This Underrated Ina Garten Recipe Is the Only Lunch I Never Get Tired Of

I will endorse just about any creamy, mayo-based salad situation, whether it’s potato salad, egg salad, or tuna salad. So it should come as no surprise that I love a good tuna melt. It’s basically an amped-up version of a simple tuna salad sandwich, complete with toasty bread and melty cheese. 

During a recent stint of sad desk lunches, I came across Ina Garten’s version, which she dubs the “ultimate tuna melt.” Ina never lets me down, and her tuna melt did not disappoint. It was absolutely delicious and came together in less than 15 minutes with ingredients I already had kicking around my kitchen. It’s one of the few lunches I never get tired of and the one I turn to when I don’t want to eat leftovers (again). 

Ina’s recipe calls for making an open-faced tuna melt, which I adore. This way, you have a more equal ratio of tuna salad to melty cheese to toasted bread (typically, I find that tuna melts needs more tuna and more cheese). Ina’s version also adds in anchovy paste, which amplifies the flavor and adds a bit of umami. Swiss cheese adds a sweet, slightly nutty flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the tuna. 

These tuna melts are really the ultimate weekday lunch. You can throw it together quickly before hustling back to your desk. If you like to plan ahead, you can make the tuna salad the night before and then simply assemble and broil the tuna melts the next day whenever it’s time for lunch.