Cheesy Tuna Melts

This recipe is the best way to make tasty Cheesy Tuna Melts. This quick and easy sandwich takes your lunch (or dinner!) to the next level.

Tuna Melts

Who doesn’t like a Tuna Melt, y’all? It’s a lunchtime staple for many people, and everyone I know remembers their parents making them as a kid! Everyone seems to have them on their variation on it. Restaurants even have them, too!

Lunchtime in the Love Bakes Good Cakes house often has some kind of sandwich – Iowa Ham Salad, Fairy Sandwich, Hawaiian Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich, BLT Avocado Chicken Salad Wraps, and this Italian Sub Sandwich are some of our faves.

Of course, we can’t always recall mom and dad’s recipe exactly … or figure out what’s in the one at our most beloved lunch places. So I’m sharing my tried-and-true Tuna Melt Sandwiches with you all today! They’re quick and simple, and easily customizable.

I have to be honest, though. I haven’t always been a fan of canned tuna. Somewhere into my adult life, I figured out this pantry staple was not only economical but pretty tasty, too.

Thankfully, I have no problem getting my family to eat these sandwiches! They’re nice to make when you need something quick and easy, and they’re easy on the budget! Tuna Melts are one of those incredibly filling, quick-and-easy recipes that taste good at any time of year! I hope you enjoy them!

Recipe for Tuna Melts: Ingredients & Substitutions

To make this Tuna Melt Sandwich, you will need …

Ingredients

• tuna – the kind you get in water, though, of course, you’ll drain it. You can’t have a tuna melt without this!
• green onion, mayo, celery, salt & pepper, and Mozzarella cheese: You’ll mix this in with your tuna for a flavorful tuna melt mix. 
• French bread – the thick kind, preferably! Like, 1 inch kind of thick! You’ll need four slices to make two tuna melts. There’s NOTHING like a tuna melt on French bread, y’all.
• softened butter – you’ll spread this on your French bread to toast it up in the oven.
• Cheddar cheese – use shredded white cheddar. The sharper, the better. Melted over the top of your sandwiches, it’s sublime!

NOTE: If you like a little spice in your Tuna Melt, add some sriracha (or your fave hot sauce) to your tuna mix!

Tuna Melt Sandwiches: FAQs

Other recipes you may enjoy

• Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Tuna Salad
• Easy Tuna Mac n’ Cheese
• Mediterranean Tuna Salad

4.36 from 14 votes

Servings: 4 servings

Cheesy Tuna Melts

By Jamie Sherman

This recipe is the best way to make tasty Cheesy Tuna Melts. This quick and easy sandwich takes your lunch (or dinner!) to the next level.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Lock N’ Lift Manual Handheld Can Opener with Locking Mechanism
• rubber spatula or wooden spoon
• mixing bowl
• cutting board
• knife
• measuring cups and spoons
• baking sheets

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 can tuna in water, drained, 12 oz.
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely minced green onion
• ▢ ¼ cup finely diced celery
• ▢ ¼ cup mayonnaise, or more to taste
• ▢ salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢ ⅔ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 4 slices 1-inch thick French bread
• ▢ Softened butter
• ▢ ½ cup shredded white sharp Cheddar cheese

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Instructions 

• Place the tuna in a medium mixing bowl and break it apart with a fork. Add the green onion, celery, mayo, salt, pepper, and Mozzarella to the tuna and mix well. Refrigerate the tuna mixture until needed.
• Heat oven’s broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread the butter generously over both sides of each piece of bread. 
• Place the bread on the prepared baking sheet and broil the bread until golden brown on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip each slice of bread over and continue to broil until the second side is toasted, an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. 
• Gently spread the tuna mixture evenly over the four slices of bread, making sure you get all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese evenly over the tops of the sandwiches.
• Place the baking sheet with the sandwiches back into the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 5-6 minutes.

Notes

Though I think this mixture as written is good … almost perfect … I also know not everyone has the same tastes! Experiment with …

• Slices of tomato in the sandwich, or lettuce, carrots, avocado, pickles, etc
• A dash of dijon mustard to add more flavor to the mixture, or hot sauce/sriracha
• Relish or lemon juice in the mixture, again for more flavor
• Herbs like parsley or oregano

There are lots of ways to customize this recipe! You can try …

• White or red onion instead of green onion
• Different cheeses: Colby jack, American, Asiago, Monterey jack, etc
• Different kinds of bread: regular white, whole grain, etc
• Avoiding the bread altogether and go for a lettuce wrap or tortilla

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich, Calories: 453kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 875mg, Potassium: 279mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 348IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 302mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Originally published on July 29, 2012. Updated on July 4, 2022.