There are certain meals I associate with being healthy. I don’t know if it’s a personal quirk or if it’s a universal trait among people. When I decide it’s time to make my health a priority, I have a handful of recipes I love and cycle through repeatedly. These Sweet Potato Tuna Melts being one of them. They make me think I’m making better choices, even though they’re not exactly healthy. And they’ll make you feel the same, I promise.
When I say they’re not exactly healthy, I’m talking about the mayo. But I’m sure if you’re up for trying greek yogurt or using an avocado, you could totally get around that, but for me, these tuna melts, made with healthier alternatives, means I get to keep that little bit of indulgence, that I crave. We’re all about the balance here, are you with me?
And to be completely honest, I actually enjoy it on the sweet potato more than I do on bread. Which is surprising because I am a HUGE bread fan. I could spend hours in a bakery, you know, the same way people lounge around a book store. Seriously, the day they combine a bookstore with a bakery, you won’t be able to track me down.
Ok, let’s get back to these sweet potatoes. You already know how much I like them, but let me just elaborate for a quick minute. A tuna melt, if you’ve never had one, is basically an open-faced tuna salad sandwich, that’s topped with cheddar and heated until the cheese is melted. That sounds so basic, but really they’re delicious. And with the sweet potato, it adds just a hint of sweetness but not in a weird way! It’s downright delicious.
How to make Sweet Potato Tuna Melts
To make these delicious melts, you’ll want to start with the sweet potato. Give it a good scrub and then wrap it in foil and bake it for an hour at 350 degrees F. You can skip the foil if you’re not a fan and just poke the potato a few times and let it roast in the oven in a baking pan. Both work, but the skins dry out more when you skip the foil.
While the potatoes are baking, mix up the tuna salad. In a small bowl mix together the tuna and mayonnaise along with the mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Then, stir in the celery and green onions. Set the tuna salad mixture aside, until the potato is finished baking and cooled enough to work with. When you can handle the potato, slice it in half and scoop out a very small amount from the centre. Just enough to create a slight indent. It helps hold the tuna salad in place.
If the sweet potato doesn’t sit flat, you may have to trim the bottom just a bit, but usually, a gentle push will help the potato sit flat. Next, scoop half the tuna mixture onto one half of the sweet potato. Top this with an extra sprinkle of pepper and then loads of cheddar cheese. Make sure you’re using real grated cheese here. It melts so much better than the pre-shredded stuff and you want this with any kind of melt!
Bake them for an additional ten minutes, enough to melt the cheese and heat the tuna salad through. I like to sprinkle a bit of salt and an extra squeeze of lemon on the top while it’s hot. You could even add extra green onions or a bit of cilantro. I’m not even opposed to a spoonful of sour cream, just a thought!
This dish really is delicious and it feels like total comfort food. I like to serve it at lunch when I’ve been prepared enough to cook my sweet potatoes ahead of time. But, you could also serve it for dinner, whichever you decide on, just plan for the extra time to roast your potatoes. And feel free to double the batch as well. It’s such an easy meal to make, you might already have everything in your pantry. So, what are you waiting for?
If you love Sweet Potato Tuna Melts, check out these other delicious recipes, I’m sure they’ll hit the spot:
If you get a chance to make this or any other recipe on the blog and want to share. Please feel free to tag @candyjarchronicles or use #candyjarchronicles on Instagram, so I can see your post. I’d love to see what you’re cooking in your kitchen!
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Sweet Potato Tuna Melts
A delicious twist on the classic tuna melt. Tasty tuna salad baked on topped of a sweet potato and topped with loads of melted cheddar.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large sweet potato, baked and sliced in half
- 2- 2.6 oz pouches tuna
- 1/2 cup cheddar, shredded
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellmann's)
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced small
- 1 tsp mustard (I use french's)
- 1/2 tsp pepper, fresh ground
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- salt, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
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Wrap the sweet potato in foil and roast for an hour. Remove from oven and set aside.
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Mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and pepper. Stir in the celery and green onions.
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When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to touch, slice them in half and press down the middle to make a bit of an indentation. Scoop half the tuna melt mixture on to one of the sweet potato halves. Cover with 1/4 cup of cheddar and repeat with the other half.
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Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the cheese is melted and the tuna mixture is heated through. Garnish with cilantro, extra green onions, a squeeze of lemon and salt if desired.