Sun-Dried Tomato Tuna Melt

Nothing beats a cheesy, open-faced classic like this Sun-Dried Tomato Tuna Melt. This Italian-inspired tuna salad is full of sun-dried tomatoes, capers, celery, lemon, and provolone cheese. Whether you serve it on English muffins, toasted bread, or a bagel, it's a quick lunch recipe that comes together in minutes.

If you're like us, we find prepared tuna fish meh. We mean, we grew up on mushy canned tuna that was drowning in mayo, stuffed between 2 slices of boring white bread. Too fishy for us. This Mediterranean-style tuna we can eat. It's all grown up, a little fancy, and downright good.

And let's be honest, when you add melty cheese to any sandwich, doesn't it make it better?

You can make this sun-dried tomato tuna salad melt the classic way, like you would with any sandwich but we prefer it open-faced. This way, that warm, gooey cheese hits your taste buds first, and that's always a good thing in our book.

The best tuna for a tuna melt

All those canned tuna labels can be confusing! Luckily, none of it matters for making a tasty tuna melt. It comes down to preference. We look for tuna that says white, albacore, solid, and packed in water.

• Light Tuna Tan to pink in color. Has a softer texture and a stronger flavor (more fishy) than albacore.
• White or albacore White to pink in color. Firmer in texture and with a milder flavor (less fishy).
• Solid Larger, whole pieces of tuna.
• Chunk Smaller pieces of tuna, looks shredded.
• Water or oil packed we prefer water packed, mainly so we can adjust the oil myself if using.

What you'll need

Full of Mediterranean flavors, you can find all the ingredients easily in the grocery store or in your pantry.

• Canned tuna Canned, pouched, or in a tin. We buy tuna packed in water so we can add the flavors myself.
• Sun-dried tomatoes Look for them in oil for the best flavor. If you have plain sun-dried tomatoes, you can rehydrate them by soaking the tomatoes in hot water for about 10 minutes until they are nice and plump.
• Capers
• Celery
• Lemon
• Dijon mustard
• Olive oil
• Fresh herbs such as parsley, chives and oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Provolone cheese You can also use Swiss.
• Bagels, English muffins, or your favorite bread

See recipe card for quantities.

Step-by-step instructions

This Italian-style tuna melt is easy to make. Prepare the salad ahead, then broil the cheese when you're ready to eat. If making the tuna melts on bagels, place an extra slice of cheese over the bagel half before adding the tuna (so the tuna doesn't escape).

Step 1. Mix all the ingredients for the tuna salad in a bowl.

Step 2. Add the tuna to a bagel (or bread of choice).

Step 3. Top each one with a slice of cheese.

Step 4. Broil in the oven on high until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

*These are abbreviated instructions. For the full list of directions, see the recipe card below.

Expert tip

Keep an eye on that broiler. We like to keep the oven light on and watch it closely. Cheese can go from golden brown to burnt in a matter of seconds. Three to five minutes is all you need to get the cheese perfectly melty.

How to customize your tuna melt

Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking. Want more crunch? Add more celery! Hate capers? leave them out. Here are some other great ideas.

• Use shredded chicken in place of the tuna. It's a great way to use up leftover chicken if you don't like tuna.
• Play around with the herbs. Try scallions, rosemary, or thyme.
• Experiment with other cheeses. choose one that will melt well, such as Gruyère.
• If not using bagels or muffins, try a toasty sourdough. use something substantial for bread so that the tuna doesn't soak through.
• Want to skip the bread? Serve this sun-dried tomato tuna salad plain with a side salad for a light meal.
• Skip the melt, and make a classic tuna sandwich.

Serve it with

Choose your favorite side dishes!

• Pickles
• Chips or crispy potatoes
• Soup
• Salad
• Fruit

Keeping leftovers

Tuna salad can be made ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge for up to five days. When ready to eat, add it to the bread and melt the cheese under the broiler.

Kitchen questions

Why is our tuna melt soggy?

It's all about the bread. Choose a good sturdy bread such as a bagel, sourdough slices, or a hearty roll such as a ciabatta.

More melty sandwiches

Ingredients

Makes 6 (open-faced melts)

• 1 12-ounce (9-ounce dry weight) canned tuna fish in water, drained ((or about 1¼ cups canned tuna, drained))
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil; chopped
• 3 tbsp diced celery (from about 2 celery stalks)
• 2 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more if needed)
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped chives
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• ½ tsp fresh or dried oregano
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 plain bagels sliced in half (will have 6 halves) (can use English muffins or bread of your choice)
• 12 slices provolone or Swiss cheese

Equipment

• large baking sheet

Method

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, celery, capers, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more oil if dry. (This will depend on how much liquid you drained from the tuna, as well as how much oil was in your sun-dried tomatoes). Set aside.

2. Heat the oven broiler to high. Have a baking sheet ready. Lay out your bread on the baking sheet. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Add about ⅓ cup of tuna to each bread slice. Top with an additional slice of cheese.

3. Broil on high for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden brown, and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Kitchen notes

• For best results, use tuna packed in water.
• If using bagels for the tuna melts, add a slice of cheese to the bottom of the bagel first, before adding the tuna and the additional cheese. This prevents the tuna from escaping through the hole.
• Watch the broiler closely. Cheese can burn quickly!
• The tuna salad can be made in advance, and the recipe can easily be doubled.