10 Quick Lunch Ideas
Tried to keep this short and sweet because this is not so much recipes, its more just quick lunch ideas! They’re all things we have on a very regular basis. Let me know what you think 🙂
(1) Baked Wrap.
Had to be number 1 because I eat this at least twice a week (who am I kidding, its more like 4 times). There are 100’s of variations but I love either my ‘ham, slightly runny egg & melted cheese‘ version or the pizza one!
RECIPE: My Baked Wraps
TIME: 3 mins prep, max (another reason why I love it!). 17 mins in the oven.
PRODUCTS: My fave wraps for this are Genius/Warburtons. Big, flexible and they taste really good when warmed up. Old El Paso will be too small sadly.
(2) Leftovers.
Don’t make one dinner, make two! We always do this with bolognese or chilli. I know its an obvious one but its easy to not actually do it… so do it!!!!
(3) Burger Bowl.
Another of our current favs. We have a “naked burger” ie. no bun with lots of other bits and pieces. Salad, sundried tomatoes (most jars are gluten free), hummus, grated carrot, halloumi, bit of ‘golden rice’, beef tomatoes. A fridge clear out lunch!!
TIME: 10 mins to grill/fry your burger and a few mins putting it together
PRODUCTS: Most “golden rice” sachets are gluten free, but I think the ones you actually cook (not the microwave versions like Uncle Ben’s) are tastiest!! We love this Sainsbury’s version:
(4) Fish Finger Sarnie/Wrap.
Can’t beat it. Grill your fish fingers for 5 mins on one side, 3 on the other. Whack it in a brioche or your fave gluten free bread/wrap. Add some lettuce and tartare sauce (even cheese if you want the full Maccy Dees experience) and you’ve got the best lunch.
TIME: 10 mins start to finish
PRODUCTS: My fave fish fingers used to be Tesco frozen ones but not sure they exist anymore so I go with Birds Eye. Genius brioche buns take some beating!
(5) KFC Rice Box.
For days when I feel like cheating on the Maccy Dees fillet-o-fish. Again, super easy!! Just chuck a southern fried chicken fillet in the oven, boil some golden rice and put together with a bit of lettuce/ salsa/ mayo/ ketchup/ whatever you fancy. Minimal prep.
RECIPE: More details in my “Fakeaway Guide”
TIME: 25mins in the oven, 10 mins to boil the rice… but almost 0 time watching anything/faffing around!!
PRODUCTS: Birds Eye GF Southern Fried Fillets are so good (in the freezer aisle). Most supermarkets also have their own brand version in the fridges but tends to be a little more expensive that way. Same golden rice as the “Burger Bowl”. Salsa in the pic is just Old El Paso from a jar.
(6) Sundried Tomato & Pesto Pasta.
Ok this one is marginally more faff but had to go in here because we really love it at the moment. Especially with a few prawns mixed in there. Get a pot of sundried tomatoes from a jar, make yourself some pesto (or buy some if that really is too time consuming, mix into warm or cold pasta and enjoy.
Not one to want a big bowl of pasta at lunch? Make it a buddha bowl (like the pic below) instead.
RECIPE: Pesto Pasta
TIME: 5 mins making pesto, 10 mins boiling pasta, 5 mins putting together
BRANDS: Garofalo is my all time fave gluten free pasta. Remember the normal aisle jars of pesto are usually gluten free. Normally, you only need the free from aisle version if you can’t have dairy.
(7) A Classic Jacket.
I think we need more jackets in our lives. Especially whilst we’re in lockdown and eating from home. They’re perfect. Topping ideas: tuna mayo, leftover bolognese/chilli, Heinz beans creations, turn them into potato skins (like the pic below)
RECIPE: Cheese and Bacon Potato Skins
TIME: 45mins – 1hr 30 in the oven + topping time!
PRODUCTS: If (like me) you struggle nailing the perfect fluffy jacket or just cannot face the 1 hr 45 wait whilst they’re in the oven, you can just stick a Mccains frozen jackets in the oven. They also only take 45 mins and they fluff up perfectly.
(8) BLT.
We have this every Wednesday, after I’ve done a full shop. I usually get back at 12.30 and need something fast!!!! I love to have my BLT in a wrap with lots of crunchy iceberg lettuce, bacon, tomato and plenty of mayo. Sometimes a drizzle of sweet chilli sneaks in there too.
TIME: 5 mins max.
PRODUCTS: I usually go for a Genius wrap or two gluten free Old El Paso wraps (because they’re tiny!!)
(9) Soup And.
Another staple in our house… soup and sausages, soup and meatballs, soup and chicken dippers. Whatever needs using up in the fridge/freezer. Adding the meat doesn’t take much prep but makes it feel more of a meal! Kind of like meat croutons haha.
PRODUCTS: Fave soup brand is Glorious! Also love Sainsburys Own Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
(10) Pizza Wrap.
I have the magic ability to turn almost anything into pizza. Jacket potatoes, toast, wraps… even hash browns once haha. For this one, I spread a thin layer of tomato puree over a wrap, scattered with cheese and my fave toppings (including cooked hash brown – as you do) and then grilled for 3-4 mins until the cheese melts and everything is warm and lovely!
TIME: 5 mins prep, 3-4 mins grilling
Hope you liked my Quick Lunch Ideas! Want more? Head over to my “12 At Home Breakfasts” post – any of these would be good for lunch too!!
