Rachael Ray’s Favorite Comfort Food Costs Less Than $10 to Make

If there’s one thing we can always count on being in our pantry, it’s a can of tuna. Even if you don’t like tuna, chances are there’s a can buried deep in your lazy Susan from that time you bought it just in case you changed your mind about tinned fish.

Even our favorite celebrity chefs, like Rachael Ray, lean on canned tuna in many recipes.

“I love tuna in olive oil, I grew up with it in my home,” Ray said in an interview with Allrecipes about her new partnership with Genova Premium Tuna. “I think it’s something that’s a staple for a reason—it’s an inexpensive protein.”

During the interview, when I mentioned that tuna can be a divisive food for some folks, Ray was quick to let me know she didn’t think that was true.

“I think that people overcook it or they remember a casserole or something,” she said. “I think that maybe it was just that we were mishandling it. It’s maybe us not them.”

So, whether you’re willing to give canned tuna another go or already know you like the fish and just want to try something new, Ray has a suggestion for your next tuna recipe.

“Mine, of course,” she says with a laugh. But, more specifically, it’s a tuna melt—Ray is very passionate about her tuna salads and melts.

“First of all, lemon and olive oil is really all you need, but I love a base of escarole, shaved fennel, and celery. It’s so bright and fresh. Then, you can add some capers if you want…and fresh herbs. Parsley, anything you like throw it in there, dill would be terrific,” she said.

But that’s just the tuna salad.

“If you want to make it into a tuna melt, we’ll talk about that in a second. I love tuna melts,” she said.

Ray’s ideal tuna melt is made on stale bread in a panini press or skillet with a little bit of olive oil—but the most important part is the cheese.

“Fontina cheese on a tuna melt is to die for,” she said.

Naturally, after talking with Ray about her tuna recipes, my mouth was watering. So, I decided to put her recipe to the test.

How to Make Rachael Ray's Tuna Melt

Ingredients:

• 1 can of your preferred tuna (Ray likes Genova Premium Tuna), drained—unless you’re using tuna in olive oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil—omit if you’re using tuna in olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1/2 fennel bulb, shaved or finely diced
• 1/2 head escarole, finely diced
• 1/2 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped, plus a splash of brine
• 1/2 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon dill
• 2 slices fontina cheese
• 4 slices preferred bread

Instructions:

1. Combine tuna, olive oil, lemon juice, celery, fennel, escarole, capers with some brine, parsley, and dill in a small bowl.
2. Divide tuna salad onto two pieces of bread and top each sandwich with fontina cheese and second slice of bread. 
3. Preheat a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Cook tuna melts until lightly brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

Note: The measurements are an approximation of what I used in my sandwich. You can add more or less of any ingredient depending on your preferences.

Additionally, Ray mentioned you can add tomato to your tuna melt if you so choose, which is how her mother "demands" it. But be sure to put the tomato under the cheese because “the cheese is the glue that makes the bread stick,” Ray said.

I Tried Rachael Ray's Tuna Melt

After Ray gave me her formula, I had to try the tuna melt. I love a tuna melt—but, I have to say, my melts have never looked this fresh. Typically, my version is oozing with gooey cheese and mayo that overpowers the delicate fish.

So, as I was making the green-filled tuna melt, I was wondering just how much I’d actually enjoy it. But, I’ll never knock something before I try it, so I cooked up the sandwich as instructed.

It did actually get pretty melty and gooey—Ray was right, fontina is the way to go. The tuna salad itself is incredibly delicious. It’s light and very fresh tasting. Sometimes you’ll be hit with the licorice-like taste of the fennel, sometimes you’ll have the tangy flavor from the capers and brine, and then sometimes you just get a big crunch of escarole and celery. When you get a bite of everything, however, it’s like a harmony of flavors—they just work so well together.

It’s a great contrast to my normal, heavy tuna melt. I’ll definitely be making it again this spring and summer when I want a light, quick lunch. Want to try the melt for yourself? Now through the end of May, you can enter for the chance to win the Ultimate Al Fresco Experiential Kit in partnership with Genova Premium Tuna, which will give you free tuna and an outdoor dining setup to enjoy it all summer long.