Hi there my friends.
I hope everyone is staying safe and well.
It’s so hard to know how much, or how little to talk about our current situation of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s hard to escape thoughts of it, it’s all over the internet and everyone is talking about it. But here we are, we all need to rely more on what we already have on hand and less on running to the store for 1 or 2 items. We need to stretch our fresh food and mix it with those canned goods. That’s exactly what these tuna melts are here to help you do. Use a mix of fresh and canned ingredients to create an easy and satisfying meal.
Comforting, cheesy, and delicious this tuna melt is at your service.
When I realized that I needed to shift my upcoming recipes to make use of pantry, fridge, and freezer staple items I immediately thought of my tuna melts. I have been making tuna melts for years. It’s my go-to recipe whenever we need dinner on the table, but I don’t actually have the energy to cook.
It’s also the recipe that I fall back on when our fridge has gone bare and we are in need of a shopping trip. I almost always have cans of tuna, or canned salmon in my pantry. I always have bread, mayo, mustard, and some kind of cheese that I can scrounge up. In normal life, and in quarantine life, this tuna melt recipe has been there for me.
TBH I am pretty sure I have made a tuna melt 5, or more times since we have been quarantined. And I have enjoyed every comforting, tasty moment of it.
You only need 10 ingredients (including salt and pepper), to make these tuna melts. They only take 22 minutes to make. You only need 1 bowl, and 1 baking sheet that you can line with foil so you have minimal clean up. See why I make this recipe so often?!
Tuna melts are super adaptable, if you don’t have some ingredients you can easily leave them out, or swap them for another, I will cover all of that in a minute. But first…
Here is all you need to make these tuna melts:
- one 5 ounce can of tuna
- mayonnaise
- creamy Dijon mustard
- dried dill, or fresh dill
- salt
- pepper
- celery
- green onions
- 2 slices of bread
- 2 slices of cheese (I like cheddar, but any kind will work)
That’s it. Simple ingredients you most likely have lying around.
But let’s just say that you don’t happen to have all of those ingredients. Let’s say that you ate all your celery with some hummus, or you ran out of dill, or you only have canned salmon instead of tuna.
No problem. Yes, to all of it!
I wrote this recipe to reflect my favorite combo, but I sometimes don’t have all of the ingredients and still end up making a delicious tuna melt. Make it work with what you have on hand. That is the name of the game these days.
Substitution ideas for the tuna melt:
- canned salmon instead of tuna – salmon melts are super delish too.
- dill pickles instead of celery – the goal is to have some crunch in the mix, dill pickles also work great.
- fresh parsley instead of dried dill – for some herb-y goodness.
- Don’t have green onion? No problem, leave it out.
- yellow mustard instead of Dijon works too
- literally any kind of cheese you have, shredded, or sliced will do the trick.
- Don’t have bread? Use a hamburger bun, English muffin, or hot dog bun instead.
See, you’ve got this. You can go take a look in your pantry and fridge and make it work from what you have. Be flexible, get creative. In the end it will still be a nourishing, tasty, filling meal.
If you find any other super tasty variations of a tuna melt recipe let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear what you come up with.
Think of this tuna melt recipe as more of a guide then a rigid-have-to-follow-it-to-a-T recipe.
My stomach is rumbling, my mouth is watering just looking at that cheesy gooey picture of the tuna melt. I love them so much. Crispy, toasty bread is topped with tender, warm tuna salad that is studded with crunchy celery, all of that is topped with melted cheddar cheese. Comforting, warming, and so stinking simple.
Sometimes the simple recipes can be the most satisfying ones.
Okay friends, we can do this social distancing thing. We can use what we already have on hand to make a satisfying meal. We can adapt, we can get creative.
My biggest advice when trying to work with what you have on hand is to not just think of what you don’t have, wishing it would magically appear, instead think of what you do have. Gather the items that you think may work together. Pause, take a deep breath. It will come to you. You might all of a sudden think of anther ingredient you have in the freezer, or the back of the pantry that will help to make your meal extra special.
View social distancing as a time to challenge yourself to get creative in the kitchen. Think outside the box.
