Sick of having the same old lunch foods over and over again? A sandwich is great the first few times you have it, but there’s only a few tasty ways you can quickly pop a filling between slices of bread on your lunch hour!
But thankfully, there are a few great ways to take a plain lunch and make it more flavorful. We’ve listed three of the most effective yet simple ways to make that midday meal more fulfilling for you, so check them out below.
Throw in Some Onion and Garlic
They’re the kings of easy to reach ingredients that we always have in the spice rack. Whether you’ve got sprinklers of onion salt and garlic salt, or you’ve got a half used jar of ready chopped garlic in the fridge and half an onion in the drawer, they can easily be used to add a bit more zing to your lunch.
If you’re cooking your meal, be sure to saute any whole onion pieces down first, and only add the garlic (no matter how finely chopped or ground), once everything else has been tossed around. You don’t want it completely burned off by the time you’re ready to eat!
Drizzle with Olive Oil
Olive oil is fantastic for adding just a bit more quality to an otherwise boring meal. If you were planning a sandwich or you’ve got some panini bread to use up, make sure you stock up on a bottle from one of the best high‑polyphenol EVOO brands as well. After all, you want your oils to have as many healthy compounds in them too!
You can then pop the broiler on, toss a bit of olive oil over the bread, and then put whatever toppings you like on it. If you’re feeling fancy, pop a bit more oil on top of the other ingredients as well, and then let it grill off for a couple of minutes.
If you’ve got something like pasta, try popping your thumb over the neck and shaking it over the bowl; this’ll let a bit of oil drizzle out without drowning it!
Grate Over Some Parmesan Cheese
Cheese can add a lot of flavor to a dish, but you need to have the right cheese on hand to get the taste you’re looking for.
And that’s what makes parmesan such a good choice here. It’s a workable cheese that leaves you with a kind of umami aftertaste, that also doesn’t detract from anything else baked into your lunch dish.
Always have a bit of parmesan sitting in the fridge, ready to be grated over the top of the pasta, to be sprinkled into soup, or as a little finisher for the sandwich or baguette you’ve put together.
If you’re sick of the same old plain lunchtimes, we’ve got some good news for you: it’s not that hard to make your dishes more exciting to eat. Add any of the ingredients above for a better lunch experience.
