Give Your Next Tuna Melt The French Bread Pizza Treatment

Ah, diner food. There are so many different things you can order, from towering greasy burgers to cups of shockingly red Jell-O. But, one diner food that doesn't get enough credit? The tuna melt. This classic sandwich is made with salty, umami-rich canned tuna, smothered in a delectable layer of melted cheese. Once you spice up your sandwich with some crunchy additions, like chopped celery or crunchy pickles, you're golden. But you can always take things one step further.

One of the best ways to upgrade this classic sandwich may not be adding extra things to it. Rather, it might be swapping out the base that you use for the sandwich for something novel and far more interesting than standard sandwich bread.

Consider grabbing a loaf of French bread and serving your tuna melt on it. This hack, which resembles the cafeteria French bread pizza that you quite possibly grew up on, will elevate the flavor and consistency of your sandwich. Not only is this bread far sturdier than cheap grocery store bread, but it's also much thicker, which means you'll get a more balanced ratio of cheese, tuna, and carby goodness with every bite.

French bread pizza, for the uninitiated, is made by adding a schmear of tomato sauce on the inside of a loaf of bread, adding cheese, and baking the two halves open-faced until the cheese becomes decadently melted and gooey. You'll want to employ the same principles when you go to assemble your upgraded tuna melt. The trick is to use a solid French or Italian loaf; avoid using baguette (which is too thin) or ciabatta (which is too crunchy). 

You could add the tuna straight to your sandwich, or you may consider adding a layer of sauce on the bread first. Rather than opting for marinara, select a sauce that will complement the flavor of the tuna well. A punchy, garlicky aioli could upgrade the flavor of your tuna, while tzatziki could introduce a bright dill flavor to your sandwich. Then, add your cheese on top; the best options include Gruyére, mozzarella, Brie, or provolone — just be sure it's a variety that melts easily. After a quick trip in your oven (or even an air fryer), your sandwich will be decadent, toasty, and a sizable upgrade from the tuna melts of your past.