Give Your Tuna Melt A Flavor, Fiber, And Protein Boost With This Canned Staple From The Pantry

When we ran down the list of ingredients you should use to upgrade your tuna melt, some of the suggested elements were predictable, like bacon and avocado. One potentially surprising player with some serious nutritional bonafides? Butter beans! These large, creamy legumes are actually a tuna melt superstar that pack your sando with fiber and protein, to say nothing of luscious texture and a pleasant flavor that's extremely versatile.

According to Healthline, a one-cup serving of cooked white beans contains 17 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber, which are both whopping in their own right. There's plenty of good reason that both protein and fiber are such buzzwords in nutritional science right now, as these macros can increase satiety, along with muscle-building in the case of protein and better digestive health in that of fiber. Canned tuna is already good for you; adding another shelf-stable ingredient from your pantry in the form of butter beans can really take things over the top.

There are a few different ways to incorporate butter beans into your tuna melt effectively. The challenge, of course, is binding your tuna mixture so that stray beans aren't rolling out all over your plate. Accomplish this by mashing your beans with either a blender or the tines of your fork, then mixing in your tuna. Alternatively, make sure that you have a generous amount of a binding condiment to keep things cohesive. Mayo is the traditional choice, but tuna packed in olive oil (the Italian variety of which is Ina Garten's secret weapon for better tuna salad) may be viscous enough to keep things tidy as well.

Of course, you know us foodies would never be content to keep a recipe simple! The ingenuity of mixing butter beans into tuna for a great tuna melt inspires us to concoct an even better handheld by riffing on the ingredient list. Gordon Ramsay likes bougie quail eggs in his tuna salad, and we can't argue that the creaminess of mashed egg (chicken or otherwise!) wouldn't be delish in our textured tuna-bean mixture ... and it ups the protein content, to boot! Alliums like onion and garlic also seem heaven-sent for an ultra-savory tuna mixture that will absolutely sing when layered on crusty bread and melted under a thick topper of gooey cheese. Dijon mustard or a lemony vinaigrette to cut through the richness? Don't mind if we do!

Speaking of that bread and cheese, now is not the moment to make exceptional choices that will elevate your melt when the tuna contains delicious, nutritious beans. We wholeheartedly endorse a substantial, seedy whole-grain bread for your melt. This isn't just because whole grain bread is usually bursting with flavor and even more fiber, but also because you'll need a hearty bread to stand up to the bodacious body of your tuna and beans. Likewise, we'd select a cheese with some character to hold its own in the melange of flavors. A nice, nutty Swiss or a mature sharp cheddar would both be excellent choices. With some thoughtful selections, you can build a tuna melt that's not only bursting with healthy macros but also has the potential to bowl you over with exceptional flavor.