Lunch is a daily meal that allows you to replenish stocks of valuable vitamins and minerals. Regular rejection of it can cause malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, a too dense meal loads the cardiovascular system, which causes no less harm to human health. Therefore, nutritionists came to the conclusion that to maintain good health you need to eat properly and balanced. In today's article, we will tell you how and what to cook for lunch.
General recommendations
The most correct and useful is a complex lunch of three components - hot soup, second and third courses. With a rational approach to its preparation, the whole process does not take as much time as it might seem at first glance. For example, to cook mushroom, vegetarian cheese, vegetable or chicken soup, you need no more than forty-five minutes.
The second usually consists of a meat or fish dish, complemented by a delicious side dish. A great option for a full dinner is buckwheat with champignons or navy pasta. If you have a little more free time, you can bake fish or chicken.
As for the third, its role is given to black tea, compote, fruit juice or jelly. Having figured out what to eat for lunch, you can proceed to consider recipes that are optimal for a daily meal.
Mushroom Soup with Cream Cheese
This light and tasty dish is perfect for a family dinner. It is prepared from simple and budget components, and the process itself takes a minimum of time. To cook such a soup, you will need:
- Cream cheese
- 250 grams of champignons.
- 2 potatoes.
- Large onion.
- Medium carrot.
- 2 large spoons of thin vermicelli.
- Salt, herbs, black pepper, vegetable oil and crackers made from white bread.
This recipe is extremely simple, so they will certainly be interested in those who have not yet decided what to eat for lunch today. In a pan filled with two liters of boiling water, load the frying of onions, carrots and mushrooms. Diced potatoes are added there and boiled all together until the vegetables are soft. Then, processed cheese is sent to the common pan, making sure that it is completely dissolved in the boiling broth, and vermicelli. All this is salted, pepper and sprinkled with chopped herbs. Ready soup with crackers of white bread is served .
Navy pasta
This dish is very tasty and satisfying. It is prepared from simple products that do not require long-term heat treatment. Therefore, it will certainly be appreciated by young housewives who do not know what to eat for lunch. To make pasta navy, you will need:
- 300 grams of minced meat.
- Large onion.
- 400 grams of pasta.
- 2 large spoons of tomato paste.
- Salt, freshly ground pepper and vegetable oil.
Having figured out what to eat for lunch, you need to understand how to cook it. You need to start the process with the processing of pasta. They are loaded into a pot with salted boiling water and left over low heat. While they are boiling, you can do the rest of the components. In a frying pan with preheated vegetable fat, chopped onion spread and fry it. As soon as it is browned, minced meat, salt and pepper are added to it. Ten minutes later, tomato paste and cooked pasta are sent there. All this is heated over low heat and removed from the stove.
Vermicelli Chicken Soup
This recipe will certainly interest young ladies who are thinking about what to eat for lunch with a diet. The dish prepared on it differs in rather low calorie content. At the same time, it contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals and perfectly satisfies the feeling of hunger. To cook such a soup, you will need:
- ¼ chicken carcass.
- 4 potatoes.
- Medium onion.
- A little carrot.
- A handful of thin vermicelli.
- Salt and fresh herbs.
Washed chicken is poured with cold water and sent to the stove. As soon as the liquid begins to boil, the resulting foam is removed from it and the fire is reduced. Finished meat is removed from the broth and separated from the bones. Immediately after this, grated carrots, chopped onions and chopped potatoes are placed in the pan. All this is salted and boiled until soft vegetables. Vermicelli and pieces of meat are added to a practically ready soup, and after five minutes the pan is removed from the heat. Before serving, sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs.
Chicken Cutlets
This fast-cooking dish will be a real find for those who have not yet decided what to eat for lunch. You need to go to the store if there are no such products at home:
- 1.5 pcs chicken fillet.
- 150 grams of bread.
- ½ cup milk.
- Clove of garlic.
- A small onion.
- Salt and greens.
The washed fillet is ground in a meat grinder together with bread, garlic and onions. Salt, milk and greens are added to the resulting minced meat. They mix everything well, cutlets are molded and stew them in a hot pan.
Salad with Chicken and Vegetables
This recipe will probably come in handy for those who do not yet know what to eat at work at lunch. Such a salad can be prepared the night before, and in the morning just put in a pan and take with you to the office. To create it, you will need:
- 250 grams of boiled chicken.
- Fresh cucumber.
- 200 grams of kohlrabi.
- Boiled carrot.
- 60 grams of canned peas.
- Mustard powder, vegetable oil and juice of half a lemon.
All ingredients are cut into small cubes, stacked in one bowl and salted. All this season with sauce made from mustard, vegetable oil and lemon juice. Ready salad is gently mixed and served on the table.
Frittata with Tomatoes and Beans
This delicious dish remotely resembling an omelet is surely appreciated by those who are considering what to eat for lunch at the office. To prepare it, you will need:
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes.
- 8 eggs.
- A glass of canned black or red bean.
- 60 grams of mozzarella.
- A tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and basil.
The eggs are broken into a large bowl and shaken well. Then they are salted, sprinkled with chopped basil, pepper and cleaned to the side. Tomatoes and beans are lightly fried in a pan greased with warmed olive oil. Then they pour it all with beaten eggs, decorate with mozzarella slices, cover and simmer over low heat for about twenty minutes.
