Are you trying to eat healthily but are fed up with alternating between Caesar salad and chicken steak with vegetables for lunch? If you would like to try something new, this article is just for you. In it, we present dozens of tips and recipes for light lunches that you may not have heard of before.
The recipes are grouped by six of the world’s cuisines, followed by sweet dishes, autumn light lunches made with seasonal ingredients and ideas for meat-free, packed and budget lunches. There is something for meat eaters as well as vegans and vegetarians. Perhaps this article will inspire you to travel to new places.
The short answer. A light lunch fills you up without making you tired. Half the plate is vegetables, a quarter is protein, such as pulses, fish, eggs or chicken, and a quarter is a wholegrain side. In autumn, the best ingredients are pumpkin, mushrooms, cabbage, apples and pulses, and you can cook most dishes with them in 30 to 45 minutes. Below you will find 42 recipes, including unusual dishes from around the world as well as autumn, budget and packed lunches, with the new ones listing the amount of ingredients and preparation time.
15 Tips: A healthy, quick dinner in under 15 minutes!
40 Tips: What to cook when you don’t know what to have for lunch?Tip: Another 33 recipes for tasty lunch dishes are waiting for you in the next article.
Table of contents
Unusual light lunches
In this article you will find recipes from Balkan, South American, French, Italian, Czech and Asian cuisine, followed by three sweet but healthy dishes. Enjoy these light lunches!
What a light lunch is and how to put it together
A light lunch keeps you full until the afternoon but does not leave you so tired that you would rather go to sleep. It usually contains less fat and fewer fried ingredients and more vegetables and fibre. It does not mean a small portion, but rather the right balance of the different parts on the plate. As a rough guide, the UK agency Public Health England recommended in 2018 a rule of thumb of 400 kilocalories for breakfast and 600 each for lunch and dinner.
The Healthy Eating Plate, created by experts at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, is a useful guide. Half the plate should be vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, such as wholemeal bread, buckwheat or brown rice, and a quarter good-quality protein, such as fish, poultry, pulses or nuts. Under the Harvard model, potatoes do not count as vegetables. Eggs are also a good source of protein.
To drink, choose water, tea or coffee without sugar, and cook with vegetable oil, such as olive or rapeseed oil. If you often feel tired after lunch, try a smaller side next time and add a portion of vegetables. For tips on getting more of them into your diet without a struggle, see the article why and how to eat more vegetables.
Balkan cuisine
Balkan cuisine is full of perfectly grilled meat, which is also sold in upmarket restaurants, but you can enjoy a great culinary experience for just a few crowns at an ordinary street stall. The Balkans are also influenced by classic Mediterranean cuisine. People eat a lot of fish here, and peppers, tomatoes and olives are popular too. Try one of these interesting recipes.
1. Tavče gravče
Almost every culture has a dish that historically served as food for the poor. Such dishes were often very simple, meat-free and cheap, yet tasty and above all filling. And that is exactly what North Macedonian Tavče gravče is like.
It is a dish made from just a few ingredients, dominated by the typical round white beans, which are grown in huge quantities in North Macedonia. The recipe is very simple: first boil the beans in water, then fry onion in a pan, add spices, pepper paste and the cooked beans. Stir everything together and bake in the oven.
The dish is most often served with crusty bread. It is also excellent with grilled sausage.
2. Burek
When travelling through the Balkan countries, you will catch the scent of local street food on almost every corner. While it would be a great shame not to taste the local grilled meat prepared in various ways, the very popular and often vegetarian pastry called burek is definitely worth trying too.
It is made from filo pastry, which is very similar to puff pastry and is easy to find in the Czech Republic too. The filling is usually a Balkan cheese, perhaps with leaf spinach. There are also bureks with a meat filling.
As burek pastry is quite rich, this pastry will do as a quick main course for lunch, which you can easily eat on the go or in the office.
3. Sirene po šopski
Lovers of Balkan cheese will surely appreciate this light cheese recipe, which is not at all difficult to make. You need tomatoes, sliced into rounds and spread across a baking dish. Spread Balkan cheese over them and crack a raw egg on top.
Drizzle the mixture with olive oil and, most importantly, finish by sprinkling it with the traditional Balkan spice blend čubrica, which no Balkan kitchen can do without. Do not add any more salt, as Balkan cheese is salty enough on its own.
Bake everything and eat it with bread, chips or a vegetable salad.
