I recognize a twelve minute tuna melt recipe sounds a bit odd.
The truth is I’m being realistic and and ten minutes was just two minutes too little. And tuna melts, while tantalizing and tasty, don’t a complete recipe make.*
*Dr. Seuss meet Yoda
In any event, before I take another trip down the tongue twister highway, I’m popping in to share a quick non-recipe recipe. Whole, healthy foods prepared simply and easily, while maximizing flavor and texture. Also known as, I had a hankering and this tuna melt sandwich smashed it.
You start with the basics and the base, a good savory bread. Pumpernickel or rye are my favorites for this sandwich, but any decent, crusty loaf will work. You top it with your personalized tuna salad blend, a splash of hot sauce if you’re feeling sassy, and then you cover the entire sammie in rich, melted cheese. It’s pretty much perfection.
As for your tuna salad blend, it’s a mixture of canned tuna and mayonnaise with some extras thrown in for crunch and freshness. I love to use roasted, salted sunflower seeds and a finely diced bell pepper, although celery is certainly an option too. If you’re not feeling festive, skip the extras and stick with the traditional tuna and mayo combo. Whatever you pick for your own paleteable pleasure, it’ll be punchy and peachy keen.
On that nutty note, I’m going to take a step away from the Dr. Seuss books and go make another melt sandwich.
- Bread, 2 slices of a quality, crust loaf
- Butter, enough to spread on the bread
- 5 oz can, unsalted Tuna, packed in water, drained
- 3+ Tbsps. Mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds
- 1 tsp. Bell Pepper or celery, diced
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Cheese, sliced (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Pepper Jack) (enough to cover two slices of bread)
- *Optional, splash of Hot Sauce
- *Optional, 1/3 an Avocado, sliced
- *Optional, 2 Tomato Slices
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter one side of each of the two slices of bread. Place bread, butter side down, on a skillet over medium heat. This should cook for about 3 minutes, until the bottom side is crisp and golden brown.
- While the bread is browning, open and drain the canned tuna. Add to a small bowl along with mayonnaise. Using a fork, combine the two. Taste your mixture and see if it needs more mayo. Add as much as you prefer. I use about 3.5 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Add in personalized add-ons, such as sunflower seeds, bell pepper or celery, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove bread from skillet and put on a baking sheet, with the now crispy and browned side still down. Top the bread with your tuna salad mixture and any optional add-ons, such as a splash of hot sauce, tomato slices and/or avocado slices.
- Finally, top the sandwich with cheese slices and put in a 350 degree oven for 4 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and eat warm.
What are your favorite tuna melt add-ons?
Cora says
Oh but you make the simple meals look so. damn. incredible. Man that cheese!! Im all about thr straight yellow cheddar right now. Great pics too, by the way.
Meghan says
Thanks lovely. Simple meals are my favorite. 🙂
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