10 tasty Russian meals for your lunch box
In order to keep away hunger pangs, what food should you take to work, to university or on a trip? Here’s a couple of ideas for a lunch box that can be a source of energy throughout the day.
1. Stuffed bell peppers
This colorful dish will quickly boost your mood. The yellow, red, or green bell peppers give a hint of sourness to this meal. The juicy meat stuffing is responsible for this dish’s nutritional value. You can also experiment by adding onions, carrots, tomato paste, or boiled rice. You’ll end up with a visually attractive and healthy lunch.
2. Potato casserole with meat
You can quickly make a casserole from leftover food in your fridge. Try adding vegetables or mushrooms to the meat filling that’s made of finely chopped beef, pork, or chicken. On top of the potato layer — which should be cut in circles or spread evenly as a layer of potato mash — you can put some grated cheese to get a crispy crust after baking in the oven.
READ MORE: No more ordinary dinners with Russian casserole ‘Metropol’ (RECIPE)
3. Navy-style pasta
This dish is quite simple to make, so it’s perfect to take with you for lunch. It consists of boiled pasta and fried mincemeat in which you can also add onions, carrots, tomato paste, and spices. All together this makes for a juicy dish that will quickly satiate your appetite. Don’t forget to add fresh tomatoes to your lunch box.
4. Bliny
Bliny can be folded like an envelope or a roll for a lunch box. Both options will suffice, and if you want, you can even eat bliny without utensils, simply biting off pieces.
If you’re thinking about a main meal, then it’s best to make bliny with mincemeat and rice, or with pieces of salmon and curd cheese, or with mushrooms. If you’re taking along bliny as a dessert then pieces of caramelized apple, jam, or cottage cheese will do.
READ MORE: How to cook mind-blowing Russian bliny with minced meat (RECIPE)
5. Shawarma
When you have no energy or time to make bliny, a ready-to-use lavash (any thin flatbread) can come to the rescue. You can wrap the leftover pieces of meat and vegetables from your previous dinner into a thin lavash and pour your favorite sauce on top. You don’t need to heat up shawarma and it’s convenient to eat on-the-go.
Just like with bliny, you can always change the filling. Apart from meat, it’s best to add juicy vegetables and a sauce to the bland and dry lavash. Take some pickles that will give a sour taste, as well as cabbage or lettuce leaves for freshness. For the sauce, choose from sweet-and-sour sauce, mustard, mayo, or tomato paste.
6. Buckwheat porridge with rissoles and vegetables
This is a type of lunch for those who are fans of classic and nutritious diets. Buckwheat is considered to be one of the healthiest grains, and rissoles made of mincemeat satisfy your body’s need for protein. If you add a vegetable salad, fresh vegetables, or steamed vegetables then you’ll have a balanced lunch.
READ MORE: Buckwheat with cracklings: Nostalgic Soviet era porridge
7. Stuffed squash
This is a simple and visually attractive lunch – squash with mincemeat, rice, and vegetables. It’s best to cut the squash into rings; then you’ll be able to eat them just with a fork and won’t need a knife. This dish is quite juicy thanks to the squash, but you can always add a sour cream sauce or lettuce leaves.
8. Lazy golubtsy (cabbage rolls)
Regular golubtsy (cabbage rolls) is not the most convenient dish for a lunch box; you’ll want to cut the cabbage leaf with a knife. But lazy golubtsy will be a perfect fit. They consist of the same cabbage, mincemeat, onions, tomato paste, and spices. Some prefer lazy golubtsy in the form of a ragout, while others prefer in the form of meatballs. If you wish, you can add sour cream or take along some fresh vegetables. Lazy golubtsy are great with a side dish, for example, mashed potatoes.
9. Porridge with dried fruit
If you didn’t manage to save some food for lunch after your last dinner, then even your breakfast leftovers or freshly made porridge with milk or water will suffice. You can choose either rolled oats, buckwheat, or millet.
A porridge with dried fruit (dried apricots, raisins, prunes) combines the nutritious properties of grains with the plethora of vitamins and micronutrients that comes with dried fruit. There’s another upside – dried fruit has enough sugar so that you won’t need any sweetener. You can also take along your favorite nuts, pieces of fresh fruit, or healthy crispbread.
10. Pies
Hearty pies can also rid you of those hunger pangs. Pies with mincemeat, chicken with mushrooms or potatoes, or a coulibiac with cabbage and eggs will do. You can choose one or several Ossetian pies: with potatoes and cheese, with beet tops, or with mincemeat.
Before packing them into a lunch box, it’s best to cool and slice the pies into even pieces. You can also add lettuce or fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to meat and potato pies.
READ MORE: 100 MAIN Russian dishes
