We get through an awful lot of pasta in our house; partly due to the fact that it’s a free food on Slimming World (dried pasta, anyway), and also it’s one of the boys’ favourites! A pasta bake is always a great idea; you’re able to just throw everything in and have a family dining experience with it. Take the dish to the table, and let everybody tuck in!

Tinned tuna is really quick and easy to add to a pasta bake, and as strange as butternut squash sounds to accompany it, it’s really quite nice! I use sour cream in this tuna pasta bake to make it a bit creamier, but you could make it syn free by using Quark or the like instead.

Ingredients (serves 4 – 3 1/2 syns per serving)

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 1 tin of tuna chunks, drained
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 4 tbsp sour cream (1 1/2 syns per tbsp, but as always make sure to double check)
• 3-4 cups penne pasta (or other chunky pasta)
• salt & pepper
• 40g full fat cheddar cheese, grated (8 syns, or 1/4 HEA)

Method

• Preheat your oven to gas 6/200c/400f.
• Add your butternut squash to a large oblong roasting dish, and coat with 1 cal cooking spray. Give the dish a good shake to coat the underneath of the squash with oil.
• Roast the squash for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through.
• While the squash is roasting, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water until it still has a little bite to it, then drain, rinse and set aside.
• Once the squash is cooked, add the spring onion, tuna, tinned tomatoes, and pasta to the dish and mix well. Add seasoning to taste.
• Dollop the sour cream on the top of the pasta mixture, then stir in until completely mixed.
• Top with the grated cheese and pop back in the oven until the pasta is completely cooked, and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
• Enjoy!

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