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 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 come together fast, use ingredients you probably already have, and somehow feel both casual and special at the same time.
What makes my version stand out? 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; we're solving that once and for all.
If you can't get enough comfort food in your lunch life right now, you might also love my kimchi grilled cheese or egg salad sandwich.
🌿 Ingredients
I love using multi-grain or sourdough bread for tuna melts, 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.
📝 Instructions
Step 1: Chop your veggie add-ins if they aren't already and add all of the tuna salad ingredients into a mixing bowl. I like to keep the tuna somewhat chunky when I flake it into the bowl.
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.
Step 2: Give everything a good mix until things are sticking together. Add a little extra mayo if needed, but don't go overboard.
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.
Step 3: Then, build your sandwiches. Start by spreading a good layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread and them flip them all over.
Step 4: For each sandwich, layer on enough cheese to cover the bread, a couple tomato slices, and finally an even layer of tuna salad.
Step 5: Close each sandwich with the other slice of bread, butter side up.
Step 6: Next, warm a large skillet over medium heat and add or more sandwiches with the cheese layer still toward the bottom.
Step 7: Cook for 2-3 minutes and check the undersides of the sandwiches to see if they're golden brown. If not, give them another minute or so and then flip to cook the other side. Pressing gently on each side to coax the cheese into full melt mode.
Step 8: Carefully remove your sandwiches from the skillet with a large spatula, slice in half and enjoy!
🥧 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 to serve it with tomato soup, real dill pickles or a simple green salad.
🍳 Recipe
Classic Tuna Melt (Crispy, Cheesy & Irresistible)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the filling: 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.1 rib celery, 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons red onion, 2 cans tuna, ⅓ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, 2 medium tomatoes
- Assemble: Lay out your bread slices, spread a good layer of butter on one side of each, and then flip them all over. On half of them, first layer enough cheese to cover the bread, followed by tomato slices and tuna spread evenly across the sandwich, and then close them with the second slice of bread butter side up.8 slices whole-grain bread, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 slices American cheese
- Cook: Warm a large skillet over medium heat, add one or more sandwiches cheese-side down 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.
- Enjoy: Slice in half and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
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