During the autumn months, comfort food should always be on the card. Pasta is one of those foods that can help warm the coldest of insides.
However, to take a plain old tuna pasta bake to the next level, chef and former MasterChef champion Brin Pirathapan shared his secret ingredients to help elevate the humble dish. Brin became MasterCher champion back in 2024, championing flavours from his Tamil heritage. He also recently announced the launch of his debut cookbook, Elevate.
In a recent TikTok video, Brin discussed the nostalgic feeling he gets eating a hearty pasta bake. Using lots of fusilli pasta, tinned tuna, and jars of ready-made sauces, Brin explained her wants to bring pasta bakes back to life – but making them so much better.
He said: “This isn’t a fancy meal in the slightest. It’s quick and easy bulk cooking, perfect for meal prepping or family dinners. It’s not about pushing the boat out, I just fancied a pasta bake from my childhood.
“I wanted to create it with just a little bit extra.”
Brin shared two secret ingredients that can take a simple pasta bake to the next level, giving the comfort food staple a subtle burst of flavour. The first thing you need is a bit of spring onion, while the second is sundried tomatoes.
Brin said: “The spring onion in the base adds a lovely allium aroma throughout the dish. And the sundried tomatoes are a little bit sweet and also bring a touch of texture.
“I wasn’t great with spice as a child, so my mum would leave a quarter of the pasta bake without any chilli flakes, but I’m a big boy now, so there’s no need for any of that.”
He continued: “Just the smell of that baking makes me feel like a 12-year-old, ready to dive into an adult portion of pasta… Just is what it is, does exactly what it says on the tin.”
Brin’s video has already been viewed over 36,800 times, receiving 1,759 likes and 12 comments. One user said: “Tuna and sweetcorn in there is properrrrrr.”
Rita commented: “Looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing.”
Luna agreed, “Love a pasta bake! Will definitely make this,” while Iona wrote, “My fiancé is English. I make sure I add chili to every single dish, now he can’t have anything else without it lol.”
So if you want to recreate this nostalgic comfort food dish at home for your next midweek meal, this is what you’ll need to do.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Five spring onions, thinly sliced
- Four garlic cloves, grated
- One tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 100g (drained weight) sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 40gg fusili
- 800g tinned tomatoes
- Three tins of tuna
- 200g sweetcorn
- 250g mascarpone
- 15g basil leaves
- 200-250g (drained weight) mozzarella
Method
Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large pan on medium high heat. Once hot add spring onions, garlic and chilli flakes.
Cook for a few minutes then add in sun dried tomatoes, tinned tomatoes and mascarpone. Mix well and simmer for five minutes.
Add in the tuna and sweetcorn and mix well then transfer to a large baking tray. Add in the raw pasta along with 300ml water. Mix well then tea in some basil leaves and cover with torn mozzarella.
Cover the tray with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover then bake for another 15 minutes until the mozzarella is bubbling and browned.