweetcorn
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 clove garlic cloves
  • 10g parsley
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 2 x 400g can(s) of chopped tomatoes
  • Juice of 1 lemon - zest & juice

Method

1

First, get the pasta boiling

  • Put a saucepan on the stove, pour in the boiling water from the kettle, turn up the heat, add a generous pinch of salt and cook the fusilli until al dente (8 minutes)
  • Peel and finely slice dice the red onion
  • Finely slice the celery
  • Roughly chop the capers
  • Finely slice the dill
2

Prepare the "tuna"

  • Pour the chickpeas into a large mixing bowl and mash them with a potato masher
  • Pour the onion, celery, capers, dill and sweet corn into the bowl and stir them into the chickpeas
  • Pour in the caper brine, white wine vinegar and plant-based mayo
  • Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, catching any pips with your other hand
  • Stir everything together, taste and season to perfection
3

Next, prepare the tomato sauce ingredients

  • Peel and finely dice the red onion
  • Peel and grate the garlic
  • Pick the leaves off the parsley, put to one side and finely slice the stalks
  • Zest the lemon
4

Cook the tomato sauce

  • Warm some olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, pour in the red onions and cook for 5 minutes until translucent
  • Add the garlic and parsley stalks to the pan and stir them into the onions for 2 minutes
  • Add the tomato puree, chilli flakes and paprika to the pan and stir for 1 minute
  • Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan, turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 6-8 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened
  • Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan catching any pips with your other hand
  • Taste the sauce, season to perfection with salt and pepper and take the pan off the heat
5

Assemble the pasta bake

  • Pour the cooked pasta into the lasagne dish and drizzle with olive oil
  • Pour the chickpea tuna and tomato sauce over the pasta
  • Grate half the plant-based cheese over the sauces
  • Fold everything together so the pasta is well covered
  • Grate the remaining plant-based cheese over the top of the pasta
  • Cover the lasagne dish with tin foil, put the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes
  • Remove the dish from the oven, serve up the pasta into 6 bowls
  • Garnish with the parsley leaves and serve with a side salad

Tips & Variations

  • Nail the pasta texture: Cook your fusilli until just al dente, it'll carry on cooking in the oven so pulling it slightly early means you won't end up with a mushy bake.
  • Caper and dill are non-negotiable: We know it might be tempting to skip them if you don't have them in, but they're what give this its classic tuna bake flavour. Grab them, it's worth it.
  • Make it your own: Henry always adds a generous handful of frozen peas into the mix for a bit of sweetness and colour. Chuck in whatever veg you've got knocking around and it'll still be great.

Why This Works

The trick is in how you treat the chickpeas. Mashing them gives you that flaky, chunky texture that really does feel like tuna, and the capers and dill do a brilliant job of bringing that classic tuna pasta bake flavour without any fish involved. Trust us on this one, it sounds simple but the combination is genuinely magic.