Better Than Classic Tuna Melt

How is this the first tuna melt recipe on the site? I don’t know what to say except that I guess it seems so basic that it doesn’t require a recipe? Yeah, that’s not a good enough reason given how much I love a good tuna melt. As much as I love a classic, diner-style tuna melt sandwich, that’s not how I make them at home. Particularly when our kids were really small they found regular sandwiches hard to manage. Stuff falls out, the bread won’t stay together or you can’t get all of it in your mouth for a bite. Thinking about a restaurant I used to work at (anyone remember Kensington Kitchen on Harbord?), I remembered the pita pizzas the cooks used to whip up and thought if might be a solution to our sandwich dilemma. And this lovely, simple creation was born.

This is a great weekend lunch – perfect with a bowl of tomato soup – but it’s also a really easy, fast dinner when I’m scrambling. Chop up some carrots, cucumbers and peppers to serve on the side and you’re done. If Ben is working late I’ll make two of these for the kids and me, enough for leftovers to go in Esme’s lunch the next day. I find any recipe that is topped with melted cheese is an easy vehicle for extra, covert vegetables. In this case, I’ve added tart apples, crunchy celery and sour pickles, but sometimes I use diced cherry tomatoes and red or yellow peppers to up the veggie content. Esme and Julian both love these, particularly the way they can pick the pieces up and eat them pizza-style. 

photos by Maya Visnyei