Using sweet roasted butternut squash rounds (or sweet potato) in place of bread, these Irish Flag Tuna Melts beautifully mimic the three colors of the Irish flag. And they provide a quick, filling meal that is super healthy, low in carbs and tastes amazing. Plus it provides an opportunity to learn a little more about the Irish people and their history.
With the horrific war still raging in Ukraine, I swore I wasn’t going to do any recipes for St. Patrick’s Day this year. Oh, I’m still very heartbroken about what’s happening there. And I very very much want to help the Ukrainian people. I wrote a blog post and ate Ukrainian cabbage rolls all last week. I reached out to other bloggers to ask them to use their voice to call for peace. Also, I sent many peaceful wishes to Ukraine. (Along with some “just STOP this madness!!!” vibes towards Putin.) Lastly, I’m sending funds to help Ukraine.
But it IS almost St. Patrick’s Day. With the horrible news continually bombarding us, I think we all need a little cheering up. So THIS happened in my kitchen today. These pretty little tuna melts to me just look SO Irish! I kinda wanted to make a tiny Irish flag to poke in there, but I refrained.
What do the Colors of the Irish Flag Symbolize?
I think food is a fantastic way to learn more about a country’s culture and history. If we’re going to make dinner celebrating the Irish flag, it feels like we ought to spend a few minutes talking about what it means.
The Irish call their flag the tricolour, or in Irish that’s Bratach na hÉireann. The three colors each represent something important to the Irish people.
The green represents the Catholic religion, the orange represents the protestant religion, and the white in between signifies a lasting truce and peace between the two. Irish history is full of struggles between these two religions. But France also suffered from fighting between Catholics and protestants. In fact, the tricolour in Ireland was actually inspired by the French Tricolour and the French Revolution. Given to Irish revolutionary Thomas Francis Meagher in 1848 by a group of French women who wanted peace between the two religious factions, Thomas brought the flag to Ireland. In 1916, the tricolour became the Irish National symbol. And then in 1937, Ireland officially embraced the tricolour as its national flag.
Additionally, the white in the middle also reiterates the statement in the Irish Constitution that says, “The entitlement of every person born in Ireland to be part of the independent Irish nation, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, or political conviction.” So it really means peace between ALL races, religions and political affiliations.
I think that’s a fitting meaning for the delicious tuna salad in the middle, don’t you? Can’t we all live together peacefully with a little tuna salad to unite us? Oh if only things were that simple.
With that, I think I’ll go find me a good Irish beer! Cheers and peace to you all.
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Irish Flag Tuna Melts
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: as many as you like!
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Irish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A creative method for switching up your tuna melts and making them look delightfully Irish! Quickly make dinner for one or two, or scale it up to feed a hungry crowd.
Ingredients
- Butternut squash OR sweet potato rounds (2 – 4 per person)
- Irish butter melted, or olive oil
- Granulated garlic, ground sage, salt & freshly ground pepper
- Your favorite tuna salad (or see below for my method)
- Slices of aged Irish cheddar or Dubliner cheese
- Chopped greens such as romaine, spinach or kale … or if you have them, use microgreens
Instructions
- Peel the squash or sweet potato and slice horizontally into 1/2 inch rounds. Brush both sides of each round with melted butter or oil, then sprinkle lightly with garlic, sage, salt and pepper. Air fry for about 10 minutes at 360 F or roast in the oven at 400 F. for about 20 minutes or until the rounds are tender when pierced with a fork.
- While the squash or sweet potato is roasting, mix up your tuna salad. I like to take a can of sustainable albacore tuna, drain off the liquid, then pop it in my mini food processor and pulse a few times to break it up. Remove the blade and stir in enough mayo and a bit of yellow mustard to make a creamy mixture. Sometimes I stir in a little finely chopped red onion and/or celery.
- Smear a good dollop of tuna salad on top of each round, then top with a slice of cheese. Pop them back in the air fryer or oven (or even the microwave) to cook a bit more until the cheese is melty and bubbly. Remove and set on plates. Top with greens and enjoy!
Notes
Timing for air fryers varies greatly, so if you’re using an air fryer, your timing may be shorter or longer.
RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2022, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Keywords: Gluten free, Heart healthy, Diabetic, Low Carb, Butternut, Tuna, Irish
