Pizza Tuna Burgers

One of my favorite subjects when I was in high school was Home Economics. No surprise there. We started it in grade 8 and it was available for us up to Grade 10.
Each year we had three separate units, Cooking, Sewing and Home Making. I loved all of it. There was nothing about any of it that I didn't like.
In the sewing unit we learned how to sew. We started off with aprons and graduated to dresses. In the Home Making unit we learned everything we needed to know about how to budget and take care of and clean a home, etc.
Pizza Tuna Burgers

And then there was the cooking unit. We worked in pairs and each had our own little kitchen which contained all the equipment we would need. Usually the teacher would have things laid out according to the lesson.
We learned to cook everything from simple sauces to more elaborate things. No surprise, cooking was my favorite unit!
But really I loved it all. In retrospect I should have become a home economist or at the very least a home economics teacher. I think I would have really enjoyed that.

I still have all of the recipes that I learned to cook in Home Economics. These Pizza Tuna Burgers were one of the things that we cooked in Grade 10. I fell in love with them then and have made them many times through the years.
My children also loved them. They are like a glorified tuna melt, baked on English Muffin halves incorporating traditional pizza flavors. I have shared these on here before, but I thought it would be fun to update the recipe with newer nicer photographs, etc.
Pizza Tuna Burgers

These make a fabulous lunch for the children, served with vegetable sticks on the side, or even salad. They also make a wonderful supper when served along side a bowl of tomato soup.
I think they are pretty wonderful any time! But then again, I adore tuna!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PIZZA TUNA BURGERS
Except for the cheese, everything is pretty much straight forward with these delicious burgers.

1 7 oz (200g) tin of albacore tuna in spring water, drained well and flaked
2 TBS finely chopped red onion
2 TBS finely chopped green pepper
2 TBS finely chopped celery
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp oregano flakes
1/2 tsp basil flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (55g) good quality mayonnaise
3 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
6 slices Mozzarella cheese
green olives, sliced (optional)
3 English muffins split in half

I always use Albacore Tuna. Not only is it a nicer color, but I think it tastes better. I don't recommend tuna in oil for these, just the tuna in water.
Do make sure you drain it really well so that you don't have a soggy burger. Flake it really well before you add anything else in.
I mince the vegetables really fine. If you have a good sharp chef's knife, this is really easy to do.
I like Hellman's mayonnaise. You can use low fat if you like, but I always just use the regular full fat one.

You can also use ready made pizza sauce to spread on the muffin halves instead of tomato puree. Its really up to you.

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA TUNA BURGERS
You know that if making these was taught to high school girls, they are really simple to make!
Prepare all of your vegetables before you begin, then preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. You can spray it with some nonstick spray if you like. This just makes clean up easier.
PIZZA TUNA BURGERS

Mix together the tuna, red onion, green pepper, celery, oregano, basil, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl to combine. Stir in the mayonnaise. Mash together really well. You want everything evenly distributed.Place the split English muffins on the baking tray, you should have 6 halves. Spread each with 1/2 TBS of tomato puree.

Divide the tuna mixture amongst them evenly and spread to cover the tomato puree. Lay a slice of the mozzarella cheese on top of each muffin. Top each with three slices of green olive. (Entirely optional but we like them.) Pop the baking tray into the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through, the muffins are toasted on the bottom, the tuna filling is heated through and the cheese is melted on top.Serve hot with some vegetable sticks, or potato chips, salad, soup, etc. What you serve depends on what meal you are serving these for.

These really are tasty. All the different vegetables give plenty of crunch, but not an obnoxious crunch like bones would be, a tasty crunch like vegetables would give.
I like to use green peppers because I think they belong best on a pizza, but if you want you can use red, orange, yellow, or any combination!

The red onion adds color as well. If you don't like or don't have red onions, you could always use the equivalent in chopped scallions/spring onions.
Those would taste really good and also add some more color into the mix. These are a great way to get additional vegetables into the children.
If you like you can use a mix of cheeses on the top rather than mozzarella slices, but mozzarella slices are more pizza-like.

What I love most about these, aside from the ease of preparation is that they are very adaptable. You can add any pizza toppings you like to them. All will be tasty I promise. Even pepperoni, although I would use those little skinny ones sliced up, not full slices.
As a light lunch or with soup as a hearty supper, I can promise you that these always go down a real treat with tuna lovers. If you don't like tuna? Hmmm . . . well then, these are not for your!
I dare say they would also be nice with salmon, flakes of chicken or flakes of ham. I think they are nice full stop! And fifteen year old me love, Love, LOVED them!