Lunch
2800 recipes found
Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce With Pasta
Instead of standing over a bubbling cauldron all day long, wondering how many dots of sauce you can collect on your apron, let the oven do all the work. You’ll want to use canned tomatoes here, rather than fresh ones, because you can trust that the canned ones were picked at peak season, their flavors amplified by being preserved in a can with a little salt. By roasting them in a low oven for a few hours, you’re effectively adding umami to an already umami-packed ingredient. Well, the oven is. You’re not doing a thing except boiling some pasta, and eventually, marveling at how such a rich red sauce came from such humble, any-season ingredients.
Potato and White Bean Puttanesca Soup
Potatoes and cannellini beans provide the bulk in this hearty soup inspired by pasta puttanesca, while the garlicky tomato base is imbued with the briny punch of capers and black olives. The signature of puttanesca is heat, so adjust the amount of red-pepper flakes to your liking or use fresh chiles, if you have them. Reserve some of the olives and capers, and combine with parsley to make a topper that amplifies the sharp, bright flavors. Haphazardly mashing some of the beans and potatoes is an efficient way to thicken the soup, without the need for any additional equipment. In fact, it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve whenever you are looking to thicken soups or stews.
1968: Málaga Gazpacho
Taiwanese Meefun
Meefun is a stir-fried rice noodle dish very common in Taiwan, and many cooks always claim that their version is the best. Traditionally, meefun has dried shrimp, but this vegetarian rendition gets its umami from dried shiitake mushrooms and gains a little heft from eggs. It’s delicious when first made, but can also be served at room temperature, so it will travel well to a picnic or gathering.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Rosemary Olive Oil
This soup turns a short list of vegan ingredients into a sublimely silky soup. Infusing olive oil with fresh rosemary is a trick you’ll want to keep up your sleeve: The results are delicious brushed on roast chicken, drizzled over roasted winter vegetables or even just sopped up with a nice piece of bread. The croutons here are optional, but they transform an elegant and delicate first-course soup into a satisfying lunch.
Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup
This stellar soup is reviving and cozy, made in one pot, and ready in 30 minutes. It starts with ginger-scented chicken-cilantro meatballs that are browned, then simmered in a fragrant coconut milk broth that’s inspired by tom kha gai, a Thai chicken-coconut soup seasoned with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves and chile. A heap of spinach is added for color and flavor, and a squeeze of lime adds brightness and punch. The soup is brothy, so serve it over rice or another grain to make it a full meal.
Pan-Roasted Fish Fillets With Herb Butter
A blast of heat in a cast-iron pan and a basting of golden butter does wonders for plain fish fillets. This life-changing method is adopted from a former chef and current fishmonger, Mark Usewicz of Mermaid’s Garden in Brooklyn, who also teaches cooking classes in topics like “How to Cook Fish in a New York City Apartment.” The cooking time is so short that the smell — which, if your fish is fresh and not funky, should not be overpowering — will dissipate quickly. And in the meantime, you have an easy dinner of tender fish with a toothsome crust, anointed with nutty, lemony brown butter and perfumed with herbs. You can use virtually any fish fillet, skin on or off, as long as it is not too thick. If the butter is browning too fast, reduce the heat and add a nut of cold butter to prevent scorching, or squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
Dooymaaj Salad
Dooymaaj is a nostalgic Iranian childhood snack of dried, days-old bread — it’s an effort to not waste a single crumb — combined with fresh herbs, cheese and walnuts. The ingredients are bound with a splash of milk and a drizzle of butter, then rolled into balls and enjoyed as an afternoon treat. This refreshing, zesty, herb-filled bread salad is an homage to the beloved snack. Use any flatbread you like, but crisp lavash bread holds up particularly well against the creamy and tangy buttermilk dressing. This is hearty enough to be served on its own as a light meal or alongside grilled chicken or fish, such as chicken or salmon kababs.
Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce
These nuoc cham-inspired meatballs are perfect to fill lettuce cups topped with fresh basil or cilantro. (Add steamed rice for a more substantial meal.) The Ritz crackers here make for a juicier meatball, but feel free to substitute plain dry bread crumbs. To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. For an easy dipping sauce, spike 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or soy sauce. And save any leftover meatballs: They're great simmered in chicken broth the next day. The ginger and garlic in them release their aromatics into the broth for a deeply flavorful soup base.
Bukharan Plov With Beef, Carrots and Cumin Seeds
This Central Asian recipe uses medium grain rice, like Kokuho Rose extra fancy sushi rice, and sesame oil instead of long grain rice and vegetable oil, as the dish would be made in Iran. You can find Uzbeki cumin seeds and barberries online or in Persian or Russian stores.
Creamy Broccoli Soup
This is one of the best formulas for a creamy, savory broccoli soup — and it doesn’t include any cream. Borrowing from the concept of using coconut water to provide the kind of richness that is reminiscent of bone broth in Yi Jun Loh’s ingeniously vegan Malaysian ABC soup, this simple green elixir starts with a base of umami-loaded vegetables seared in olive oil then braised in coconut water. With silken tofu providing creaminess, this verdant, vegetable-powered soup can be pleasurably contrasted, in flavor and in temperature, with an optional dollop of sweet, cool ricotta. (If you’re keeping this vegan, you’ll still have plenty of creamy richness even if you leave the ricotta out.)
Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup
The beauty of a soup like this — other than its bone-warming properties — is that you don’t need a recipe. You can pretty much simmer together any combination of vegetables with a little water or broth, purée it, top it with good olive oil and salt, and end up with something good to eat. The addition of miso paste and crushed coriander to the broth, and fresh lemon and cilantro at the end, zips things up without negating the comfort factor.
Kongguksu (Cold Soy Milk Noodle Soup)
Traditionally enjoyed during the summertime in Korea, this refreshing cold noodle dish requires just five ingredients: cucumbers, dried soybeans, pasta, salt and water. The base of the dish is a nutty and rich homemade soy-milk broth, which is served ice-cold over thin wheat noodles. There’s minimal hands-on work, but overnight soaking time is required, so plan ahead. Once the beans are fully soaked, the meal comes together in just 30 minutes. Adjust the thickness of the broth by adding more or less water, and for extra earthy flavor, try adding 1/4 cup of roasted pine nuts, peanuts or sesame seeds before blending. If you like, you can make the broth ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can also freeze it, but once thawed, whiz it in the blender to restore its smooth texture.
Avocado and Onion Salad
Avocado, onion, oil and vinegar are all that’s needed for ensalada de aguacate y cebolla, with rich, creamy avocado against the assertive crunch of onion, plus oil and vinegar accentuating the contrast. According to “Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America” (W. W. Norton, 2012) by Maricel Presilla, this combination is found in many Caribbean and Andean traditions, served as a starter or alongside almost any dish but especially rich stews and meats. Florida avocados are larger and can taste greener than buttery Hass avocados; when they’re in season, use them for this salad. While sometimes embellished with tomato, watercress, tropical fruits or seafood, start with the simple recipe below, and see why it’s a mainstay on so many tables.
Burekas With Spinach or Eggplant Filling
These little pocket pastries are adapted from the ones made at Congregation Or VeShalom in Atlanta. The women there make theirs with oil, which is traditional, but this version with butter is more tender. The dough is easy to work with and the fillings are delicious on their own; use any leftovers in eggs for breakfast.
Baked Cod With Crunchy Miso-Butter Bread Crumbs
Shiro miso, also known as white miso, is a fermented mash of soybeans and rice with an incredibly rich, sweet flavor that packs a punch. It pairs particularly well with ginger and garlic, and is combined here with those aromatics, butter and panko bread crumbs for a crisp coating. As it bakes, the miso crust caramelizes and forms an addictive flavor that elevates the mild cod.
