If you’ve ever made a tuna melt at home, you know – while delicious – it’s hard to avoid bread that’s soggy on the bottom. These are the tricks you need to know to make a tuna melt with crispy bread.
Tuna melts are one of my all time favorite meals.
In high school, my friends and I would talk about “if we could eat anything for the day” what we would eat. For me, lunch was always a tun melt.
In college, tuna melts were one of my go to orders when I’d get home late at night after a night out.
Both of these things though were a part of some serious disordered eating. For whatever reason, tuna melts were considered “off limits.” And because of that, they were all I wanted.
Any time we restrict a certain food or meal, we set ourselves up to crave it even more. It’s not a matter of willpower – it’s a primal instinct. We want what we can’t have.
Now, as a dietitian and intuitive eater, tuna melts are very much a regular meal for me. Not only are they super nutritious, but most importantly, I know that all foods are allowed, any time.
If this is a concept you’re struggling with, start by giving yourself unconditional permission to eat any food, any time. No one single food will make or break your health.
This is a crucial step in becoming an intuitive eater!
Anyway… back to the reason why we’re here: the tuna melt.
It’s got perfectly crispy bread, topped with a delicious veggie and dijon tuna, mashed avocado, tomato slices and salty cheese. Absolute perfection.
I like to make this open faced so that you get more topping per bread ratio, but you can totally make it a sandwich too.
The 2 most important tricks to get crispy bread are:
1) Spreading a little mayonnaise on the bottom of the bread. If you don’t love the taste of mayo (which I’m assuming isn’t the case, since you like tuna salad), I promise, you can’t taste it. Mayo helps the bread to get crispy without burning. It’s also a trick I use when making grilled cheese.
2) Cooking the tuna melt on a pan before letting it broil in the oven. I know that using the stove and the oven sounds like a lot but trust me – this meal will still come together in under 20 minutes.
The result: a perfectly crispy and delicious tuna melt that’s nutritious, delicious and super satisfying.
Prep & mix the tuna salad
Preheat the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the tuna, 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, mustard, carrots, dill, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Set aside.
Spread mayo and avocado on the bread
Spread 1/2 teaspoon of remaining mayonnaise on one side of each slide of bread. Place the bread with mayo side down and start to assemble the tuna melts.
Top each slice of bread with mashed avocado.
Add the tuna
Scoop the tuna mixture in half and spread onto each slice.
Add tomato & cheese
Add the sliced Roma or beefsteak tomatoes and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cook and broil
Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Place the tuna melts on the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the bread gets brown and crispy.
Transfer the tuna melts to the lined baking sheet and broil for about 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Tuna salad: I love a veggie tuna – the grated carrots add a nice hint of sweetness and texture to the tuna salad. If you’d like, you can also add things like grated red onion, finely chopped celery and/or finely chopped pickles to your tuna salad. For a spicy tuna, add a little bit of sriracha.
- Make ahead: To make this meal in advance, prep your tuna ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat, assemble the tuna melt on the bread and then cook.
- Storage: Store tuna in airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Once assembled as a tuna melt, this meal is best eaten immediately, so wait to fully prepare it until you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients
- 1 5 oz. tuna
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon or stone ground mustard
- 2 small carrots peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 3-4 slices sourdough bread
- 2 avocados mashed
- 1 Roma or beefsteak tomato sliced
- 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the tuna, 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, mustard, carrots, dill, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Set aside.
- Spread 1/2 teaspoon of remaining mayonnaise on one side of each slide of bread. Place the bread with mayo side down and assemble the tuna melts: top each slice of bread with mashed avocado.
- Add the tuna. Scoop the tuna mixture in half and spread onto each slice.
- Add tomato & cheese. Add the sliced Roma or beefsteak tomatoes and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Place the tuna melts on the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the bread gets brown and crispy.
- Transfer the tuna melts to the lined baking sheet and broil for about 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Fabulous! The trick with the mayo on the backside of the bread is genius.