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Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich

My Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich is a delicious tuna salad lunchtime treat with melty cheese and fresh tomato!

a tuna melt openface sandwich on a wooden cutting board with part of another sandwich visible and blue floral print napkin in the background
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When I think of a tuna salad sandwich, I think of a cold sandwich in two slices of bread. It’s tasty, but not exactly company-worthy.

A tuna melt sandwich, on the other hand, is the same creamy delicious tuna salad all dressed up for company.

For instance, my tuna melt open faced sandwich is piled onto a piece of toasted garlic bread and dripping with a blend of melted Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. It’s topped off with a thin slice of gorgeous garden tomato, some coarse salt, cracked pepper and minced parsley. Absolute heaven!

I’d definitely serve this to a girlfriend over for lunch!

And you only need 15 – 20 minutes to make it. You can’t beat an easy, 5-ingredient and scrumptious recipe that’s perfect for quick lunches or busy weeknights! Is there such a thing as “Winner! Winner! Tuna dinner!”?

a tuna melt openface sandwich cut in half on a cutting board

The Ingredients

  • Texas Toast or thick sliced bread of your choice
  • Tuna Salad: (Use a creamy, mayonnaise-based tuna salad for the best flavor and for moisture.) My recipe is simple and I’ll put it in the notes section of the recipe card. But, use the tuna salad you love most. If you have a favorite recipe, that’s the one you’ll love in a Tuna Melt.
  • Freshly Grated Cheese: I blend extra sharp Cheddar Cheese and Monterey Jack Cheese. You can use any flavor cheese that makes you happy. Grated cheese melts more easily than slices. And, remember to grate your own to avoid fillers and anti-clumping agents.
Ingredients for a Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich: Texas Toast spread with garlic herb butter, creamy tuna salad, grated cheddar and monterey jack cheeses and a garden tomato, thinly sliced.
  • Thinly Sliced Tomato: Use a nice ripe slicing variety and cut the slices super thin (1/8-inch).
  • Garlic Herb Butter: Any garlic butter you like should work, but my Garlic Herb Butter is the bomb! It takes this yummy Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich to a new flavor stratosphere!

What to Serve With Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwiches

Any of your favorite vegetable side dishes or salads would be a delicious complement to this easy tuna melt recipe. A simple green salad is always a hit, but Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is a spectacular side dish with your tuna sandwich.

easy broccoli cauliflower salad recipe - salad in a round, white ceramic bowl ona concrete counter with a turquoise and white checked napkin

Make these delicious Air Fryer Green Beans with Garlic Butter Sauce and your simple Tuna Melt lunch menu will be a hit with everyone lucky enough to share it. My easy Bean Salad and Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad are also great options for sides.

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/51775/garlic-sauteed-green-beans/

FAQs About Canned Tuna

Is Canned Tuna Cooked?

Yes. The canning process fully cooks the tuna. It also vacuum seals it which keeps out bacteria and preserves flavor.

Which variety of tuna should I use?

Tuna variety is really a matter of flavor and texture preference. I use white albacore tuna in my homemade tuna salad and tuna melt open face sandwiches. Yellow fin tuna is another good (and meaty) option, though. I have also used skipjack tuna with good results.

two different brands of canned tuna on a concrete counter top with an open tin of tuna in front
What is the best brand of canned tuna?

Again, this is really a matter of preference and budget. Use the best tuna you can afford.

I like wild caught, and preferably pole caught tuna. And I like the fillets, slices or chunks better than the minced tuna.

But, I totally get that those options are pricier. Use the tuna that your family likes and that fits your budget. My favorite brand is Natural Catch and I also like Wild Planet.

Tips for Making your Tuna Melt

2 Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwiches on a wooden cutting board
  1. Every oven, toaster oven and air fryer cooks differently. Whichever appliance you use, heat it to 425° and then watch closely as your bread toasts. Flip the bread when the top is done so both sides toast evenly.
  2. The amount of time it will take depends on your specific appliance and how close your food is to the heat source. Air fryers use convection heat and will cook things somewhat faster.
  3. If using a conventional oven, I recommend using the convection setting if it has one. This speeds up the cooking and toasts the bread more evenly.
  4. In an oven or toaster oven, use the most central rack to avoid over browning.