I believe in you.
I hope you love these tuna melts as much as we do. My husband gets super excited every time we make them.
A positive in all of this, is that I wouldn’t have normally thought to share such a basic meal. To me, it’s kind of like sharing a nacho recipe that you threw together to use the last tortilla chip crumbs at the bottom of the bag with a small spoonful of salsa from the bottom of the jar. Why can’t that be beautiful and comforting somehow? Making the most of every last bite of food is a good thing.
And so are these tuna melts. I am so glad I had the perfect opportunity to share a last minute resort recipe of mine with you, I hope you find it helpful. That is my positive outlook for today.
Sending virtual love and positive vibes to all of you.
More tuna/canned salmon recipes:
- Avocado tuna salad lettuce wrap
- salmon cakes with Greek yogurt horseradish dip (one of my fave recipes)
- salmon cream cheese ball
- sweet potato salmon melts
P.S. you can use either canned salmon or tuna in any of these recipes.
Hey did you make this recipe? The biggest way you can say “thank you” is to leave a comment down below along with a star rating. It helps others to find my recipes easier, and it makes me happy super happy, I love hearing from you. Thanks, friends.
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10 Ingredient Tuna Melt
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 2 tuna melts 1x
- Category: entree, lunch, fish, easy, dinner, lunchone pan, healthy
- Method: stir, bake
- Cuisine: gluten free, egg free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These easy tuna melts are the perfect quick and easy meal that makes use of fridge and pantry staples. Creamy, tender salmon studded with crunchy celery on top of toasty bread and topped with melted cheese. Comforting and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 5 ounce can of tuna
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons creamy Dijon mustard
- 2 to 3 teaspoons freeze dried dill (or 1.5 tablespoons fresh, chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced – white ends and green ends divided
- 2 slices of bread (we use a sprouted whole grain sandwich bread)
- 2 slices of cheese (we use sharp cheddar, any kind will do)
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with foil, place the two pieces of bread onto the baking sheet, set aside.
- Make the tuna filling: Empty the can of tuna into a bowl (if using Wild Planet tuna I use the juices as they suggest. If using another brand that is stored in oil, discard the liquid.) Use your fork to break the tuna up slightly. Add the mayo, Dijon mustard, dill, salt, and pepper, chopped celery, and the white and lighter green parts of the green onion to the tuna. Stir to combine and taste to adjust the seasonings as needed. If the tuna seems a little dry add another tablespoon of the mayo and maybe another teaspoon of the mustard. Spread the tuna mixture evenly over the two pieces of the sandwich bread (see notes about saving for leftovers if you’re only making one tuna melt).
- Bake: Pop the bread with tuna into the preheated oven for 10 minute. Remove and top with a slice of cheese. Pop back into the oven for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese has just melted.
- Serve: Slice the tuna melts in half using a sharp knife. Transfer to serving plates and sprinkle with the reserved green onion for garnish, if desired. Enjoy while hot.
Notes
Tuna: I highly recommend buying pole and line caught tuna, it’s better for the environment. I also recommend using wild albacore or wild skipjack tuna, it contains less mercury. I love Wild Planet Tuna.
Salmon: You could also swap the tuna for canned salmon, this is delicious. I also love Wild Planet for canned salmon.
Gluten free: Simply use a gluten free sandwich bread to make this recipe gluten free.
Egg free: Make sure to use a vegan, or egg free mayonnaise to keep this recipe egg free.
Other substitutions: If I don’t happen to have celery on hand when making this recipe I will often swap some chopped dill pickle. Not as crunchy, but also very delicious. Fresh chopped parsley can be substituted for the green onion and/or dill.
Serving size: The recipe is written for a serving size of two open faced tuna melts (2 servings, using one can of tuna). I doubled the recipe for the sake of styling the pictures. You can easily double the recipe by clicking the x2 button above, it will automatically calculate it for you.
Leftovers: If you have any tuna leftover because you are only making one tuna melt then store the mixed up tuna filling in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make yourself a fresh tuna melt just before eating.
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