4. Shopska salad
If you are short on time and want to make something healthy, try the classic shopska salad, which you have surely eaten several times already. The combination of peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, Balkan cheese or feta and olive oil is simply legendary.
5. Mămăligă
Lovers of polenta will be delighted with this Romanian speciality. Mămăligă is a cornmeal porridge that poor peasants used to eat instead of bread. It even has the same consistency as bread, so you can cut it into slices.
You can eat it as a side dish, but it is also great on its own, topped with soured cream and bryndza cheese. Alternatively, you can sprinkle a little fried bacon on top.
Light lunches, south American cuisine
The flavours of distant South America have been shaped by a complex history and a succession of cultures in the region. Some dishes have their roots in Africa, others among the indigenous peoples and others in southern Europe. Set off to discover them!
Tip: In the next article, we introduce 15 quick recipes for tasty diet meals. Don’t believe it?
6. Tacos
Although tacos come from Mexico, not South America, they belong in this selection as a great example of a Latin American dish you can easily make at home. You can also fill them with anything you like, so they can be an unhealthy meaty treat or a fresh, low-calorie snack or even lunch. Which combination do you fancy? You will find the method in the article recipes for great homemade tacos.
Tacos go perfectly with the herb sauce chimichurri, whose main ingredients are parsley, coriander, garlic, oregano, olive oil, chilli and lemon juice. It is this perfectly balanced combination of heat, acidity and saltiness that gives your dish real punch.
7. Empanadas de mariscos
A traditional Chilean dish that you can commonly find at street stalls in various versions. It is a fried or baked wheat pastry filled with all kinds of meat or vegetable combinations.
In this case, however, we recommend trying empanadas de mariscos, or empanadas with seafood. Mariscos most often include prawns, crab, lobster, oysters, mussels, octopus and squid.
8. Ceviche
Fish simply belongs to South America. It is eaten in sauces, on its own as a steak, in tacos and empanadas, boiled and baked. This section, however, introduces you both to a new recipe and to an interesting technique for preparing fish.
The principle of ceviche is to prepare fish without heat, using only the acidity of lemon or lime. The acid sets the proteins in the fish, so the flesh turns white and firm but remains raw. White fish is most often used, but tuna is also suitable. In Peru today, the fish, cut into pieces, is marinated in the acidic juice with herbs for just a few minutes, while the older style called for several hours.
However, acid does not kill parasites that may be present in fish. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists ceviche among dishes that have caused parasitic infections, and as reliable protection it recommends freezing the fish beforehand, for example at minus 20 °C or below for seven days. So use fish intended for raw consumption, or fish frozen in this way beforehand.
9. Vatapá
This Brazilian delicacy actually has its roots in Africa. Its colour may remind you of an Indian sauce, but its flavour will take you somewhere completely new and unexplored. The main ingredients are prawns, peanuts, coconut milk and, to taste, chilli. If you are not a big fan of prawns, you can swap them for fish or chicken.
The dish is often served with small fried balls made from beans, garlic and ginger.
Tip: Did you know you can make dandelion honey at home? Find out how!
French cuisine
Who could resist delicious French crêpes or a hearty pumpkin quiche? But give other French recipes a chance too, as they are sure to impress you.
10. Baked aubergine with pine nuts
If you are looking for ideas on how to use up surplus aubergines in the summer season without spending ages cooking, this recipe is perfect for you.
All you need is aubergine, nuts and extra virgin olive oil. Slice the aubergine into rounds, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with the nuts. You can also add raisins to the nuts, then bake everything. You can serve the dish either as a side to meat, or grate some cheese over it and serve it as a main course.
11. Brandade de Morue
One of the traditional French recipes whose correct preparation is debated and disputed even among the French themselves. It is a very smooth purée of salt cod, which is then served either with potatoes or spread on bread and made into canapés.
To make it, you will need salt cod, which you must soak in cold water one or two days in advance. Then cook the fish in milk and blend it into a smooth mixture. Some people also add potatoes to the mixture.
12. Cheese soufflé
A hot dish full of delicious cheese soufflé will cheer you up and warm you on chilly autumn days. You can make soufflé in several different ways, depending on seasonal vegetables, but it is also great as a sweet version with melted chocolate.
For a cheese soufflé, the most important ingredient is, of course, a good quality cheese of your choice. Cheddar, for example, works brilliantly. It is also important to keep an eye on the baking time. You want it cooked through but not overbaked, and it should also visibly rise.
