Lunch
2893 recipes found
Microgreens and Tomato Salad With Tahini Dressing
There are weighty, chopped salads, and then there are delicate, tossed ones, such as this tangle of lacy pea shoots and sweet cherry tomatoes, ideal as a side, snack or light meal. Pea shoots are a type of microgreen, which refers to the tender greens of sprouted herb and vegetable plants. Any variety of microgreen is a good contender for use in this salad, which undergoes a gentle drizzle of a bright and light tahini dressing. Big handfuls of chopped herbs add to the levity, making this salad a great match for shrimp or some lovingly prepared beans.
Everything Bagel Cottage-Cheese Dip
Creamy, tangy and full of pep, this quick snack brings new life to your cottage cheese. Scallions, capers and everything bagel seasoning are stirred into cottage cheese, then torn arugula is scattered on top for a peppery crunch. Scoop into it with any combination of crackers, pretzels, toast and raw vegetables like cucumbers or celery — or eat it on a toasted bagel or English muffin. A batch, minus the arugula, keeps for up to two days in the fridge, so keep it on hand for anytime you need a pick-me-up.
Crispy Tofu Shawarma
The flavors of shawarma come alive in this plant-based spin featuring crispy shaved spiced tofu, sumac pickled onions, lemony tahini and fresh vegetables. Super-firm tofu is ideal as it doesn’t require pressing and is sturdy enough to withstand being thinly sliced. Tossing the tofu with soy sauce, an admittedly unusual ingredient in shawarma, imbues it with a deep savoriness, and when the tofu is pan-fried, it gets remarkably crisp-chewy. Cooking in batches ensures maximal crispness, but doesn’t require much babysitting, so that time can be spent whipping up the tahini sauce and prepping the vegetables. Cucumbers and cherry tomatoes offer a mix of crunch and sweetness, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Scoop leftovers into pita pockets for lunch.
Crispy Baked Tomato-Oregano Chicken
Baked in the oven and sealed with a layer of tomato paste and yogurt, this chicken — your choice: breasts or thighs — stays juicy as it cooks on top of a bed of tomatoes. The tomatoes deflate and collapse, becoming a little saucy, as the panko and Parmesan layer on top of the chicken crisps and melts. To maximize this dish’s appeal to kids and crowds alike, it doesn’t have any heat, but red-pepper flakes would be a welcome addition, as would grated garlic or chopped basil. You can serve the chicken with rice or bread, to soak up the pan juices, or bring it as is to picnics and potlucks.
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Inspired by the flavors of piccata, these chicken meatballs are seasoned with capers, garlic and oregano and pan-roasted until golden. The pan drippings are used to create a quick and tangy lemon-butter pan sauce. The secret to these plump, tender meatballs is the panade, bread crumbs soaked in milk until softened and folded into the meat mixture. Serve the meatballs with pasta and any simply roasted vegetable, like broccoli, green beans or bell peppers.
Broccoli Rice With Eggs
This simple one-pot broccoli rice is a cozy weeknight option that will delight both adults and children alike. When cooking a simple bowl of rice, adding oil and salt to the cooking water is an easy way to bring indulgence, and, in Cantonese home kitchens, this is often a way to repurpose oil previously used for deep-frying. Oil imparts a silky mouthfeel to the rice while preventing the rice from sticking, resulting in slick, pearly, separated grains. Finely chopped, crisp-tender broccoli adds a fresh, subtle sweetness and hearty texture to the rice. Complete the dish with a hearty fried egg, drizzled with an easy soy sauce and oil seasoning to add savoriness that is not overly salty. If you’re lucky enough to have any leftover broccoli rice, it can easily be repurposed into fried rice.
Cheesy Tuna and Tomato Orzo
Truly perfect for both kids and grownups, this quick and nourishing one-pot orzo is an ingenious way to bring pantry staples together into a dish that's creamy, cheesy and gently spiced. The orzo is toasted for extra flavor, then simmered right in the pot with marinara and stock until perfectly tender. Flaked tuna adds protein without any fuss, and melty Cheddar or mozzarella adds richness into a deliciously saucy, satisfying meal. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s ideal for busy weeknights when you want maximum flavor with minimal cleanup.
Tomato and Egg Noodles
Inspired by the beloved, homestyle Chinese dish stir-fried tomato and eggs, this recipe takes a fresh approach by using uncooked tomatoes. While the kid-friendly, sweet-and-salty flavor profile of the original dish is present here, the seasoning of salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil also doubles as a quick pickling liquid for the tomatoes, softening them and drawing out their tangy juice. The ginger is recommended, but is optional to accommodate picky palates. Soft eggs are the key, so cook them quickly and briefly, and add them straight to the tomatoes as soon as they are ready to stop them from cooking further. The tomatoes can be marinated up to 24 hours ahead and stored in the refrigerator, which can draw out even more flavor. (If doing this, bring the tomatoes back to room temperature for 30 minutes before adding the eggs and noodles.) This dish is best served at room temperature.
