Tuna sandwiches are something we enjoy around here on occasion. They’re easy to make for a quick lunch and if you use low-fat mayo in the tuna salad, they’re actually pretty healthy. My standard tuna salad is tuna with low-fat mayo, a little mustard, minced celery, minced apple (if you’re saying, “HUH?” just give it a try) and a little sweet pickle relish. Good on bread or just with your choice of crackers.
You can take those tuna sandwiches up a notch, too, and have a very nice, satisfying dinner with a tuna melt! This recipe was adapted from Eating Well (www.eatingwell.com) and is great served with a fresh green salad with a little vinaigrette.
4 slices ciabatta or other substantial bread
2 6-oz. cans tuna packed in oil, drained
1 medium shallot, minced (2 tblsp.)
2 tblsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tblsp. lemon juice
1 tblsp. minced flat leaf parsley
1/8 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat the broiler.
I used a nice ciabatta loaf for these tuna melts. I cut it in half, cut that in half again and sliced each into two pieces. Do use whatever bread you like, but choose something substantial that will hold up to the tuna and toppings.
Toast the bread to a light golden color.
Combine the drained tuna, shallot, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
Mix well.
Spread ¼ of the tuna mixture on each slice of toast. Top with tomato slices and 2 tblsp. cheese. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
–Recipe adapted from Eating Well (http://www.eatingwell.com)
Download a printable copy here.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
That looks so good and comforting, and great photo too!
Thanks!
I love tuna melts. I used to eat them all the time in college. I’ll still have them once in a while. I love that you made them open-faced. Mmmmmm…
I like them open-faced, too. These are definitely knife-and-fork sandwiches!
Oh my God, tuna melts! They used to be my lunch snack of choice but I haven’t had one for ages. Will have to rectify that. And try minced apple in a tuna salad – never heard of such a thing but am willing to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hope you like the apple. That’s part of my “standard” tuna salad, but not in this recipe. This one is a savory salad, where my standard is a sweet-ish salad.
Wow, just my kind of melt! Great recipe!
tuna!!! I am a huge fan of tuna fish besides the fact that it is super healthy but I also love tuna salads/sandwiches. Your melt looks really tasty, I love the recipe
Jessie – I like it, too, as long as it’s the kind packed in oil. The water-packed stuff is so bland and tasteless! If you drain it very well you really get so little oil and the difference in the taste is very much worth the few extra calories!
Sweet pickle relish and tomatoes are a must in a tuna melt. I’ll have to try the chopped apple.
There is something so very old fashioned about a good tuna melt, especially an open faced one. We used to have those routinely when we were kids. My Mom was the tuna melt Queen! She tried all sorts of concoctions when she whipped up tuna melts for us, but I don’t think she ever tried apple. Or, maybe she did… that may explain the tuna melts we liked better than the others. hmmmmm….. good trick to make them a bit more kid-friendly.
Thanks for the great recipe and the beautiful picture.
ooh, I just baked my first gluten-free bread loaf, and happen to have all of these ingredients on hand. Thinking maybe I should pack this for my lunch tomorrow! Yum!
Wow – we eat tuna a few times a week in our household, so I’m definitely gonna try this to jazz it up.
Tuna is also good for the brain