13. Chard gratin or potato gratin
If you love creamy sauces and a generous layer of cheese, treat yourself to this delicious dish, which you can eat on its own or as a side, for example with grilled meat.
Choose your cheese carefully. We recommend a strong Swiss cheese such as Gruyère.
14. Savoury tartlets
Tartlets are best known as a wonderful French dessert, but you will surely love the savoury version too. There is a huge range of fillings that you can combine in different ways. The base, however, is a savoury shortcrust pastry made from plain flour, butter, egg and water.
For the filling you can use, for example, crème fraîche, egg yolk and chanterelles, or various cheeses, leaf spinach, bacon, or even pumpkin or beetroot with goat’s cheese. The only limit is your creativity.
15. Ratatouille
Who doesn’t know the animated film in which a rat cooks this classic country dish full of vegetables in a luxury French restaurant? It is especially popular in the area around Nice, and you can serve it as a side or as a main course in its own right, for example with bread.
The dish is based on courgette, aubergine, pepper, garlic and onion, tomato sauce, olive oil and various herbs and spices that you can commonly find in the garden.
Ratatouille is usually prepared in three different ways, depending on how you cut the vegetables and arrange them in the baking dish. If you have the time and feel like getting creative, slice everything into thin rounds and arrange them slice by slice in a circle. If you don’t have much time for cooking, just mix everything together and bake it.
Tip: Find out why it pays to eat oyster mushrooms.
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine is certainly not just pizza! Try one of the many, many recipes known for their lightness, strong, distinctive flavour and speed.
16. Focaccia
If you love bread, try making homemade focaccia. This wonderful, crispy Italian bread is perfect as a side to various salads or simply with herb butter.
The base is a yeast dough to which you add sun-dried tomatoes, olives and various spices or herbs. Herbes de Provence, thyme or oregano work wonderfully, for example.
17. Egg yolk raviolo
Wafer-thin pasta that, when you cut into it, releases a beautifully runny yolk. That is the egg yolk raviolo, which is very simple in terms of ingredients but requires a certain amount of cooking experience to get right.
Ravioli are, in general, Italian pasta filled with various fillings, usually based on ricotta mixed with various cheeses and vegetables, or meat.
18. Gnocchi
Gnocchi are small dumplings that Italians serve with all kinds of sauces, much like pasta. They are made from flour, potatoes and eggs.
You can try, for example, gnocchi with spinach and tomatoes, pumpkin gnocchi, or gnocchi with cheese sauce, tomato sauce, mushrooms or various kinds of meat. You can also try baking them in the oven with various cheeses.
19. Vegetable frittata
Italian frittata is another light lunch. It is an egg omelette to which other ingredients are added, such as Italian pancetta or chicken.
But do try a vegetable frittata. Aubergines, asparagus, courgettes, tomatoes or peppers, boiled potatoes, cooled cooked pulses: all of these are perfect for a great light lunch or a hearty breakfast.
20. Panzanella salad
This salad is ideal on hot days when you don’t fancy anything heavy. Its name comes from two Italian words, pan (bread) and zanella (deep plate) and it has its roots in Tuscany, Italy.
The main ingredients are tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, olive oil and, above all, small pieces of bread. The herb most often used is basil.
Sometimes anchovies, mozzarella, tuna or boiled eggs are also mixed in with the vegetables.
Light lunches, Czech cuisine
Even Czech cuisine, which is normally full of dense, heavy dishes, sauces and dumplings, can surprise you with its lightness. Swap a slab of meat for vegetables and pulses, or a piece of fish. Perhaps the light lunches on our list will catch your eye.
21. Green beans in cream sauce with egg
A healthy Czech dish that almost everyone knows and that you can cook in a few minutes. The dish is based on green beans, which contain fibre and are a decent source of vitamins C and K.
The beans are cooked in a creamy sauce, to which you can add a little streaky bacon, for example. Serve the dish with potatoes and a boiled egg.
22. Pasta with pumpkin and savoy cabbage
You may remember savoy cabbage from the school canteen, where it was a colourless mush with no flavour or distinctive aroma. But try to get over your bad memories and give this colourful recipe a go.
To make it, you will need Hokkaido pumpkin, wholewheat pasta, fresh savoy cabbage and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix everything together and serve hot or cold.
23. Courgette fritters
Lovers of potato pancakes can rejoice. This recipe offers a healthier version of this unhealthy treat. The main ingredient, potatoes, is replaced with a healthier ingredient, courgette, which contains far less starch.
