Quick but exciting lunch ideas

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

DH and I are home for weekday lunches and though we haven’t got time to faff in the kitchen it’s a chance to eat something more adventurous now the DC are at school (we eat with them for most dinners and they’re pretty fussy).

So far we’ve had:
-avocado toast
-shakshuka (I made a big batch of the tomato base so just need to add eggs)
-salad with beetroot, walnuts and blue cheese

All new ideas gratefully received!

M&S gastro pub funny middle scotch eggs. Warmed in oven with some chips and salad.

Spanish tortilla with salad

Soup and crusty bread - something like olive bread

Falafel, houmous and spinach wrap

Half and cheese toastie

Baked Camembert

Couscous salad

Omelette
Frittata
Caprese salad
Tuna nicoise
Omelettes
Ham and cheese toasted croissants
Croque madame
Peach and prosciutto salad
Pancakes

Pastrami, pickle and mustard bagels
Mozzarella, tomato and pesto toasted sandwich
Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel
Eggs Benedict
Falafel in pitta bread
Sesame chicken noodles www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sesame-chicken-noodles
Rice salad www.tilda.com/eat-well/recipes/summery-rice-salad-with-feta-olives/
Couscous salad www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/courgette-couscous-salad-tahini-dressing

Italian tuna and bean salad with some good bread and maybe extra salad on the side. I do it from memory but it's something like the recipe linked below. I use cannellini beans, and I add spring onions rather than shallot. Thinly sliced or chopped red onion would look pretty too. Plenty of parsley, salt, pepper and lemon juice. I use tuna tinned in olive oil, which provides most of the oil needed.

allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/28925/fagioli-toscanelli-con-tonno--white-bean-tuna-salad-.aspx

Its a bit neanderthal but take a tortilla wrap and put in whatever flat(!) fillings you can, fold it up and in half and toast it. After a few minutes 'undo' it and put it back in for another 2 minutes. Easy, crispy, warm tortilla wrap. Just be careful the fillings don't fall into the toaster...!

A great thread! Following...
(sorry nothing to contribute)

Many lunches in this household are based on using up leftovers as I purposefully overcater dinner.

Eg, from leftover pasta with meatballs, I make meatball sub sandwiches. I also make more rice than needed to make fried rice for lunch. Leftover chilli is used to make nachos, leftover fish and potatoes are used to make fish cakes, etc.

Sausage I do that but dry fried in a pan, with a can of soup to press it down.

Sausage I love those toaster quesadillas.

Today’s we had prawn skewers done in the George Foreman with a mango and chilli salad, it was delicious!

Regular quesadillas are also nice, I often have wholemeal tortillas with refried beans, cheese, salsa and any other bits I've got in the fridge (e.g. leftover chicken). I just toast them in a frying pan.

Homemade pizza buns - bread rolls with pizza sauce, cheese and any other bits I have in the fridge (chopped onion, ham, tomato etc) toasted in the oven

Omelettes

Frittata - another great way to use up leftover veg, I make a large one and eat for a couple of days for lunch

Soup made in the slow cooker (very little effort needed...!)

Oh I forgot pasta salad! Penne pasta, with Italian salad dressing, rocket or fresh baby spinach, olives, peppers, salami or ham, etc

Yum! Some great ideas here. I like the prawn and mango salad idea (though I might be able to persuade the kids to eat that without chilli so might save it as a dinner idea). We do quesadillas regularly with the kids (plain cheese and refried beans for the kids, I add things like tomato, avocado, coriander and some taco seasoning for us).

I’ve got a spicy butternut squash soup cooking in the instant pot today.

Useful thread. Did amuse me I got an advert for Gaviscon in the middle of it though

Frittata
Haloumi wraps
Greek salad
croque monsieur