How to Make a Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich

  1. Preheat your oven, toaster oven or air fryer to 425°.
  2. Butter both sides of each slice of bread with Garlic Herb Butter. Place the buttered bread on the rack in a broiler pan or on a rack in a baking sheet.
  3. Toast the bread on one side, then flip the bread and toast it on the other side. Use the device that works best for you.
  4. Remove toast from oven and add 1/2 cup tuna salad to each slice. Spread the tuna salad to the edges of your Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwiches.
  5. Next pile 1/4 to 1/3 cup of grated cheese over the tuna on each tuna melt.
  6. Place the tuna melt open face sandwiches back in the oven, toaster oven or air fryer. Continue cooking at 425° until the cheese is melted and drippy.
  7. Remove the tuna sandwiches from the oven and place a thin slice of tomato on top of the melting cheese.
  8. Garnish with minced parsley, coarse or flaked salt and fresh ground black pepper.

a tuna melt openface sandwich cut in half on a cutting board

The Recipe

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a tuna melt openface sandwich cut in half on a cutting board

Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 18 reviews

  • Author: Glenda Embree
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x

Description

my tuna melt open faced sandwich is piled onto a piece of toasted garlic bread and dripping with a blend of melted Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. It’s topped off with a thin slice of gorgeous garden tomato, some coarse salt, cracked pepper and minced parsley. Absolute heaven!
my tuna melt open faced sandwich is piled onto a piece of toasted garlic bread and dripping with a blend of melted Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. It’s topped off with a thin slice of gorgeous garden tomato, some coarse salt, cracked pepper and minced parsley. Absolute heaven!

My tuna melt open faced sandwich is piled onto a piece of toasted garlic bread and dripping with a blend of melted Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese.  It’s topped off with a thin slice of gorgeous garden tomato, some coarse salt, cracked pepper and minced parsley.  Absolute heaven!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 slices Texas Toast
  • 4 Tablespoons garlic butter
  • 2 cups tuna salad
  • 1 1/3 cups grated cheese (I mix extra sharp Cheddar & Monterey Jack.)
  • 1 large tomato, sliced into 8 thin slices

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven, toaster oven or air fryer to 425°.
  • Butter both sides of each slice of bread with Garlic Herb Butter. Place the buttered bread on the rack in a broiler pan or on a rack in a baking sheet.
  • Toast the bread on one side, then flip the bread and toast it on the other side. Use the device that works best for you.
  • Remove toast from oven and add 1/2 cup tuna salad to each slice. Spread the tuna salad to the edges of your Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwiches.
  • Next pile 1/4 to 1/3 cup of grated cheese over the tuna on each tuna melt.
  • Place the tuna melt open face sandwiches back in the oven, toaster oven or air fryer. Continue cooking at 425° until the cheese is melted and drippy.
  • Remove the tuna sandwiches from the oven and place a thin slice of tomato on top of the melting cheese.
  • Garnish with minced parsley, coarse or flaked salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Notes

My favorite TUNA SALAD RECIPE

  • 3 cans tuna, drained
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup celery, minced
  • 2/3 cup sweet gherkins, minced with 1 Tablespoon juice from jar
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup red onion, minced

Mix everything together in a bowl.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups of tuna salad.

My favorite GARLIC HERB BUTTER RECIPE

Mix everything together and store in a covered container in the fridge.

  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 10 min
  • Category: Sandwich, Lunch, Main Dish
  • Method: baked or air fryed
  • Cuisine: American

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glenda embree

About Glenda

I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...

36 thoughts on “Tuna Melt Open Face Sandwich”

  1. It has been so long since I had a tuna melt. I loved this sandwich and it totally hit the spot! Thanks for an easy and delicious lunch!






    Reply
  2. I had this for a simple dinner tonight as I had an open can of tuna and some homemade bread. It was perfect and easy – just what I needed!






    Reply
  3. My family loves to have this with lots of cheese! A new family favorite. Would love to have this tuna melt open face sandwich again.






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  4. This is my new favorite work lunch! I didn’t think this sandwich could be improved upon but then you said garlic butter. Sooo delicious!






    Reply
  5. I am always looking for great recipes that I can serve my family during the Lenten season. Your Open Faced Tuna Melt sandwich recipe is so easy to make and tastes amazing!! After trying it out on my family, they asked me to make it again and again.






    Reply
  6. Tuna toasties (as we called them) were a regular lunch, and often dinner, when I was at university. They were cheap, quick and easy. And they needed very little equipment, which was good as our dorm kitchen was sadly lacking in stuff 😉
    But I hadn’t had them for years, then I saw this grown up version and had to give it a go. It had all the flavor that I remember but looked far more elegant!
    Definitely going to have this for lunch more often!






    Reply

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