Veggie sandwich
The recipe for this simple sandwich is useful to those who have not yet decided what to eat for lunch today in the office without leaving their workplace. To play it you need:
- 2 slices of whole grain bread.
- 3 slices of cucumber.
- 2 large spoons of hummus.
- 2 thin slices of tomato.
- 3 slices of avocado.
- ¼ cup grated carrots and any sprouts.
Dried bread is greased with hummus. On top of the layers lay vegetables in random order. All this is covered with a second piece of bread and served to the table.
Vegetable stew
This light vegetarian dish will be a real find for those who have not yet decided what to eat for lunch and not get better. This stew is characterized by a relatively low calorie content, and you can cook it not only in the summer, but also in the winter. To do this, you will need:
- 2 zucchini.
- Medium onion.
- 2 bell peppers.
- Eggplant.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- 200 grams of canned tomatoes.
- 2/3 cup broth.
- 75 milliliters of white wine.
- Olive oil, salt and olive herbs.
Chopped onions and chopped garlic are spread in a frying pan with warmed vegetable fat. After a couple of minutes, the remaining vegetables are added there, pre-cut into large pieces. All this is poured with wine and stewed a little less than a quarter of an hour. Then tomatoes, salt and Provence herbs are sent to the pan. All is thoroughly mixed, warmed over low heat and removed from the stove.
Rice with vegetables
This interesting and satisfying meal is prepared very quickly and simply. Therefore, it will certainly fall into the cookbook of those who care about what you can eat for lunch. To make delicious rice with vegetables, you will need:
- 200 grams of broccoli and cauliflower.
- A teaspoon of turmeric.
- 200 grams of rice.
- ½ teaspoon of provencal herbs and olive oil.
- 10 grams of fresh red pepper.
- Salt and spices.
Pre-boiled rice is fried in preheated vegetable fat. Then it is seasoned with spices, salt, Provencal herbs and red pepper. Five minutes later, a raw egg, broccoli and cauliflower are added to a common skillet. All this is stewed for seven minutes, sprinkled with turmeric, mixed, warmed and removed from the stove.
Vegetable casserole
This simple and tasty dish is likely to cause some interest among those who have not yet decided what to eat for lunch. To prepare it, you will need:
- 250 grams of zucchini.
- 2 eggs.
- 400 grams of zucchini.
- A large spoon of sour cream.
- 150 grams of tomatoes.
- 100 milliliters of 0.5% milk.
- 30 grams of cheese.
- Salt, dill and spices.
Washed vegetables are cut into thin slices and laid out in layers in a heat-resistant form. Then they are sent to a warm oven and cooked at 200 degrees for a quarter hour. After the specified time, the vegetables are poured with beaten eggs mixed with milk, sour cream, chopped dill, salt and spices. Top the dish with sprinkled grated cheese and return to the oven. Bake it for seven minutes until a golden crust appears.
Beetroot salad
This simple dish is ideal for a vegetarian lunch. Moreover, it can be done in advance, and in the morning to take with you to work. To prepare such a salad, you will need:
- A pound of beets.
- 400 grams of green beans.
- Lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Washed beets are wrapped in foil and baked at 200 degrees for half an hour. Then it is cooled, cleaned, cut into cubes and put in a deep bowl. Beans are also added there, pre-fried in warmed olive oil. All this is salted, sprinkled with natural lemon juice and gently mixed.
Buckwheat Vegetable Stew
This healthy dish can be served both hot and cold. Therefore, it will certainly be appreciated by those who have not yet decided what to eat for lunch without leaving their workplace. This stew can be prepared the night before, and when leaving the house, just pack it in a sudok. To do this, you will need:
- A glass of buckwheat.
- A couple of carrots.
- 5-6 pcs. Brussels sprouts.
- A pair of medium onions.
- Salt, spices and olive oil.
In a stewpan, greased with preheated vegetable fat, pre-chopped vegetables are fried. Five minutes later, washed buckwheat is added to them. All this is poured with the right amount of filtered water, salted, seasoned with spices and simmer over low heat until the cereal is ready. As a rule, the duration of this process does not exceed twenty five minutes.
Cabbage cutlets
A dish prepared according to the recipe described below can be served with fresh sour cream or any spicy sauce. It consists practically of vegetables alone, which means that it turns out not only delicious, but also very healthy. To make such cutlets, you will need:
- 250 grams of white cabbage.
- 2 fresh chicken eggs.
- 100 grams of onion.
- 20 g semolina.
- 100 grams of carrots.
- Salt, thyme, ground pepper and olive oil.
Pre-washed and finely chopped cabbage is put in a saucepan, poured with a small amount of water and sent to the stove. All this is salted and boiled for nine minutes. Then the softened vegetable is thrown into a colander, completely cooled and mixed with sauteed onions and carrots. Semolina, raw chicken eggs, thyme and pepper are added to vegetables processed in this way. All is well mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed. Small meatballs are formed with the wet cabbage from the resulting cabbage forcemeat and grilled for several minutes on each side. Finished products are immediately served at the table.