Classic comfort diner food, just got a make-over... the low fat tuna melt. Adding veggies to your tuna, replacing the full fat cheese and mayonnaise with light mayo and cheese and serving it opened faced makes this classic sandwich lower in fat and Weight Watcher friendly. Use your favorite whole grain bread and serve with a salad or a cup of soup on the side.
The Skinny Tuna Melt
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1 opened face sandwich • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 231.1 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 28.6 g • Carb: 14.7 g • Fiber: 3.5 g
Ingredients:
- 1 4.5 oz can tuna (in water) drained
- 1/4 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1 tbsp red onion, minced
- 1 tbsp light mayonnaise (Hellman's Light)
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 2 slices light whole wheat bread
- 2 slices 2% cheese
- 2 slices tomato
- oil spray (I used my Misto
)
Directions:
Combine tuna, celery, carrots, onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over low heat. Spray skillet with oil, and place two slices of bread on top. Top bread with cheese, then tuna salad and tomato. Cook on low heat until cheese melts and bread gets toasty. Serve immediately.
this looks DELICIOUS... I love that whenever I make a recipe healthier I always like it better than the original... the healthy swaps are just as flavorful, or MORE so!
ReplyDeleteI go in and out of tuna phases but I do love a good tuna melt. Sometimes I like to add curry to mine (it's just good, trust me) but next time I'm going to give this a try - especially with the red wine vinegar!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it with curry! I like the sound of that!
ReplyDeleteamazing! tuna is def a fave of mine!
ReplyDeleteYUM! And so much healthier than the traditional one!
ReplyDeleteYUM! All those ingredients....must be SO tastey!
ReplyDeleteFIToriBLOG.com
Its says its 2 servings, but how much tuna do you put on 2 slices?
ReplyDeleteYou divide 1/2 of the tuna mixture between the 2 slices of bread
DeleteI make a similar version but use english muffins and add lemon zest. Also I let the cheese melt over the tomato.
ReplyDeleteYum! I will have to make this for my family. We love tuna melts, especially in the colder months with a cup of hot soup.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm hungry...
I've been craving tuna sandwiches for weeks now! Nice to know ways to lighten it up.
ReplyDeleteHi Gina,
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I love your recipes. We go on your site a few times a week to look up diffent dinner ideas. However sometimes it would be easier to just have a cookbook. Do you think you will make a cookbook?
Thanks-
Katie
Hi Katie, funny, I get asked that via email almost every day! It is my dream to have a cookbook someday. I could easily make an inexpensive one myself, but my hopes are to have a beautifully printed book with photos, and until I know exactly how to go about getting one published, I'm going to stick with the blog for now. I am thinking of creating an e-book, which is easier to do myself, not sure if you would be interested in that.
ReplyDeleteJust came across this post, Gina. I would love a cookbook--I save the recipes I want to try on my iPad, but sometimes it's nice to have a collection by one person in a book. Hope you're going to go through with this!
DeleteI agree would love to have a cookbook/ electronic or paper!
Delete@ Gina,
DeleteIs your ebook idea still on? Is it available? I ONLY cook from your site now :).
Miriam
Sorry don't have an ebook, something to think about though.
DeleteHow can you not love a tuna melt!? Have you tried making the tuna with fresh salsa and spreading the bread with avocado? Delish!
ReplyDeletehttp://eatlittleeatbig.blogspot.com/
This is perfect. My fiance loves tuna fish sandwiches, but he always fills it with a bunch of nasty (i.e. mayo, hot sauce, olives, pickle resish, more hot sauce, the list continues . . . ). Maybe he'd go for this healthy version (if I add hot sauce of course)
ReplyDeleteHi Gina. I saw this post and thought .... um I have to have that! So I made it for lunch and I LOVE IT. I didn't have the vinegar, so i added cranberry juice instead. It was AMAZING!!! Thanks for all of your hard work on this blog. Yum yum Yum.
ReplyDeleteI am allergic to fish - can I make this with chicken or turkey breast? Otherwise it looks fabulous!
ReplyDelete@Merut- lol, I'm sure this would be good with some hot sauce too!
ReplyDelete@bouchizzle- you're welcome!
Yes, shredded chicken would work fine in place if tuna!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteWe bumped into your blog and we really liked it - great recipes YUM YUM.
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Not a tuna fan, but I love your picture!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would be good with greek yogurt instead of mayo. Cut a few more calories. Plus I just love greek yogurt :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice version of a tuna melt.
ReplyDeleteLoooove the idea of this!!
ReplyDeleteMade this using some leftover chicken i had. It was very yum! :)
ReplyDeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteDo you know how many points just the tuna salad is? The points value of the bread and cheese I use varies, and I would like to be able to add that in separately.
Thanks!
Swati
Can you tell me what brand of light mayonaise you use? Thanks
ReplyDeleteSure, Hellman's is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteSwati- The bread was 1 pt 2 slices and the cheese was 1 point each I believe.
