Several considerations should be made when choosing simple recipes for lunch. Lunch as filling and nutritious is already a given but in cooking them, the techniques should not be complicated, time-consuming or fussy like multi-layered dishes. As much a possible, simple recipes for lunch should be served as is from the pot, with no need to assemble its different components.

The simplest recipe to make would be salads—the work just involves cutting up the vegetables and pouring in herb vinaigrette. Salads partner well with a meat course or a hearty grilled chicken sandwich. A stew or braised dish for lunch should be simple enough for the home cook. Simply throw in the meats and vegetables into the pot, sprinkle in the fresh herbs, cooking liquid (like chicken or beef stock), and seasoning then bring to a nice simmer until the whole lot is cooked.

Chicken, that versatile ingredient, can be baked or stewed with minimal fuss. It absorbs seasoning well and tenderizes in just over half an hour on the pot. Select the lean and tender parts of meats for faster cooking. Fish fillets, prawns and crabs, simply cooked or simmered in lemon and butter, will already make a satisfying lunch. Squid and clams take a while to clean and prepare for cooking so reserve them for weekend lunches. Unless it’s also a weekend, grilled foods may not be advisable as a simple lunch recipe.

Roasted beef or chicken strips (preferably prepared the night before or leftover from the roast dinner), would make a salad hearty. While pasta may be more appropriate as a dinner item, who says you can’t make pasta Bolognese for lunch? Another fuss-free preparation is the tortilla—just cut up the fillings, fold into the tortilla then serve baked or heated. Eat well with these lunch specials.