Coarsely grate the courgette and mix in some flour. You can also try gluten-free flour. Fry the mixture as small patties in olive oil and serve with sour cream, which lightens the whole dish beautifully.
24. Pearl barley risotto with beetroot
If you love the combination of beetroot and goat’s cheese, you must try the following recipe. It is a pearl barley risotto whose main ingredients are beetroot and a strong fresh goat’s cheese.
You can season the dish with herbs of your choice, such as fresh chives growing on your windowsill.
Tip: Do you love smoothies? Read the best recipes for making them.
25. Carp chips
Carp chips don’t have to be just a December treat at the Christmas markets. You can easily make them in the comfort of your own home too, and they are a real delicacy.
To make them, you will need carp fillets, which you should first bone thoroughly. Then salt them and coat them in a prepared mixture of flour and spices. Finally, fry the fish until golden.
As a side, choose a light salad with a yoghurt dressing, which softens the whole dish beautifully.
26. Lentil salad with eggs
Do you like salads? Try a salad made from lentils. First fry a little bacon, then add leek, a bay leaf, onion, cooked lentils and chopped vegetables of your choice. Hard-boil some eggs, cut them into small cubes and stir them into the mixture. Leave everything to rest in the fridge for at least a few hours and serve with bread.
27. Buckwheat with mushrooms and smoked meat
If buckwheat does not have a permanent place in your diet, put this right soon. It is naturally gluten-free and provides magnesium, manganese, zinc and fibre. It also contains rutin, a plant pigment from the flavonoid group, but it cannot replace treatment for high blood pressure or varicose veins.
Mushrooms go brilliantly with buckwheat, especially button mushrooms. You can also add smoked meat to this buckwheat risotto to give the dish extra flair.
28. Perch with herb butter
Czech rivers and ponds are full of excellent freshwater fish, which are delicious grilled, baked in the oven or fried in breadcrumbs.
Perch tastes similar to zander, for example. Try it with herb butter. You can easily make it at home. For this you will need butter, sea salt, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, rosemary and garlic.
Asian cuisines
When someone says Asian cuisine, do you picture a plate full of greasy rice or noodles? Believe it or not, Asian cuisines have plenty of light lunches to offer too. Try, for example, a hearty Pho bo broth or diet spring rolls.
29. Tikka masala
If you have not yet tried Indian cuisine, you should definitely start with chicken tikka masala. It is wonderfully mild and well balanced in flavour, and while you cook it, the amazing aroma of the spices will enchant you.
First prepare the chicken, which you marinate in a mixture of plain yoghurt, ginger, garlic, cumin and tandoori masala spice. The flavour of the sauce then comes from spices such as star anise, bay leaf, cardamom, curry, turmeric, cumin, ginger and garlic.
With the dish you can serve basmati rice, but Indian naan bread is also excellent, and you can easily make it at home too.
30. Chicken in yuzu marinade
Have you not heard of yuzu yet? It is a citrus fruit that comes from China and is grown mainly in East Asia, especially in Japan and Korea. In recent years, yuzu has become a hit. That is because it is so versatile. You can use it to make homemade lemonades and ice creams, add it to tea or turn it into a great marinade that gives your barbecue an Asian twist.
Mix yuzu with soy sauce and chilli and leave the meat to marinate in this mixture for several hours before grilling. Then grill or fry it as usual. As a side, we recommend a healthy salad of seasonal vegetables or crusty bread.
31. Pho Bo
This hearty Vietnamese soup keeps growing in popularity, including in Czechia. It is a very strong, clear beef broth, in which there are also rice noodles, pieces of meat, mung bean sprouts and spring onions. So you have a main course right in the soup.
The soup is typically fragrant with coriander, star anise, cardamom and ginger. Believe us, if you manage to eat a whole portion, you will be stuffed.
32. Spring rolls
If you have the time and want to experiment, look up one of the many recipes for spring rolls. They are rolls wrapped in rice paper. The filling usually includes rice noodles, various vegetables, coriander and possibly different kinds of meat or prawns. They are also great with ripe avocado.
Tip: If you want to explore Asian cuisine further, read about other traditional Asian recipes.
Light lunches for when you have a sweet tooth
If you are craving something sweet but do not want to lower your standards for healthy food, try one of these recipes. You will love them and your scales will not even notice!
Tip: Also read about the best oat recipes.
33. Gluten-free pancakes with fruit compote
These pancakes are suitable for vegetarians, vegans and also those who try to avoid gluten. You can replace ordinary flour with gluten-free flour and use soy or almond milk instead of regular milk. In the vegan version, replace the egg with a tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with three tablespoons of water.
