These easy and family-friendly recipes are designed to be made for dinner the night before and enjoyed as leftovers at lunch the next day at work. Who needs yet another salad when you can impress your workmates by rolling out delicious rice bowls, curries, soups, frittatas, stir fries, pasta bakes, noodles and quiches? And best of all, making a little more of your favourite chicken, tuna, mince, fish, vegetarian or noodle dinner will save time – and money – the next day.
With virtually no hands-on cooking required, this fun deconstructed bánh mì is for the days when you don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen. Pick up a piece of roast pork from the supermarket and arrange everything on a large platter so everyone can build their own wrap.
Ready in a flash, this quick and easy lamb mince wrap packs a punch, thanks to the use of baharat and Aleppo pepper (see recipe notes). It’s the perfect dish to whip up for a speedy lunch or dinner when you’re dining solo.
Alice Zaslavsky deconstructs a Mexican staple with this easy – and super tasty – taco bowl.
Lucy Nunes makes a hearty mince soup filled with classic Chinese flavours.
Try this egg-cellent take on seasonal brunch, packed with fresh picnic flavours.
Ready in just 15 minutes, we’ve taken a traditional spanakopita and given it a speedy upgrade, thanks to the use of rice paper. The results are an easy snack or light lunch that’s crunchy on the outside and deliciously cheesy on the inside.
“We like to bake beetroot skin-on, wrapped in foil. This method gives an even texture and a soft, earthy sweetness. It’s also quite forgiving because you don’t need to be super precise about time or temperature. The hazelnuts marry well with kale and beets, especially in a silky custard filling. The sturdy pastry shell of this quiche makes it a great dish for transporting, too.” – Michael James. You’ll need a 24cm (base), 25cm (top), 3.5cm-deep loose-based tart pan for this recipe. Find the puff pastry recipe here.
Pork salad gets wrapped up as a souvlaki for the perfect lunch box treat.
Sebastien Lutaud puts a portable twist on the French classic, steak frites.
Helena Moursellas packs a staple for any picnic or high tea – chicken mayo finger sandwiches!
“Combining leftover chicken with crisp vegies, fragrant herbs and a flavour boosting dressing means you can have this meal ready and on the table in minutes.” – Lucy Nunes.
Use up any leftover prawns and dinner rolls in this fancy next-day lunch.
Use up any dairy leftovers with this midweek wonder. You’ll need to freeze 2 cups of milk for this recipe. Creamy, corn, chive and bacon soup
This hearty ramen is a filling use for your leftover Christmas turkey.
Lucy Nunes shares the perfect recipe to use up those packs of soba noodles still lingering in your pantry.
