Lunch

When it comes to convenience and portability, sandwiches are hard to beat.

You’re going to want to let this sandwich hang out for a bit before digging in so the bread can soak up those juices. Napkin not optional.

It's sort of like taking a trip to the south of France on your lunch break.

Feel free to use store-bought jelly, and avoid the temptation to add oil to the pecans when pulsing. They have plenty of natural fat if you just blitz them long enough.

The mezcal and fish sauce in these fajitas make for a surprisingly good combination. You’ll get a smoky, earthy flavor from the mezcal, while the fish sauce adds a little funk and saltiness. If you prefer, use any kind of chopped up chicken or pork in place of the skirt steak.

Japchae may be the dark horse of favorite lunchtime noodles (if there was such a competition, and there should be), but the ability to eat it hot, cold, or room temp will make you rethink everything.

Shout out to everyone that wants to meal prep, but then... life happens.

This recipe makes just enough salsa verde to coat one bag of chips, but it's so tasty and versatile that we always make a double batch. If you can, choose a heftier chip that will hold up when stirred into the sauce.

It's all about the hummus + mustard sauce. Don't knock it till you try it.

This is a perfect recipe to make when you have bought too many tomatoes at the market and they are starting to show their age.

Cooking bacon in the oven on a sheet tray is so hands-off, so splatter-free, and so easy, it just might convince you to eat a lot more bacon in the future.

It takes a little while to griddle all the slices, but it’ll add a lot of richness and flavor. You can do all of the other components ahead of time. 

Using frozen puff pastry is the shortcut that makes this tart a new summer weeknight favorite recipe.

We’re over having to carefully cut the peels off citrus before slicing them; simply peeling them first keeps their natural shape intact and saves time.

Don’t let the veggies hang out in the vinegar for too long. You want them to stay crunchy!

Plenty of cheese, peak summer tomatoes, tons of garlic, and a cracker crust make for a totally addicting savory pie.

You want that lamb fat to render out gently; it’ll eventually become part of the sauce that will tie the whole dish together.

If you prefer skinless, boneless thighs, that’s fine too. You will need to add about 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan to start, and your total cook time will be shorter. Change up the crunchy vegetables as you wish—any sturdy veggie that you enjoy eating raw will be equally good.

Lee Tilghman makes some of the best lunches on Instagram. These are her tips for prepping like a pro.

Eat standing up, ideally over the sink.

This zippy, herbaceous drinkable soup is like a trip to the farmers’ market in a glass.

Outrageously crunchy.

A salad where one of the main ingredients is cheese? Okay yes.

In case you were wondering, yes, it must be Hellmann’s.