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It is possible to serve an excellent lunch, even when you have very little time. Make sure you have these ingredients in the house and when you are pressed for time, whip up these tasty lunches in no time.
Quick Pantry Lunch Ideas
I do not know about you, but, it often happens to me that lunch time seems to creep up on me. Suddenly it is lunch time, the kids are hungry and I have nothing ready. This is the time to take a look in your pantry for some quick and filling lunch ideas. You’ll be surprised with how many last minute meal ideas you can come up with using the various cans and bags of dry goods stashed away in your kitchen cupboards.
1. Macaroni and Cheese Plus Recipe:
Grab a box of Mac & Cheese and mix and prepare it according to the package directions. In order to turn it into a full lunch meal, add some vegetables and meat.
Here are some ideas…
Add small chunks of steamed broccoli or a can of green beans or peas along with some chopped ham, hot dogs, or cubed cooked chicken. (Here your leftovers come into the play again – see the article on leftovers) You can also brown some hamburger meat, ground turkey or sausage ahead of time and keep it in small containers in the fridge or freezer. Simply reheat (don’t forget to thaw when appropriate) and add it to the cheesy noodle mixture. The same basic idea also works well with spaghetti and tomato sauce.
2. Stuffing Soup
Here’s a quick pantry lunch. Grab a box of your favorite stuffing mix and a can of soup. Mix the two and pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the top starts to become golden brown. For an even more filling lunch, use soup with chunks of beef or chicken in it. Well, if this is not a quick and easy recipe?
3. Soup and a Sandwich
Since we’re talking about soup already, why not fix soup and a sandwich for lunch? Just about any combination goes well together and lunch is ready in a matter of minutes. Some personal favorites include tomato soup and grilled cheese, chicken noodle and tomato and lettuce sandwiches, and if you ask my kids, peanut butter sandwiches go great with just about any soup, but especially with broccoli and cheese. Make a point of making extra soup when you are cooking and freeze the leftover soup in small portions, ready to be reheated for lunch.
4. Nacho Grande
Everyone usually has a bag of corn chips in the pantry. Pour some in a microwavable dish, and top it with leftover chicken, diced ham, cooked sausage, veggies, olives and anything else you can find that might go well with chips. Top everything with plenty of cheese and microwave until the cheese is just melted. Serve with a side of mild salsa and sour cream for a filling lunch that only looks like a snack.
As you can see, it is amazing what you can do with the ordinary ingredients in your pantry. Use our example recipes and build on them. Create your own tasty and easy recipes that you can make with a combination of leftovers and pantry ingredients. For more ideas on the use of leftovers, see our article on leftovers.
Get creative, make recipes and enjoy yourself.
Quick and easy meals with these recipe ideas.
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