Remember cozy diner days when the air smelled faintly of buttered toast and sizzling cheese? It may have been the magic of the tuna melt. 🙂 This single-serve version brings that feel-good nostalgia right into your kitchen, but with fresh, simple ingredients and a golden crust that would make any short-order cook proud.
Tuna melts are one of those humble meals that quietly deliver joy IMHO. They're easy, use ingredients you probably already have, and somehow feel both casual and special at the same time.
What makes this single-serve tuna melt recipe so good? My personal secret sauce is adding some crunchy chopped veggies and fresh lemon juice into the tuna mixture for a refreshing twist. It's the same recipe I use for my simple tuna salad and the combo just works so well once you add the tomato and melted cheese. And if you've ever been disappointed by a soggy tuna melt, stick around; I'm solving that once and for all.
🌿 Ingredients
I love using multi-grain or sourdough bread for my tuna melt, but as long as the bread you choose is fairly hearty, you're good. American cheese works best for maximum melty-ness, but feel free to use sliced cheddar instead if you'd prefer!
Also, no worries if you don't have one or more of the chopped veggies on hand. I love them all because of the freshness they bring to this sandwich, but it would still be delicious without one or two.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
✔️ Tips for success
Okay as promised, there are two tips I swear by to avoid a mushy tuna melt.
Pro tip #1: Make sure you drain the tuna well before you add it, because no one likes soggy sandwiches! I use the tops of the cans to press down on the tuna in order to drain it well.
Pro tip #2: Make sure your tuna salad is not too mushy from adding too much mayo. It should be a little flaky and chunky still to avoid a soggy sandwich situation here as well.
📝 Instructions
🥧 Serving suggestions
This sandwich is delicious and filling all on it's own, but if you'd like to make it into more of a meal, I love serving it with tomato soup and a real dill pickle or some homemade fermented carrot sticks.
🍳 Recipe
Classic Tuna Melt for One
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Finely chop the celery and red pepper, finely dice the onion, and drain the tuna well. Then, in a medium bowl, mix all of the tuna salad ingredients together, only adding as much mayo as you need to hold the mixture together so that your tuna melts don't get soggy. (It should have some good texture to it rather than being mushy.) Finally, slice the tomatoes.2 tablespoons celery, 1 tablespoon red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon red onion, ½ can tuna, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, squeeze fresh lemon juice, pinch garlic powder, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, ½ medium tomato
- Spread a good layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread and then flip them over. Layer enough cheese to cover one slice, followed by the tomato slices and tuna spread evenly across the sandwich, and then close it with the second slice of bread butter side up.2 slices whole-grain bread, 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 slices American cheese
- Warm a skillet over medium heat, add the sandwich cheese-side toward the bottom and cook until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side (check in after about 2-3 minutes to make sure it doesn't brown too fast.) Press gently with a spatula on each side to help the cheese melt evenly.
- Slice in half and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
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