Chipotle Ranch Tuna Melt Sandwich on Multi-Grain Bread

February 20, 2014 by Kristi 41 Comments

I have 2 questions at the bottom of this post that I’d LOVE for you to answer (please)!

You know one of the many great things about being a food blogger?

That friends introduce you to some of the most wonderful things. Like this.

Now this dear friend does not like celery. And, although I don’t understand that at all, what I’m pretty sure of is, she’s likely yelling at her screen right now saying “Don’t do it!” telling me not to add celery to the best-tuna-I-ever-ate that she gave me.

But, I didn’t ruin it. I swear. I didn’t!

I felt so bad about it, that every time I sliced through that celery cutting it into the most perfect, bite-size pieces, I cringed a bit for her. Sympathy pains maybe?

Anyhoo, as bad as I felt, I think you need the celery for all that great crispy crunch. You get me? It’s got keeerhrunch-ability.

And, although you don’t need 21-grain bread for this recipe (’cause that’s a crazy amount of grains) – it is tasty if you can find it. It makes the perfect match with the crunchy celery with its’ healthy, nutty, chewyness!

Perfect for a soft, warm, gooey Tuna melt with cheddar cheese sandwich! Which is exactly how I had it the first time I ate it.

See that delish cheddar cheese and the itty bit of smoky chipotle stickin’ out? It begs to be eaten. Don’t you think?

p.s. If you’re going the tuna melt route, you can’t forget to add that nice, thick layer of sliced cheddar cheese! It is sssooo important.

Then, grill it to perfection, and cut it while it’s nice and hot.

What makes this sooooo tasty is the spicy, smoky Chipotle peppers, which gives it that extra pop we love so much…

And paired with the creamy ranch, it gets all perfectly balanced out!

And, when you mix all this yummy-ness together, it’s going to look like a hot mess like this.

Which you can make into a nice cold sandwich for lunch, or that fabulous tuna melt!

Enjoy!

Questions:

1. I’ve been trying this new format with lots of photos. Do you prefer seeing this many photos or less? Please (be honest!) and let me know! If the answer is less, it will not hurt my feelings. I know it makes the post long, and I know you all know how to cook, and putting this many photos in a post takes a lot of time to put together! You all are totally worth it, but I don’t want to do it if you all don’t like it!

2. What is one thing you love about being a food blogger?

Print Recipe

Chipotle Ranch Tuna Melt on 21-Grain Bread

A great twist on a classic favorite - a simple tuna sandwich amped up with Chipotle chili peppers and ranch dressing!

Course: Main

Author: Kristi

Ingredients

1/4 cup celery chopped
1/4 cup red onion chopped
1 6-ounce can gourmet tuna
2 Chipotles in adobo sauce chopped
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 slices medium cheddar cheese
2 slices Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves see note!
4 slices multi-grain bread
4 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions

Lightly spray a skillet with cooking spray and set aside.
Chop celery and red onions and add to a medium-sized bowl. Add drained tuna, chipotles, adobo sauce, ranch dressing and garlic powder and mix well.
Melt butter and brush with a pastry brush on one side of a slice of bread. Put butter side down in the pre-sprayed skillet. Top with a generous amount of tuna salad. Brush the 2nd slice of bread with butter on one side. Put the 2nd slice on the tuna with butter side up.
Grill on medium-high heat until done on one side, then flip over and grill on the other side until done. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit a minute or two before slicing. Slice and serve.

Notes

**This recipe is for a tuna melt. If you're doing the tuna melt, do not add the lettuce! Or, if you do add the lettuce, add it after you've grilled the sandwich not before!
**This post shows both a Tuna Melt and a Cold Tuna Sandwich that is not grilled.