What are your favourite cold main meal recipes?

[Lioncubhearted]

Looking for ideas for proper main meals, which can be eaten cold. Rephrase...which are nice to eat cold. In my mind, a pasta salad is a cold pasta bake with salad dressing instead of cheese. So it's a proper main meal even though it's cold. Does that make sense? I'm getting sick of eating it though, so what other meals fit the cold criteria?

Oooh, the gammon and potato salad is a good shout! Adding it to my summer meal repertoire! 😆

Sounds rubbish for you! Is there a good reason you seem to have such a crappy lunch break?

Also I reckon meatballs or some tagines might be good cold.

Do you also need to be able to juggle with your feet at the same time??? 😆
Sorry, but this made me laugh. Why are you not allowed to sit to eat? Standing to eat is not a proper break. Is that at work OP?

I used to work at various sites, and never knew what kitchen facilities would be available. I used to use a wide mouth, thermos flask which is for food, rather than just soup. I could therefore take along hot or warmed food. Some ideas:

-Pea/ham soup. I make a very thick version, so more of a stew consistency. Yummy with crusty bread.
-Crumbed chicken drumsticks. Add foil around the bony end and use as a handle
-Quiche or frittata. If you really need to eat standing, make smaller, canape type versions like this. You can add pretty much any combo you like- ham, bacon, tomato, semi-dried tomato, different cheeses, spring onions, smoked salmon, dill etc https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/filo-pastry-mini-quiches-great-for-kids-to-make-and-eat/

Some salads are more filling that others.
https://www.recipetineats.com/thai-beef-salad-2/
https://www.recipetineats.com/roast-pumpkin-spinach-and-feta-salad/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spring_pea_salad_with_84930
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chicken_noodle_salad_67466

Or a filled baguette or wraps?

You can get food flasks that would keep something warm. That might be an option?

Couscous with roast veg (peppers, onions, courgette, tomatoes) and feta is nice eaten cold.

Now we’re talking!

Pies.
Chicken or Chicken and ham, chicken and leek, or mushroom… etc etc

Cornish pasty

Scotch egg

Coronation chicken

Potato salad

Yummy homemade sausage rolls or meat loaf.
Or just awesome sandwiches, with unusual breads, bagels, wraps etc… I like cold Greek style fillings, so lamb/ chicken/ chickpea kebab tzatziki type stuff for example

How about egg muffins? Just put some beaten eggs into muffin tins along with your choice of filling. Peppers, chicken, ham, mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, spinach etc.

They're delicious hot or cold.

Don’t like cold food as a main meal.
Can’t you find a hot meal that can be eaten with one hand?
Chilli and rice? Or similar?

@Darkclothes It's for DC to eat dinner at the bus stop on the way home from training. Gets home too late to eat really, and has a 20 min wait for a bus. It will be 7-8 hours in a flask so I think cold food is better than hot, which by then would be like warm at best and presumably a breeding ground for bacteria and food poisoning. Don't thermos flasks keep cold stuff colder for longer than they keep hot stuff hot?

A Thermos flask should keep food hot for much longer than 7/8 hours.

Here:

Ahh, thanks for explaining the circumstances. You said in the OP that YOU were sick of eating it, so I (and many others) assumed this was a meal for yourself, not a child, and likely something you were taking to work!

Yes, I 'think' a thermos can also keep things cooler for longer than hot. How old is DC? Any allergies/food requirements?

Some other ideas:
-Regular, meaty Scotch eggs www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/scotch-eggs-0 or this salmon version https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/smoked-salmon-scotch-eggs

-Meat balls with a long skewer like the pic or a fork

Any gluten allergy? If not what about pasties? Cornish, cheese and potato, spinach and feta, vegetables cheese and tomato - you could even do a pasta-in-sauce one. Go fully trad and have meat and potato in one end and apple in the other…

puy lentils (preferably a pack of Merchant Gourmet tomato ones) with grilled halloumi, halved cherry toms, a few salad leaves and some dressing is tasty. Sometimes with random veg if something needs using up.

also some version of satay noodles - peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, any protein or veg you fancy and whatever noodles you prefer

@Renamed oh DC1 would love that (meat, potato, apple)! Have a recipe?

I am sick of eating it - I refuse to make several meals a day! We eat it when DC2 does. I also need meals for work, so would make enough of whatever to take for me the next day. I usually make a massive bowl of pasta salad for the night everyone is in at different times, and we eat as and when with DC2 eating any lefovers for breakfast

No allergies except intolerance of hazelnuts, raw unpeeled carrots and kiwis plus needs to cater to a dislike of mushrooms, nuts (except walnuts and pine nuts) and food which is too mushy.

Hummus, falafels and crudités are nice and quite filling. Can have cold cous cous with it too if you need something extra to bulk it out.

Apologies OP I don’t eat meat and have never made one, but I found this page https://cornishpasties.org.uk/pasties-with-afters-V-Cornish.htm

which has links for different recipes for double ended pasties - hope it helps

raw unpeeled carrots Out of interest, what intolerance do they have to carrot skin?

Cornish pasty. It’ll be horrid out of a flask though.

Greek salad
Salad Nicoise
Cous Cous/bulghar/quino salad with roasted veg
Grilled halloumi
Quiche
Quesadillas

@Darkclothes i know, it's so random, almost immediately gets a rash around the lips, complains of an itchy and tingly, swollen feeling on tongue and mouth. But only from small carrots which are unpeeled.

Eeek 7-8 hours out of a fridge is quite a challenge!

I’d second a previous suggestion of cold cous cous paired with something like ratatouille with Parmesan shavings and added chick peas for protein.

Those upside down kilner jar salads are good for keeping things very fresh. You put the dressing in first and then layer up the other ingredients. You can even put croutons on top if you want. Then when you want to eat them, you turn them upside down and the dressing is properly distributed. Maybe add a small tin of tuna at the last minute?

Noodles with a peanut butter dressing and Asian veg would be good in a jar.

A variation on the theme is home made Aikii-type noodles salad that has lots of flavour from a spicy dressings with dried and fresh mushrooms.

Maybe too salad-ish though?

How about one of those pressed sandwiches? Hollow out a small loaf and put aside insides for breadcrumbs. Brush out the two hollowed-out shells of loaf with light coating of olive oil. Then layer up roasted veg inside, like peppers and strips of courgette and mushrooms, rocket, basil, garlic, etc. Add slices of mozzarella. Then put bread halves together, press down, wrap tightly in foil and put in fridge with a heavy weight on top overnight.

Maybe veggie samosas?

Edited: sorry just read your update about mushrooms!

Pesto would be good in a pressed roasted Med veg sandwich too.