These cheesy hot tuna sandwiches are delicious and the perfect thing for a family get-together or to serve during the big game.
The recipe for these hot tuna sandwiches has been in my family for decades. I really can’t remember the first time my mom made these, probably in the late 60’s. No one knew what to expect from these buns wrapped up in tin foil. Once unwrapped and we all had a couple bites, I think we looked at each other and collectively said, “We’ve got to have these things again….and soon.”
And so a kind of tradition was formed right then and there. It seems that every time the family got together we would have hot tuna sandwiches….we called them burgers….hot tuna burgers.
Simple ingredients go into the sandwiches
Chopped onion…..dill pickles….green olives….hard boiled eggs…..sweet relish…..canned tuna…..and American cheese, (the original recipe called for Velveeta cheese, but we’re all grown up now). All this and a little Miracle Whip to hold it all together.
By the way, Mary Jo once made these using mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip and we both agreed that the taste was just not the same. Miracle Whip salad dressing has got to be used to make these.
It’s actually fun to put the sandwiches together when the crowd is at your house. Give each person an assignment to chop a vegetable or to make sure the aluminum foil is all ready to go. Have one person open the buns, another filling the buns and another wrapping the foil to get them ready for the oven.
It seems to me that we always made about two dozen of these which would be a triple recipe of what’s in the recipe below. I got 7 hot tuna sandwiches from the recipe, but the buns I used were pretty big. And I used whole wheat buns which the family never used long ago…strictly white buns. Once wheat buns became more popular in the 80’s and 90’s, we would make half and half, white and wheat.
Another thing is…you have to make more than you can eat that day. Put leftovers in the refrigerator and have them the next day cold. They are delicious with an ice cold glass of milk.
I must say, it is hard to portray the goodness of these sandwiches in a couple pictures. They are gooey, cheesy, dill tasting, green olive tasting, onion tasting, tuna tasting, bun tasting, all wrapped up in a piece of tin foil ready for you to dig in.
And here are some more tasty recipes to try:
- Stovetop Lentil Chili
- Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables
- Grilled Chorizo and Vegetables Foil Pack
- Chipotle Style Burrito Bowl
- Summertime Seafood Gazpacho
Cheesy Hot Tuna Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 5 oz. cans albacore tuna in water shredded with a fork
- 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
- 1 cup dill pickle chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1/3 cup green salad olives
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
- 5 oz. block American cheese cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
- 7 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Prepare aluminum foil by tearing off 12" to 15" pieces, enough to wrap the sandwiches.
- Fill the buns with the tuna fish mixture and wrap in foil. (I used a #8 ice cream scoop).
- Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and place in oven for 25 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Serve the sandwiches wrapped in foil.
Hello, Joe,
Funny story–The wife of one of your sons-in-law’s cousin told me recently that her husband LOVED THESE SANDWICHES, so I had stop by and check out the recipe. It does sound yummy and I will be trying it tonight maybe???
Love, Julie
Hi Julie,
That is funny. It is a recipe that my family has made for many years. Some people don’t like it but it’s a hit when the Boyles get together. I don’t think that Micah likes them. Ha!
Joe
My mom used to make these all the time when we were growing up but we lost the recipe. Thank you for sharing this!
You are welcome Peg. Thanks for the comment.
These are one of my favorite things in the world!!! Wonderful warm memories from my childhood.
Lol loveall the comments! Will have to makes these!
Well……….okay, you may have convinced me, but if I can convince my sweet wife who is already sweet, I will try it with Miracle Whip.
My mouth is watering for these! Classic recipe!
Thanks Katy!
Al, I prefer mayo in everything else too, but not in these! Of course, we’ve been eating these for decades, so that’s the taste we expect. If you make them and use mayo and think that, “meh, they’re not all that great”, try making them with Miracle Whip and see what you think. I usually buy the Land O Lakes American cheese when I shop for the ingredients (wink, wink).
This looks like a great recipe that I will try. However, since you have grown up and started appreciating American Cheese rather than Velveeta, I have grown up and started appreciating Mayonnaise rather than Miracle Whip. I might add a squirt or two of Sriracha too!!!
Hi Alan…The sweetness of Miracle Whip is the way to go though.