Tuna Melt
This tuna melt is the fast, crunchy sandwich that saves dinner when you’re out of ideas and patience. Creamy canned tuna + mayo, lots of melty cheese, and bread that gets golden in a skillet.
What You'll Need
grocery Ingredients
- Bread or White bread or Whole wheat bread or Rye bread or Multigrain bread or Sourdough bread or English muffin or Bagel or Tortilla
- Canned tuna or Canned salmon or Salmon or Chicken or Chicken breast or Chickpeas or Canned chickpeas
- Mayonnaise or Aioli or Yogurt or Greek yogurt or Sour cream
- Swiss cheese or Cheese or Vegan cheese
- Butter optional or Unsalted butter or Salted butter or Mayonnaise
- Salt optional or Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt or Pink salt
- Onion optional or Red onion or White onion or Yellow onion or Green onion or Green onions
- Celery optional or Celery seeds or Celery leaves or Canned pickles
cooking Equipment
- Skillet or Oven or Toaster Oven or Panini Press or Electric Skillet or Cast Iron Skillet or Saute Pan or Grill Pan
- Mixing Bowl optional or Glass Mixing Bowl or Stainless Steel Bowl or Silicone Mixing Bowl or Mixing Bowls or Glass Mixing Bowls or Nesting Bowls
- Spatula optional or Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spatula or Tongs or Wok Spatula
- Can opener optional
bookmark_star Instructions
Instructions
1) Mix the tuna filling
Grab a mixing bowl. Drain the canned tuna really well, then add it to the bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise until it’s creamy and spreadable. If it looks soupy, you didn’t drain enough (we’ve all made “tuna latte” once).
2) Build the sandwiches
Lay out your bread. Spoon the tuna mixture on one slice, then top with Swiss cheese (or any cheese that melts). Close it with the other slice and press gently so it’s not a skyscraper sandwich that falls apart on flip.
3) Toast it in a skillet
Set a skillet over medium heat. Add a little butter and let it melt so the pan is lightly coated. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and cook until the bottom is golden and crisp, about 3–4 minutes.
4) Flip and melt the cheese
Use a spatula to flip carefully (slow and confident, like you meant to do that). Cook the second side until it’s golden and the cheese is fully melted, another 3–4 minutes. If the bread is browning too fast, turn down the heat—burnt bread is a vibe, just not a good one.
5) Slice and serve
Move the tuna melt to a plate. Wait about 1 minute so the cheese stops being lava. Then slice and eat while it’s still hot and gooey.
Target heat: medium
Total skillet time: ~6–8 minutes
lightbulb_2 Tips
Pro tip: Drain the canned tuna like you mean it. Watery tuna salad turns your bread sad and soggy. If you’re in a hurry, press it in the can with a fork. Yes, your sink will smell like tuna. No, I don’t have a fix for that.
Common mistake: High heat feels faster, but it just makes burnt bread with cold cheese. Keep it medium, give it a few minutes, and let the cheese melt without drama.
Cheese option: Swiss cheese melts great and tastes classic. If you only have “mystery shredded cheese” from the back of the fridge,
judge-free zonejust use it. Any melting cheese works.No skillet? You can use an oven or toaster oven. Toast the bread a little first, then broil just until the cheese is bubbly. Stay close—broilers go from melty to charcoal in the time it takes to check your phone.
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