Need a refresh for your packed lunches? Look to these lunchbox-friendly recipes for nutritious and re-energising meals.
While it’s easy to let a lunchtime meal fly by, it’s important to prioritise some time for yourself.
These recipes, full of leafy greens, proper protein, and satisfying flavours, will help you take
This refreshing salad is finished with a homemade sweet and sour tamarind dressing, which combines soy sauce, lime and brown sugar. The prawns are also cooked in garlic and chilli to add more flavour.
Who could look past a sandwich for their midday cravings? This vegetable-forward offering features fresh mozzarella and several seasonal vegetables, including eggplant, courgette and tomatoes.
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Advertise with NZME.Stonefruit season is an exciting time of year, as juicy fruits make their way into desserts and snacktime hauls. Extend their presence with this protein-filled plant-based bowl, which is complete with microgreens, lemon and aioli.
Returning to the realm of sandwiches: this rosemary-flecked focaccia will provide a hint of decadence to your much-needed midday break. To build out a more balanced meal, you could spread avocado and add salad to a slice of this homemade loaf.
This simple tart will deliver plenty of comfort for your midday meal. The earthy and sweet flavours of fennel will sink into pillowy potato. Those flavours are also bolstered by a base of golden brown pastry.
This salad is a total breeze, coming together in under 20 minutes. The dressing is one you’ll want to bookmark for later, as it makes use of punchy pantry ingredients including olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and Dijon mustard.
Ben Tish shares the recipe for this pie of greenery, which stuffs spinach, fennel, herbs and feta into an olive oil crust. A topping of sesame seeds also provides crunch.
This super savoury, caramelised chicken recipe, which comes from food journalist Nigel Slater, will make a filling midday meal.
This warming risotto is a total textural comfort, with melted parmesan and buttery rice. Sprigs of thyme will supply pleasant earthy flavour to an otherwise rich dish.
This salad is full of protein, with eggs, beans, and tofu to supply your midday meal with plenty of nutrition. The sauce is full of garlic, roasted peanuts, chilli and shrimp paste.
Here’s one for the vegetarians. This dish makes the most of eggplants, a seasonal delight, treating the vegetable to a shallow fry that creates satisfying crispiness.
Local chef Sam Low shares this recipe from Modern Chinese. It sees cubes of soft tofu coated in a mix of fermented chilli bean paste, garlic, spring onion and sugar. The medley of flavours tickles every tastebud, from spicy to sweet.
This rice and salad bowl could act as a base for your everyday lunch. Simply swap out the protein based on your preferences or the contents of your leftovers. Though, if you’d like to follow the recipe exactly, you’ll certainly enjoy the rewards of this gingery, honey-soaked tuna.
If you’re particularly attuned to the risk of lunchbox spillage in your favourite bag, look no further. These seaweed cups are neat and tidy, with oven-baked salmon fitting snugly into the bite-sized bundles.