I made one of these for lunch on an Arnold's sandwich thin, and I can't stop thinking about how simple and delicious it was. I've been craving tuna but unsure how to make a healthy tuna salad -- i.e., not globbed full of mayonnaise -- and a little bit of fat free mayo and the splash of red wine vinegar (which I never would have thought of!) did the trick perfectly. On a sandwich thin, it was filling and delicious. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Julie! My mom always made it that way so this was a no brainer for me.
ReplyDeleteI made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!!! My boyfriend, who is not on WW loved it also so I will definitely be making it again. Thanks for the great recipe.
ReplyDeleteThese were good, not as mayo-heavy as I am used to, for obvious reasons. These are great to bring to work, I put the tuna between two slices of toasted bread, added a slice of lowfat cheese and when it was lunch time, I microwaved for about a minute. Really tasty.
ReplyDeleteJust made this and it was delicious! Even my boyfriend loved it and i have never seen him eat tuna in my life!
ReplyDeleteI am totally in love with the tuna melts. I've made them probably three times in the last two weeks. And my toddler's love them, too. A total bonus!!!
ReplyDeleteThis was a GREAT lunch!!! I love how your recipes are easy enough for us college students to make but soooo DELISH!!!! LOVE it and I LOVE you GINA!!!! :D Thanks for helping me learn to cook while in college!!! haha!!! >.<
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderful! Quick & Easy and I'm watching my almost 2-year-old eat his right now! 2nd recipe today I've made from your site!
ReplyDeleteOver 2 years ago, I lost 70 pounds through changes in my diet and exercise. After having my son 1 year ago, I gained 50 pounds. Tuna was a key player in my weight loss and thanks to THIS recipe, I'm ready to go hard and lose the weight again! I've been put off by tuna, sick of the same'ol same 'ol. I tried this (substituting lime for the vinegar b/c we don't normally buy red wine vinegar)and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much for all you do!
ReplyDeleteI need to get more fish in to my weekly menu. This look fabulous. I'm trying it today!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks delicious! I'm sure glad I picked up a new cheese shredder today!
ReplyDeleteJust finished eating this for lunch. It was delicious! Thanks Gina! I love every recipe I have tried from your site. It's my go to site for any ingredient I am trying to use.
ReplyDeleteTry it on a Fiber One English Muffin - 100 Calories and 56% of your daily fiber. Also, I used one package of tuna and one of salmon for an extra boost of Omega 3's!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to lighten up tuna with shredded carrots. The spot of vinegar really adds a nice touch, and I was able to use less mayo. I used real butter and sharp cheddar, and also added sliced avocado. Worked great in the panini pan. Thanks much! :)
ReplyDeleteBy far one of my favorite sandwiches! I typically use cucumbers instead of celery most of the time... The vinegar I think is the "secret ingredient"!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all your beautiful pictures. You not only offer me a diverse variety of healthy options, but you make healthy, old-school favorites look delicious!
ReplyDelete- Ivy
What a great healthy treat for lunch or even dinner. You can have delicious meals that are low in calories and taste good. I have been eating healthier and have found some great diet meals that will help you lose weight.
ReplyDeleteWow this recipe looks so good! This is a great healthy meal I can give my kids!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have all the items so I had to modify it somewhat but it was so good. I didn't have celery or carrots or regular tuna. I used tuna w/jalapeno's added pepper, mayo,onion,red wine vinegar also used pepperidge farm very thin 100% whole wheat bread..plus I split a slice of cheese on the bread & used pepperjack cheese...it was yunmmy and gave it that spiciness that I love. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeletei made this yesterday for lunch and i'm about to make it again for lunch today! it was soo yummy! i'm a newly healthy eating fat person, so tuna with LOTS of mayo was my fave. the carrot and onion (don't like celery) really added some great texture to the sandwich so i didn't need to be so focused on the lack of mayo. also i loved the addition of the red wine vinegar. so delicious! and then toasting it up, well that just makes everything better. another great recipe!
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love a tuna melt especially a skinny tuna melt. I can't wait to try this it looks so tasty. There are so many delicious low calorie diet meals that will help you lose weight or stay skinny, so you don't have to give up on taste.
ReplyDeleteOh my, this is so incredibly satisfying Gina! Eating it for dinner right now. Somehow I managed 2 open faced sandwiches for 8 points total? I'm thinking it must be the tuna because your recipe says a can... I used a 2.6oz pouch... could that be the difference? Everything else is the same. Bread is 2pts for 2 slices. Oh, well, I'm very happy :)
ReplyDeleteMade this for lunch today. My husband and I enjoyed!
ReplyDeleteHi there! I just made this for lunch today, and it was awesome!! There was a little coffee shop/ice cream shop that also served light lunch fare in Cambridge, MA that I used to frequent. They had the most amazing tuna salad sandwich, and I've spent years trying to replicate it. Your recipe comes the closest, especially when I add tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI used a whole grain, small tortilla and topped it with shredded reduced-fat cheddar. Popped it in the microwave to get it nice and melty. Then I added the tuna mix + diced tomatoes. Heaven!! Had to stop myself from eating all of the tuna mix. I'm saving the other half for lunch tomorrow. Paired it all with sliced of red pepper and crunchy carrot chips.
Thanks for all of your delicious recipes!