You can make the fruit compote to suit your own taste. We recommend trying one with forest fruits and mint, or a pear compote with honey and cinnamon.
34. Diet potato dumplings with fruit
Even a classic such as fruit dumplings can be made so that they do not leave you feeling heavy. Simply swap the yeast dough for potato dough with quark. Use low-fat quark, of course.
As a filling, we recommend plums, for example, which are more than beneficial for your health. They contain a large amount of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Apricots are also excellent and are another great source of fibre.
35. Millet bake
A traditional Czech recipe whose main ingredient is millet. First cook the millet, then add to it dried plums, chopped walnuts and honey. Put everything into a baking dish, pour over beaten egg and cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
You can also use fresh fruit instead of dried. Besides plums, greengages, damsons, mirabelles and the like also work well. Simply use whatever is growing in your garden at the time.
Autumn light lunches with pumpkin, mushrooms, cabbage and apples
In autumn, pumpkins, cabbage, apples and mushrooms are in season and can be bought at a reasonable price. Pumpkins, heads of cabbage and apples also keep in the pantry or cellar for several weeks. Together with pulses, you can make filling lunches from them that will not leave you feeling heavy.
Four of the five recipes can be made without special equipment in under 45 minutes, while the chicken with thighs needs about an hour in total. If you enjoy pumpkin, you will find more ideas in the article healthy autumn pumpkin recipes.
36. Pumpkin soup with apple and ginger
For four servings you need one Hokkaido pumpkin weighing about a kilogram, one onion, one tart apple, a thumb-sized piece of ginger and a litre of vegetable stock or water. You do not need to peel the Hokkaido, as the skin softens during cooking. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and cut it into cubes together with the apple.
Fry the onion in a tablespoon of oil, add the pumpkin, apple and grated ginger, pour in the stock and simmer until soft, about twenty minutes. Blend the soup, season with salt and nutmeg. On the plate, soften it with a spoonful of sour cream or coconut milk and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds. Allow thirty to thirty-five minutes in total.
37. Garlic oyster mushrooms with potatoes
You can buy oyster mushrooms all year round in any ordinary shop, and they are ready in the pan in a few minutes. For two servings you will need 300 grams of oyster mushrooms, 500 grams of potatoes, two cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of butter or oil, caraway seeds and a handful of parsley. Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water, which takes about twenty minutes.
Meanwhile, tear the mushrooms into strips and fry them in a hot pan for five to seven minutes, until they release their water and start to turn golden. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and caraway only at the end, otherwise the garlic would turn bitter. Serve with potatoes and cucumber salad, and allow 25 minutes in total. You will find more ideas in the article recipes with oyster mushrooms.
38. Roasted cabbage steaks with yoghurt dip
From a head of cabbage you can make more than just salad. A smaller head weighing about a kilogram will make two servings as a main course or four as a side. Cut the head through the core into slices two centimetres thick so that they hold together. Brush them with a mixture of three tablespoons of oil, a crushed clove of garlic, salt, caraway seeds and sweet paprika, and lay them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C for about 35 minutes, turning the slices halfway through. The edges should be golden brown and the centre soft. Meanwhile, mix plain yoghurt with garlic, lemon juice and dill. Boiled potatoes or a slice of rye bread make a good side, and for a more filling version add a fried egg. Allow 45 minutes in total, including preparation.
39. Red lentils with pumpkin and tomatoes
Red lentils do not need soaking and cook in fifteen to twenty minutes, which makes them ideal for a quick lunch. For four servings you will need 250 grams of red lentils, 400 grams of pumpkin, one onion, two cloves of garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes, 600 millilitres of water and a teaspoon of curry powder or garam masala.
Fry the onion, garlic and spices in oil, then add diced pumpkin, rinsed lentils, tomatoes and water. Simmer with the lid on for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed. Season with salt and lemon juice and serve with rice or a flatbread. Allow roughly half an hour in total. You will find more recipes in the overview healthy red lentils.
40. Tray-baked chicken with apples and onions
For four portions you need four skinless chicken thighs or 600 grams of chicken breast, three tart apples, two red onions, 500 grams of potatoes or pumpkin and three tablespoons of oil. Season the meat with salt, thyme, marjoram and pepper. Cut the apples, onions and potatoes into wedges.
