People love tuna pasta bake, writes Neven Maguire. You can also make it with cooked chicken, quality assured ham,or the leftovers from a Sunday roast. I particularly like the addition of peas and sweetcorn and courgettes are also good. This white sauce is a standard bechamel recipe. I like the basil, and dill also works well with tuna. This recipe has rigatoni which is a chunky pasta which works well baked. Alternatively you can use fusilli or penne.

Tuna pasta bake

Serves six

600g rigatoni pasta

50g butter

50g plain flour

600ml milk

250g mature cheddar, grated

2 x 160g cans tuna steak, drained

100g frozen peas

330g can sweetcorn, drained

2tbsp chopped parsley

  • Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
  • Boil the pasta for two mins less time than stated on the packet.
  • To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour.
  • Cook for one minute, then gradually stir in the milk to make a thick white sauce.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in three-quarters of the grated cheese.
  • Drain the pasta, mix with the white sauce, tuna, peas, sweetcorn and parsley, then season.
  • Transfer to a baking dish and top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden and beginning to brown.