Bibimbap-Style Soba Noodle Salad
In this meal-prep friendly twist on bibimbap, the kaleidoscopic Korean mixed rice dish, simple vegetable sides seasoned with sesame oil or soy sauce (called namul) are served with nutty soba noodles, and lavishly tossed in a spicy-sweet gochujang dressing. Blanching is a great way to lock in the vibrant hues, distinct textures and fresh flavors of vegetables. While it’s a very simple process, it does require some precision to ensure optimal results: Season the blanching water generously, cook the vegetables briefly, and, after cooking, expel as much water as possible. The different vegetables and noodles are prepared separately, so they can be easily packed away individually, ready for assembling a quick weekday lunch or a future dinner. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. (Carrots, daikon, broccoli, kale and corn would also work well.) For extra heartiness, top with a fried egg.
One-Pot Creamy Pasta With Carrots and Peas
This comforting one-pot pasta is the kind of weeknight hero every busy household needs: quick, creamy and loaded with hidden vegetables. Sweet carrots and peas bring brightness and texture, while turmeric lends a golden hue and a subtle earthiness that’s both soothing and nourishing. A good amount of cream ties everything together, creating a silky sauce that clings beautifully to the pasta. With the option to stir in turkey, ham or shredded chicken, this recipe is endlessly adaptable. Best of all, it comes together in just 20 minutes, with minimal fuss.
Sheet-Pan Honey Mustard Chicken and Broccoli
When a marinade does the heavy lifting, throwing together dinner turns into a breeze. This sweet, tangy honey-Dijon blend coats freshly chopped broccoli and skinless chicken thighs. The broccoli florets and stems are separated, and the stems are peeled and sliced into thin coins, which helps them cook at the same rate as the other ingredients. To ensure perfectly tender broccoli, the sheet pan gets tightly wrapped in aluminum foil to trap in steam. Once the chicken and broccoli are partially cooked, uncover, then douse in more honey mustard. This second round of sauce gets charred, sticky and caramelized under the broiler. Since this recipe requires so few ingredients, it can be a versatile blank canvas that invites experimentation. Substitute some of the olive oil with toasted sesame oil and top with toasted sesame seeds for a nuttier flavor; replace some of the honey with hot honey; or simply top with lemon zest and juice at the end for the brightest results.
Smoked Salmon Without a Smoker
Cold-smoking salmon is a time-honored tradition in Indigenous communities in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, as well as other cold regions where wild salmon runs. The days-long process of infusing the fish with wood smoke without heating it is a tricky one that requires a smokehouse. To replicate the subtle smokiness and tender chew, this recipe cures the fish using a dry brine seasoned with coffee beans, smoked paprika and mezcal, ingredients that bear the scent of fire. A fillet of uniform thickness will yield a consistent firmness, while a tapered one will have thin ends that become like jerky. If you’re concerned about uncooked salmon, you can start with flash-frozen fish, thawing it thoroughly and patting it dry before curing, or you can cook the salmon after it’s been cured.
Spicy Curried Potatoes
This is more a stir-fry than a curry in spite of the name, which, like the recipe, comes from “Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking” by Julie Sahni (William Morrow, 1985). The potatoes get no sauce, just a coating of curry powder that adheres to their flesh as they crisp in the pan. Grinding your own curry powder is not strictly necessary, especially if you have a brand you like in your cupboard. But this is a very, very nice blend, unusually fragrant and nuanced. The quantities below will give you more than you need for the potatoes. Make half a batch if you wish, or make the whole amount and start thinking of things you’ll do with the rest.
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This Comforting Chicken and Rice Soup Outshines the Canned Classic
The beauty of this comforting classic is all in the details.
One-Pan Roasted Vegetables and Polenta
In this hands-off meal, the oven softens cornmeal into porridge-like polenta and also roasts and broils vegetables. Once the polenta has baked until set, it gets crumbled and tossed with a wintery mix of vegetables (here, brussels sprouts and sweet potato, but carrots, parsnips and winter squash also work). Lemon gives it all a lively pop and sage lends its fragrant bouquet. Roasting allows everything to deepen in flavor and broiling adds crisp, caramelized brown spots to this cozy dish. A topping of crumbled goat cheese and parsley bring a vibrant touch to a meal that is deeply satisfying any time of the day.
Creamy Mushrooms and Gnocchi
Saucy, rich and creamy, this one-pot meal is for those who adore tender gnocchi. Sautéed cremini mushrooms, shallots, garlic and mustard form an umami-rich base, while the gnocchi simmer in cream and stock, creating a rich and abundant sauce. To keep things vibrant and fresh, peppery arugula is stirred in just before serving. This meal stands on its own, but you could brighten it up with a few splashes of hot sauce or serve it with a crusty hunk of bread to make it properly comforting.