Spaghetti and Drop Meatballs With Tomato Sauce
This fast version of spaghetti and meatballs with red gravy is ready in less than 30 minutes, but you’ll be chopping, stirring and monitoring heat — actively working — from start to finish. You’ll be busy, but not frantic, and rewarded not only with the twirling of pasta in half an hour, but with the satisfaction that you made every second count.
Watermelon and Grapefruit Salad With Tahini
This fruit salad is simple to make but thrilling to eat because it hits all the marks of a good salad in surprising ways. The base is crunchy-sweet watermelon and tangy-tart grapefruit. (If you can’t eat grapefruit, substitute orange sprinkled with lemon or lime juice.) These two fruits look similar, but taste different, and that is part of the fun of eating them together. Tahini is used like a nuttier, richer oil, and honey mellows the mix. The balance really depends on the quality of your ingredients, though, so adjust to taste until each bite races between sweet, savory, juicy and creamy.
Corned Beef Hash
A jumble of salty meat, crisp potatoes and sweet onions, corned beef hash is a satisfying and hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner. The New England classic is also pragmatic, borne as Julia Moskin wrote “on leftovers from endless boiled dinners of beef, cabbage, potatoes and onions.” This recipe doesn’t require already-cooked potatoes, though you can swap them in if you have them. And instead of corned beef, use 1 1/2 cups bite-size pieces of another cooked protein, such as pastrami, roast beef, sausage, bacon, chicken or tofu — or omit for excellent home fries.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Depending on your appetite, this variation on a classic Caesar salad with grilled chicken makes an excellent first-course or a full-on meal. Hitting the lettuce with a little fire is an unexpectedly brilliant trick; the green leaves char and crisp and the insides become slightly tender, but you still get the satisfying crunch everyone loves about romaine. If you're a pescatarian, try it with grilled tuna, salmon or scallops.
Tuna Melt
Legend has it that the tuna melt was accidentally invented in the 1960s at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Charleston, S.C., when the cook didn’t notice that a bowl of tuna salad had tipped over onto a grilled cheese. We may never know if this story is true, but there’s no doubt that the tuna melt has become a classic American diner food. This recipe adds chopped cornichons and whole-grain mustard for a satisfying crunch and vinegary element. Extra-sharp Cheddar is a must, and as with grilled cheese, the key to achieving perfectly melted cheese and golden bread is to toast the sandwich over medium-low heat. If you prefer an open-face tuna melt, skip the top piece of bread and place the sandwich on a sheet pan under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Quick Ragù With Ricotta and Lemon
Meat ragù traditionally requires a long simmer over low heat, but this 45-minute version owes its slow-cooked flavor to a hefty dose of red-pepper or chile paste, which yields a complex, hearty sauce. (This recipe calls for sambal oelek, which is easy to find, but Calabrian chile or Hungarian paprika paste would work well, too.) Spoon the ragù over cooked, broken lasagna noodles and top it with a dollop of creamy ricotta, a sprinkle of toasted fennel and a few curls of lemon zest. This recipe uses beef, but you could also prepare it with spicy Italian sausage, or ground pork or turkey — though you may want to amplify the flavor by tossing in a little fennel seed and red-pepper flakes with the onion and garlic in Step 1.
Pasta With Anchovies, Garlic, Chiles and Kale
If you don’t have an after-work, go-to pasta dish, this may fill the void. The backbone of flavor comes from pantry staples — a pungent mix of anchovies, garlic, red pepper flakes and capers, which gives pasta more than enough character for a satisfying dinner. But kale (or chard, spinach or other greens) adds a fresh, earthy flavor and enough vegetable content to turn it into a one-dish meal.
Beet and Arugula Salad With Berries
Berries and beets: a salad of dark green, blue and purple hues if there ever was one. I threw this together because I had these ingredients on hand – beets that I’d roasted several days earlier, arugula that was bolting in my garden, and berries from the market – and it worked. The sweet-tart flavor of the berries contrasts beautifully with the earthy sweetness of the beets and the pungent arugula.