American
Tuna Melts
Canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise, celery, and lemon, then melted under cheddar on toast. A 15-minute lunch that uses the pantry on purpose.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Total
- 14 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Two cans of tuna feed four open-face melts.
- Celery and lemon keep the salad from tasting only like mayonnaise.
- The broiler or a covered skillet both melt the cheese. Both are written.
- It is hot food in the time it takes to make a cold sandwich.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Mix the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, pepper, and salt.
- 2
Toast the bread in a skillet or toaster until dry on the surface.
- 3
Divide the tuna over the toast. Lay a slice of cheddar on each.
- 4
Broiler: set the toasts on a sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese melts. Watch them.
- 5
No broiler: cover the skillet and cook over medium-low for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese softens.
- 6
Serve immediately, while the cheese is still soft.
Pro tips
- Drain the tuna well or the melt slides off the bread.
- The broiler goes from melted to burned quickly. Stay there.
- Open-face is intentional. A second slice of bread makes it hard to heat through.
Easy substitutions
- Celery
- 2 tablespoons finely diced onion.
- Cheddar
- Swiss.
- Mayonnaise
- Plain yogurt, for a tangier salad.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Mix the tuna salad up to 2 days ahead. Melt it when you eat.
Reheating
These are a cook-and-eat lunch. A cold tuna salad keeps. A reheated melt does not improve.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 340
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
You might also like
Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
Chicken is cooked to 165°F, bacon is crisped, and both are folded into tortillas with ranch and cheddar. The quesadillas toast until the cheese melts and the outside is spotted brown.
37 min · Easy
View recipe
Turkey Burger
Ground turkey is mixed with onion, garlic, and breadcrumbs, then seared into patties. The center must reach 165°F and show no pink before the burgers go on the buns.
24 min · Easy
View recipe
Turkey Club Wraps
Deli turkey, cooked bacon, lettuce, and tomato rolled in a tortilla with a little mayonnaise. It is a 15-minute lunch, not a cooking project.
15 min · Easy
View recipe
Veggie Quesadillas
Tortillas filled with sautéed pepper, onion, and melted cheese. Fifteen minutes, one skillet, and a clean way to use a pepper that is about to go soft.
15 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
15-Minute Beef and Broccoli
Thinly sliced flank steak and broccoli cook in a soy-ginger sauce on a hot skillet. The beef is pulled at medium, about 145°F, so the pan time stays short.
20 min · Easy
View recipe
Pork Schnitzel
Thin pork cutlets are breaded and fried in a shallow layer of oil until the crust is golden and the center reaches 145°F. They rest before a squeeze of lemon.
31 min · Medium
View recipe
Black Bean Tostadas
Crisped tortillas topped with seasoned black beans, lettuce, salsa, and cheese. A vegetarian plate that is done in about 20 minutes.
20 min · Easy
View recipe
Garlic Butter Shrimp
Shrimp sear quickly in butter and olive oil with garlic, lemon, and parsley. They are done when they turn opaque and the thickest piece reads 145°F.
20 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.