Chicken Mazemen
Quick and flavorful, mazemen is a brothless ramen that was created in Japan as a quick bite that is both easy to eat and satisfying. This homemade version is simple and easy, thanks to fast-cooking ground chicken and some everyday pantry ingredients that effortlessly create a rich sauce. Swirling tahini into the noodles at the end creates the silky texture. Fresh ramen noodles give a more authentic texture to the dish, but dried ramen also works nicely. A fresh topping of bean sprouts and grated radishes wakes up the dish; chopped cucumbers would be great, too. Enjoy the mazemen warm or at room temperature.
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My Go-To Turkish Lentil Dish Is Hearty, Healthy, and Meal-Prep Friendly
These cumin-spiced Turkish lentil and bulgur kofte ( mercimek köftesi) are flavorful, nourishing, make-ahead friendly, and perfect as a meze appetizer or a light lunch.
California Rolls
The California roll at Yanagi Sushi in Honolulu has individual grains of soft rice; a fresh, fat hunk of perfectly ripe avocado; just a sliver of cucumber for aroma and freshness; and cooked snow crab, a sweet flurry of tender filaments bound by mayonnaise. This recipe, with its pristine proportions, comes from one of Yanagi’s founding sushi chefs, Tsutomu Nakayama, whose brother, Haruo, opened the restaurant in 1978, the same decade the California roll was invented.
Chorizo, Egg and Cheese Tostadas
These breakfast tostadas are stacked with porky beans, funky cheese and runny eggs. It’s a dish with a lot of contrasting textures — the crunchy tostada, creamy chorizo beans and a jammy egg — that blend together cohesively. This recipe speeds things up by starting with canned beans, making it perfect for busy mornings. The beans are fried in the rendered chorizo fat to soften them and infuse them with warm spices, then mashed with chicken broth until smooth and spreadable. This recipe calls for raw Mexican pork chorizo rather than the cured Spanish variety. A squeeze of lime and a spoonful of salsa (such as salsa fresca or salsa macha) provide acidity to balance the rich elements of the dish, while the serranos and cilantro add a hit of freshness. You can have a single tostada for a light breakfast or a couple for a complete meal.
Roasted Carrots With Mole Encacahuatado
If your love of peanut sauce knows no bounds, it’ll surely extend to this recipe, adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor” (Knopf, 2025). It’s inspired by a Mexican peanut mole that is traditionally served with chicken in the dish pollo encacahuatado. The term mole stems from the Nahuatl word “molli,” which means sauce or concoction. Mole — not just one dish but a whole category — is used in different ways: as a dressing or sauce for meats or roasted vegetables, or smothering enchiladas or rice. Here, this dark, intense peanut sauce is served with cumin-scented roasted carrots. Bunches of small carrots are ideal, as the carrot greens make an herby addition to the dish, but you can simply substitute fresh carrot tops with parsley, if your carrots are lacking.
Vegan Dan Dan Salad
Turns out, dan dan noodles work well as a salad, in this recipe adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor” (Knopf, 2025), as the signature punchy sauce made with sesame paste and chile oil transforms nicely into an assertive dressing. Curly and chewy ramen noodles cling perfectly to the sauce, but you could really use any noodle you like, including instant noodles, udon or thick rice noodles. Adapt this salad throughout the year by adding seasonal vegetables such as mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach or green beans.
Coronation Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Served at a luncheon for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, coronation chicken (or Poulet Reine Elizabeth, as it was written on the official menu) is a salad of cold chicken coated in a creamy curry sauce. In this regal vegan take, adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories” (Knopf, 2025), cauliflower and chickpeas step in for the chicken. While classic recipes typically feature cream and mayonnaise, coconut yogurt lightens things up and adds sweetness and a tropical tang that pairs well with the curry flavor. Dried fruit is a common addition to “coronation-style” dishes, with some recipes calling for dried apricots or raisins; this one opts for the former, along with optional mango chutney for liveliness and subtle spice. This salad tastes even better the next day — and any leftovers make a stellar sandwich — so feel free to prep ahead.
Spiced Chickpea and Lentil Salad
This chickpea salad, adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor” (Knopf, 2025), mirrors the humble ingredients but standout flavors of harira, a North African soup that is steeped in tradition. Like the hearty tomato and legume soup it derives from, this salad is made from simple ingredients but achieves great depth of flavor by roasting the onions, celery and tomatoes with spices. It’s delicious as soon as it’s prepared, but like so many salads, this one keeps well, as its flavors continue to deepen over time.