Toss the potatoes or pumpkin with half the oil, spread them on a baking tray and roast at 200 °C. After fifteen minutes, add the apples, onions and meat, drizzle with the rest of the oil and continue roasting, breasts for roughly 25 to 30 minutes and thighs on the bone for 40 to 45 minutes. With breasts, lunch is ready in about 50 minutes, with thighs in about an hour. The meat is done when it reaches at least 74 °C inside, which is the temperature for poultry given by the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). You will find more light dishes made with chicken in the article healthy recipes with chicken.
Light meat-free lunch
More than half of the recipes in this article are meat-free. They include, for example, tavče gravče, Shopska salad, mamaliga, ratatouille, gnocchi, vegetable frittata, courgette potato pancakes and barley risotto with beetroot, and among the autumn dishes, pumpkin soup, cabbage steaks and lentils with pumpkin.
To make a meat-free lunch filling, add protein, most cheaply in the form of pulses. A meta-analysis of nine studies, published in 2014 by a University of Toronto team (Li et al.) in the journal Obesity, found that meals with pulses were 31% more filling than meals with the same number of calories without them. However, this made no difference to how much people ate at their next meal.
Besides beans, lentils and chickpeas, eggs, quark, cheese or tofu will also help. Just add them to a vegetable dish, such as a fried egg on a cabbage steak or a quark dip with roast pumpkin. You will find more ideas in the articles healthy meat-free recipes and what to replace meat with in your diet.
Light packed lunch for work
Take dishes to work that a night in the fridge will not harm, quite the opposite. From the recipes in this article, these are lentils with pumpkin, tikka masala, ratatouille, tavče gravče, lentil salad with eggs, barley risotto or buckwheat with mushrooms. Less suitable are soufflé, carp chips or potato pancakes, which quickly lose their crispness in a lunch box.
Divide the cooked food into shallow containers and put it in the fridge within two hours of cooking. According to the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), leftovers keep in the fridge for three to four days, and frozen they keep their quality for three to four months. Reheat them covered until they are hot in every part, that is, to at least 74 °C, and bring soups and sauces to the boil.
Pack salads separately from the dressing and add it just before eating. If you have no microwave at work, choose food that also tastes good cold and carry it in a cool bag. For mid-morning and afternoon, try healthy snacks for work.
41. Couscous salad with chickpeas, apple and parsley
This salad needs no reheating and keeps in a lunch box until lunchtime. For two portions, pour 200 millilitres of hot salted water over 150 grams of couscous, cover and leave to swell for five minutes. Then fluff it with a fork to separate the grains.
Add a can of rinsed chickpeas, one apple and half a cucumber, diced, a handful of chopped parsley and a few walnuts. Pack the dressing of three tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper separately. The whole salad is ready in fifteen minutes.
Cheap light lunches
Cheap light lunches are based on ingredients that are in season in autumn or keep for a long time in the pantry. These include cabbage, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, apples, onions, pulses, pearl barley, millet and eggs. Among the cheaper recipes in this article are those made only from basic ingredients, namely tavče gravče, mamaliga, cabbage steaks, red lentils with pumpkin and sauerkraut soup.
You can also save by cooking a bigger pot and freezing half, or by using meat only for flavour, such as a piece of smoked meat in pulses. You will find more tips in the articles recipes for healthy and cheap meals and how to save on food and still eat healthily.
Soup as a main course is one of the cheapest lunches, especially if you make it from sauerkraut, potatoes or pulses and serve it with bread. You will find more ideas in the article simple healthy soups.
42. Sauerkraut soup with potatoes
For four portions you need 400 grams of sauerkraut, 400 grams of potatoes, one onion, a tablespoon of plain flour, a tablespoon of sweet paprika, caraway seeds, a bay leaf and about one and a half litres of water or stock. If you like, add a piece of smoked meat or sausage, but the soup is tasty without them too. If the sauerkraut is very sour, rinse it briefly.
Fry the onion in a tablespoon of oil, sprinkle it with the flour and paprika and pour in the water. Add the diced potatoes, caraway and bay leaf and cook for ten minutes on their own, as they would soften more slowly in an acidic environment. Then add the sauerkraut with its juice and cook for roughly another 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Allow 45 minutes in total. Season with salt and pepper and add a spoonful of soured cream and some dill to each plate. With a slice of bread, it makes a filling lunch.
Tip: If you are still looking for inspiration on what to cook, read about the best recipes with Hokkaido pumpkin or get inspired and make healthy beetroot brownies.
