Tuna Salad Sandwiches Are 10x More Flavorful With This One Fresh Topping

If you already add a variety of extras to tuna salad sandwiches such as lettuce, pickled red onions, and tomato, there may be a way to upgrade your next sandwich by changing the way you prepare one of these go-to toppings. To make an elevated tuna salad sandwich, all you need to do is add a good amount of roasted cherry tomatoes to the mix. While fresh tomatoes are already considered a worthwhile sandwich topping, roasting these tiny fruits brings out their sweetness and concentrates their underlying flavors. Better yet, they add a smoky, sweet brightness to creamy tuna salad.

Luckily, giving your next tuna salad sandwich a sophisticated flavor with cooked cherry tomatoes requires just a small amount of prep work. Simply toss the cherries in some olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast them on a sheet pan for 10 to 12 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The roasting process ultimately breaks them down. In turn, their skins soften and their inner juices seep out. This leaves you with jam-like tomatoes perfect for spreading on your next tuna salad sandwich.

From here, all you need to do is prepare your favorite tuna salad recipe, assemble your sandwich, and include a generous spoonful of the cooled tomatoes before adding your second slice of bread. Fortunately, if you enjoy the taste of roasted cherry tomatoes on tuna salad sandwiches, there are many other ways to enjoy this dynamic duo of ingredients.

If you want to go beyond roasting cherry tomatoes in salt, pepper, and oil, feel free to add your favorite dried seasonings like basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley. You can also include some chopped garlic or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for a more complex taste. To upgrade this topping even more, upon roasting, mix your tomatoes with minced fresh herbs and a good sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Given all the ingredients you can add to your next batch of roasted tomatoes, if you don't want to wait for them to soften in the oven, you can also use your oven's broiler setting. Simply halve your cherry tomatoes, add some olive oil, and place them under your broiler for roughly 10 minutes. Just make sure to check on them periodically.

Apart from cherry tomatoes, you can also build a few other tuna salad variations with different kinds of tomatoes. For starters, yo ucould ditch the bowl and serve tuna salad in a whole tomato. Simply slice the top off of a firm, ripe tomato, scoop out the insides, and fill it with your homemade tuna salad. You can also go in the opposite direction and use jarred tomatoes to make a Mediterranean-style tuna salad sandwich. All you need to do is imbue your classic tuna salad recipe with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients such as crumbled feta cheese, pitted olives, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.