Sandwiches

Serving

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Tuna Melt

Name: Tuna Melt
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Sandwiches
Ingredients: 1/2 cup prepared tuna salad (tuna; mayo; celery; onion); 2 thick slices sharp cheddar cheese; 2 slices hearty sourdough or rye bread; 2 slices fresh tomato; 1 tbsp softened butter

Warm tuna salad topped with melted cheese, served open-faced or closed.

15 minutes

Serves 4

Lunch

7 min prep

11 min cook

Contains common allergens

celery Fish Dairy Seafood Wheat

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Good to know

Crispy
Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
Prepare your favorite tuna salad mixture, ensuring it is not too watery (drain the tuna well before mixing).
2
Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Place them butter-side down on a baking sheet or in a large, cold skillet.
3
Spread the tuna salad thickly and evenly over the unbuttered, face-up sides of both slices of bread.
4
Lay one slice of fresh tomato on top of the tuna salad on each piece of bread. Season the tomato lightly with salt and pepper.
5
Drape the slices of sharp cheddar cheese over the tomatoes, covering the tuna completely to lock in moisture.
6
If using a skillet, cover and cook over medium-low heat until the bottom is crisp and the cheese melts. If using an oven, broil on low for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve open-faced.

Tuna Melt — plated and served — Serving moment. How Tuna Melt looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

67/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 50

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 96

Budget-friendly 50

Great leftovers 56

Pantry-friendly 49

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

100

Calories

6 g

Protein

9 g

Carbs

4 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

The tuna melt is a 20th-century American luncheonette staple, reportedly born when a tuna salad sandwich met the grill and got topped with cheese. It is comfort food built on pantry staples, defined by warm, creamy tuna salad under a blanket of melted cheddar. North American cooks know it as a diner-counter classic that turns canned tuna into something far more than the sum of its parts.

Listahan note

This version builds it open-faced and lets the cheddar fully drape the tuna, locking in moisture so the salad stays creamy instead of drying out under the heat.

Technique cues

Draining the tuna well before mixing keeps the salad from going watery, which is the difference between a crisp melt and a soggy one.
Buttering the outer face and starting the bread butter-side down builds a crisp base before the toppings are even added.
Draping the cheddar fully over the tomato and tuna seals in moisture, so the salad warms through gently rather than drying out under the broiler.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Mix and drain the tuna salad and slice the tomato while the buttered bread starts toasting.
Make-ahead: The tuna salad keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge; assemble and melt only when ready to eat.
Leftover move: Reheat an assembled melt under the broiler briefly rather than the microwave, which makes the bread rubbery.
Cleanup rhythm: Rinse the tuna bowl right away so the mayo does not dry and cling.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

1/2 cup prepared tuna salad

Creamy filling

Purpose: The tuna salad is the heart of the melt, providing protein and the creamy, savory base.

Handling: Drain the tuna thoroughly so the finished salad is spreadable and not wet.

Adaptation: Canned salmon makes a richer melt; chickpea mash is a vegetarian stand-in with similar texture.

2 thick slices sharp cheddar cheese

Melting blanket

Purpose: Sharp cheddar melts into a tangy cap that both flavors the melt and traps moisture in the tuna.

Handling: Lay the slices wide enough to fully cover the tuna and tomato to the edges.

Adaptation: Gruyere or Swiss melt smoother and milder; avoid pre-shredded cheddar, which can melt grainy.

2 slices hearty sourdough or rye bread

Toasted base

Purpose: A sturdy bread crisps under the heat and holds the weight of the warm tuna and cheese.

Handling: Butter the outer face and toast it base-down so the bottom is crisp before assembly.

Adaptation: Thick country white works; soft sandwich bread goes limp under the moist filling.

2 slices fresh tomato

Bright accent

Purpose: A thin tomato slice adds acidity and freshness that cuts the rich tuna and cheese.

Handling: Use just-ripe tomato and season it lightly with salt so it does not weep too much liquid.

Adaptation: Roasted red pepper adds sweetness without releasing water; omit if you want a crisper, drier melt.

Technique notes

Press the drained tuna in the can lid to wring out the last liquid before mixing for the creamiest, least watery salad.
Cover the skillet while it melts so trapped heat finishes the cheese without burning the bread bottom.
Serve open-faced so the cheese top stays glossy and the tuna does not get crushed.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Use gluten-free bread and confirm the mayo and seasonings are gluten-free; toasting time is unchanged.
Fish-free direction: Replace the tuna with a mashed chickpea salad seasoned the same way for a vegetarian melt with similar texture.
Lower-sodium direction: Use no-salt-added tuna and a reduced-sodium cheddar; the tomato and onion still carry the flavor.

Serve alongside

Kettle-cooked potato chips
Dill pickle spears
A cup of tomato soup
Simple green salad with lemon
Iced tea
Cold lager
Sparkling water with lime

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Store the tuna salad in the fridge for up to 2 days; do not store assembled melts.
Reheat an assembled melt under a low broiler for a few minutes to re-melt the cheese.
Freezing is not recommended; mayo-based tuna salad separates and weeps on thaw.

Equipment

Mixing bowl for the tuna salad
Sheet pan or skillet with a lid
Box grater or knife for the cheese
Serrated knife for the tomato

Make this household-aware

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