Open Face Tuna Melts (no mayo)

These Open Face Tuna Melts are healthy, a little spicy, cheesy, have no mayonnaise, and are loaded with flavor! It's fast (under 20 minutes), easy, and makes a great quick weeknight dinner or lunch recipe. And if you are following the Weight Watchers program, they are also WW friendly.

Tuna Melts are not only an easy and comforting lunch or dinner, but they are also economical and healthy and make for a quick lunch. If you're racing home from work and out the door to soccer, baseball, dance, hockey, or whatever another 30 - 60 minutes, later, they are a great way to get a quick meal. You can even make the mix the night ahead for a super quick dinner!  These are a recreation of a tuna melt I had at my husband's aunt's house. It was truly the best tuna melt I had ever had

🥘Ingredients Notes

• Canned Tuna – Drain it well, and chop up the big chunks.
• Jalapenos – Gives these tuna melts a welcome kick! But I use tamed jalapenos (you can buy them in the jar) But you control the spice - put as little or as much as you like or skip them altogether! ***Note: I used Mezzetta Tamed Jalapenos, as they have a little less heat. You can get them at pretty much any grocery store.
• Onion – I use both red and green onion because they both add a unique taste and texture.
• Pickles - Pickles naturally go well with tuna, so it's a no-brainer that they pair perfectly with tuna melts! If you don't have pickles, substitute a little dill weed or pickle relish.
• "Special sauce" – pickle juice and Worcestershire sauce add tanginess and eliminate the need for lemon juice
• Minced Garlic - garlic makes everything better!
• Cream cheese – mayonnaise is not necessary. The cream cheese adds a nice tang!
• Buns or Bread – Kaiser buns are a hearty bun and a great canvas for tuna melts!
• Cheese - Melted cheese makes these warm, gooey and comforting!

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Spicy- you can increase the spiciness by adding regular jalapenos or skip them altogether if you don't like spicy.
• Onions- you could use white onion instead of green or red.
• Buns- I use Kaiser buns, but I'll use whatever type of bread slices I have on hand, including white bread, rye bread, whole wheat bread, hamburger buns, homemade bread, or English muffins.
• Cream Cheese - You can use fat-free or light to keep the fat content lower or use regular if you prefer.
• Cheddar Cheese - I prefer to use low-fat sharp/old cheddar cheese but you can use full-fat cheddar cheese

🔪How to Make Open Face Tuna Melts

1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/205 degrees C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Step 2: Mix all ingredients (except buns) together in a medium bowl.

3. Step 3: Kaiser buns in half and top each half with tuna mixture, dividing equally among all 4 buns halves.

4. Step 4: Divide ½ cup of garnish cheddar cheese in 4 and sprinkle on top of each half bun, dividing evenly between all 4. *I put a little more cheese on these ones

⏲️ Baking time

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn up to broil (500 degrees F/260 degrees C) for 2 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.

*If you are using low-fat cheese, watch it carefully as it burns easily!

🥫 Is canned Tuna Healthy? 

Canned tuna is healthy, but you need to understand the differences between the types of canned tuna. If you are most concerned about mercury content and eat tuna more than a couple of times a month,  then you will likely want to stick with SKIPJACK (CANNED LIGHT TUNA). If getting an OMEGA-3 powerhouse meal is your priority and you don't eat tuna that often, then ALBACORE (CANNED WHITE TUNA) may be a good option for you. You can read more about the benefits and downsides of canned tuna HERE.

And if you're looking for more canned tuna recipes and love tuna melts, then check out my Two Cheese Tuna Mexi Melts (pictured below) for another unique take on Tuna Melts.

But there's just something about tuna melts in the oven, with warmed cream cheese, onion, and melty cheese, that makes you feel so cozy. Tuna melts really are the ultimate comfort food!

👪 Serving Size

This tuna melt sandwich recipe makes 4 servings, but you can double or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW Points

This healthy tuna melt recipe is also WW friendly @ 4 WW points.*Note: You can use fat-free cream cheese and/or a lower-point bread or bun to further bring down the WW points

🥗What to serve with Open-faced Tuna Melts

This classic tuna melt sandwich goes well with tomato slices, sandwiches, salads, vegetarian soups, and vegetables. Here are my favorite dishes to serve with tuna melts: