Keto tuna melt recipes that don’t include bread

I do love a panini. I wouldn’t usually choose a tuna melt (I often find there’s too much tuna to cheese ratio), but now I’m back on keto there’s no paninis allowed. But tuna is good, as is cheese. So I decided to try out some keto tuna melt recipes.

So far I’ve not found a keto bread I’m that fussed about, so I avoided the more traditional tuna melt. Instead I decided to try the tuna mix in an omelette. I love eggs which is good, because I can eat so many formats of egg to keep it interesting.

When I’m cooking something I’m not keen on for the OH and N (salmon, or if they’ve meat pie leftovers sent over from the farm), I tend to just make myself an omelette or something else fast, like a stir fry. So a tuna melt omelette was first on my list.

I made up the tuna melt mixture. A can of tuna will do for 2 portions (or 2 meals for me)

Tuna and cheese melt ingredients

1 tin tuna, drained
1/2 red onion (or 2 spring onions), peeled and diced
1 stick celery, diced
grated cheese – I used cheddar, but any hard cheese of your choice.
mayonnaise
squeeze of lemon (optional)

For the tuna melt omelette, you’ll need 2 eggs. For tuna melt bites you’ll need a few table spoons of almond flour.

Simply drain the tuna and put in a bowl. Add diced red onion (or spring onion). I also added diced celery, or you could add sweetcorn if you’re not worried about staying low carb. Add a squirt of mayo (check for sugar or make your own if you are following strict keto – I’m not too bothered given the small amount of mayo it adds up to for one meal). Then mix, and use for whatever dish you want.

The tuna mix will be fine in an airtight container or covered in clingfilm for a few days in the fridge.

Tuna melt omelette

Make an omelette in the usual way. In a hot pan with a little butter or olive oil, pour in 2 lightly beaten eggs. Turn down the heat to medium as you don’t want to brown the omelette too much. Just leave the omelette to set on one side, You can flip if you want it slightly more set on both sides. Add a sprinkling of grated cheese on one half of the omelette, then lay spoon on half the tuna melt mix on top of the cheese. Fold over the omelette and you’re ready to eat.

I served with avocado and tomatoes, but you could add salad or celeriac fries on the side. Or even add more veg like spinach or avocado inside your tuna melt omelette for a more substantial meal.

Tuna melt bites

For a light meal or even snacks, these tuna melt bites are really easy to make and will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Using your tuna melt mix, add finely grated parmesan or cheddar to the mix. Stir til combined, then shape into meatball sized balls. If they’re a little bit loose add a little more cheese before covering in flour. (if using day old tuna melt mix, they might be a bit wet from the mayo, so squeeze out some of the watery mayo and tap dry with kitchen towel). Roll in almond flour. You can put them in the fridge for a bit to make sure they’ve set in shape better..