This easy tuna panini recipe is loaded with grilled onion and fire-roasted hatch chiles. The melty cheese and spice blend in with the tuna to make this the best tuna melt sandwich ever! Gluten Free Panini is so easy to make!
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(This post was sponsored by Wild Selections Seafood. All opinions are my own.
Do you love grilled cheese sandwiches? My whole family has a weak spot for melty cheese! What about a tuna melt? Well, I combined all my favorite things into one delicious tuna panini! These sandwiches can be made spicy or skip the peppers for a gluten free tuna melt panini. If you don’t have a panini grill, you can also make this on a frying pan like grilled cheese.
If you love panini sandwiches, you will love this Italian Panini recipe. Whether you need a healthy gluten free lunch or a light dinner, this easy panini recipe has you covered! If you love tuna as much as we do, try this delicious Curried Rainbow Chard Tuna Salad recipe.
Allergen Information:
These tuna paninis are gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free, and oat-free. You can make them dairy-free using vegan mayonnaise and dairy-free cheese.
What kind of tuna is best in a tuna melt?
I always opt for sustainable tuna brands. When Wild Selections® asked me to share their tuna fish with my readers, I was excited. Earth Day is so important for raising awareness of our environment.
I am the one you see at the grocery store with the Safe Watch list out when I am at the seafood counter. Wild Selections® seafood is all certified sustainable. This means that all Wild Selections® seafood uses only Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood.
Wild Selections® even donates 13 cents from every can sold to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to benefit their sustainable fisheries programs and marine conservation efforts.
The blue MSC eco-label tells you the fish in your can comes from well-managed fisheries and healthy fish stocks. Where the fish is caught is much more critical than how it was caught (limited impact if the fish stock is overfished). This tuna is also Non-GMO Project Verified.
Let’s get back to the melty cheese! When the tuna is combined with melty cheese, grilled onion, and spicy hatch chiles, something magical happens.
👀 Sandi Says: If you would like to see how to prepare fire-roasted hatch chiles, check out this hatch chili tutorial to show you how to fire-roast them!
Are you ready to cook? These tuna melt panini sandwiches are so easy to make!
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Add bread to a panini press grill, and add a layer of cheese. Add tuna salad on top. (If you don’t have a panini grill, don’t worry! You can make this panini recipe in a frying pan like a regular grilled cheese sandwich.)
- Just heat a frying pan and put your bread on it, butter side down, so that the butter melts into the bread.
- Add your cheese, tuna salad, onion, and chiles.
- Put a piece of buttered bread on top with the butter side facing up.
- Cook until the underside is lightly brown.
- Flip it over to cook the other side.)
- It is ready when your cheese is all melted and your bread is golden on both sides.
Add fire-roasted hatch chiles and grilled onion on top of the tuna salad.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you don’t like spice, feel free to omit the hatch chiles. They are pretty spicy, and I understand if spice isn’t your thing!
Panini is usually made with non-sandwich bread like sourdough, ciabatta, and focaccia. Unfortunately, we are gluten free, and those breads are not often available in gluten free versions. I used gluten free bread that our family likes. Schar makes a gluten free ciabatta that is also very good.
You can use many different kinds of cheese for this panini. For my tuna melt panini, I used a flavorful Emmental cheese. It is such a versatile Swiss cheese, and it was perfect to pair with tuna. You can also use mozzarella, American, light cheddar, and muenster cheeses.
More Delicious Hatch Chile Recipes to Try:
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If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Tuna Melt Panini with Grilled Onion and Hatch Chiles
Ingredients
- 4 slices bread
- 1 can tuna in water
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons onion slices
- 4 slices Emmental cheese
- hatch chiles to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
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Instructions
- Heat a panini grill, or a small frying pan over medium heat.
- Next, open tuna can and drain the water into the sink.
- Scoop the tuna into a bowl and add mayonaise, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- In a small pan, add olive oil. Add onion and saute until golden.
- Prepare your hatch chiles. You can also use canned green chiles in the store if you prefer.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread. Put two slices butter side down on the pan.
- Add a slice of cheese to each slice of bread.
- Next, add a layer of tuna fish.
- Top the tuna with grilled onion and chiles.
- Add a slice of cheese on top. Cover with the top piece of bread. Make sure the butter side of this slice faces upward.
- Check the bottom slice of bread that is touching the heat.
- When this slice looks golden, flip the sandwich with a spatula to cook the other side.
- This is ready when the cheese is all melted.
Notes
- Use any gluten free bread brand you like. Schar makes a gluten-free ciabatta if you prefer authentic panini bread.
- Hatch green chiles are optional if you don’t like spice.
- You can use other flavors of cheese if you prefer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Can Miracle Whip be uses instead of plain mayo?
You can easily substitute Miracle Whip. Have a great day!