The Perfect Healthy Tuna Melt, satisfy those cravings with this delicious cheesy topped lunchtime favourite.
Tuna Melt Sandwich
If you have ever been to Ireland or visited an Irish themed pub where you live, one item you are very likely to see on the menu is a Tuna Melt Sandwich. Usually this is served on delicious Irish Soda Bread with Irish mature cheddar - yum!!
Recently I had to make a trip to Ireland and when I returned I had serious cravings for this popular sandwich. It's funny how a trip somewhere can spark cravings for certain foods, right? It's a sandwich that is a real comfort food for me.
Classic Traditional Tuna Melt
If you are going the traditional route, this would usually be served on soda bread with lashings of butter and regular mayonnaise.
Keeping this on plan, I chose 100% Whole Wheat Bread instead and skipped the butter altogether, opting for a low-fat mayonnaise and wait for it, a little cottage cheese.
Do I have to use the Cottage Cheese?
Okay, I know you are saying right now - cottage cheese? No thank you. But trust me, it's a teeny amount and works much better than yoghurt or quark as it doesn't have that sour taste you tend to get. When combined with the little bit of mayo, it works perfectly. I am not a fan of cottage cheese as it is, but this is really delicious.
If you want to use quark instead, then by all means do, or you can just use mayonnaise.
Pickles in a Tuna Melt
I also add one other ingredient that you don't tend to see in a traditional Tuna Melt and that is pickles, or gherkins, whatever you want to call them. They really take this tuna melt to a whole other level, by all means, omit if you hate them, but I love them on my tuna melt.
Open Sandwiches
Whenever I make a sandwich or melt, I tend to make it as open sandwich, that way it feels a bit more filling and you can add as much of that topping as you want.
Because we are not using butter, I like to crisp up the bread by baking it in the oven until golden and crisp.
If you have a bit more time to make this sandwich, you could even make this yummy Soda Bread Recipe.
Sides for Healthy Tuna Melt
This delicious healthy Tuna Melt would be perfect served with a mixed salad or speed packed bowl of soup. Below are some of my favourites:
- FRESH TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP
- HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP
- EASY ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP
- CARROT AND BUTTER BEAN SOUP
- ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP
- CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP
or head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious Slimming Eats and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, value and smart points etc
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Recipe Card
Healthy Tuna Melt
The Perfect Healthy Tuna Melt, satisfy those cravings with this delicious cheesy topped lunchtime favourite.
Ingredients
- 140g (5oz) of tuna in water, drained
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 1 small pickle (gherkin), finely diced
- 1 tablespoon of reduced fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons of fat free cottage cheese
- salt and black pepper to season
- 2 slices of low calorie Whole Wheat bread
- 30g (1oz) of mature cheddar or Red Leicester, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200c/fan 180c or 400f (gas mark 6)
- Add the tuna, mayonnaise, cottage cheese, spring onion, pickle and some salt and black pepper to a bowl and mix to combine, set aside.
- Line a baking tray with foil, Spray with some cooking oil spray and add the bread to the tray, spray over the top with more cooking oil spray.
- Place in the oven and bake until lightly golden (approx 5-8 mins)
- Remove from the oven and top each slice with the tuna mixture.
- Top with the grated cheddar.
- Place bake in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!!
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 399Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 104mgSodium 1910mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 50g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Janet says
Does the Tuna have to be in Water for a particular reason? or will brine be ok?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Brine is fine - enjoy!!
Tina says
This is delicious!! Probably my new favourite lunch! Thank you
Louise says
This is delicious. Not a big tuna fan usually but I'm slightly addicted to this. Its fab.
Paula says
Condolences to you. Not an easy trip I did that one a couple of years ago and it’s hard.
I spent a few months after I got back to usa cooking/baking anything Irish
Can’t wait to try this one.
Angie says
What can I use instead of gherkins?
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
just omit if you don't like them, should be okay.
Alycia says
Fab tasty and filling lunch. I used Greek yogurt as I didn't have any cottage cheese. I also highly recommend stirring 1 tbsp of the gherkin vinegar into the tuna mix. Delicious!