The Cook's Book

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Packed Lunches for a Week

Serves
4
Dishes
5

Five lunches that taste good cold or reheated and survive a bag and a morning. The soup is made on Sunday along with two sauces, and each of the other lunches takes 15 to 60 minutes the evening before.

On the menu

  1. Minestrone: A thick vegetable soup with beans, pasta and a Parmesan rind for depthMondayMinestrone

    Made Sunday; it makes 6 portions, so ladle 2 into the freezer before the pasta goes in. Pack it hot in a vacuum flask.

  2. TuesdayCold Soba Noodle Salad

    Make Monday night; pack the dressing separately if you like and toss at lunch.

  3. WednesdayFrittata

    Bake Tuesday night; eat at room temperature in wedges with salad leaves.

  4. Falafel: Crisp outside, green and fluffy inside — made from soaked, not cooked, chickpeasThursdayFalafel

    Fry Wednesday night (24 falafel). Pack in pita with salad and Tahini Sauce in a little pot.

  5. FridayCold Sesame Noodles

    Make Thursday night; the sauce keeps a week.

To drink

No alcohol at a working lunch. Pack cold black tea or water in a bottle, or a carton of ayran (salted yogurt drink) with the falafel.

The day before

  • Sunday: make the minestrone. Ladle 2 portions into the freezer before adding the pasta, if you want them for later.
  • Sunday: make the sesame-noodle sauce (it keeps a week) and the tahini sauce (it keeps 5 days).
  • Tuesday night: soak the chickpeas for the falafel (12–24 hours).
  • Each evening, see the timeline for the next day's lunch.

Game plan

Counted back from the moment you serve.

  1. Sun, 1 h 10 min before serving

    Minestrone: soften the vegetables, then simmer with tomatoes, stock, potato, beans, pasta and greens (about 70 minutes in all).

  2. Mon night, 25 min before serving

    Cook the soba and edamame, rinse cold, toss with the dressing and vegetables; pack into 4 containers.

  3. Tue night, 35 min before serving

    Make and bake the frittata (12–15 minutes in the oven). Cool, cut into wedges and refrigerate.

  4. Wed night, 1 h before serving

    Pulse the soaked chickpeas with the onion, garlic and herbs, mix in the spices and chill 30 minutes; heat the oil and fry the falafel in batches. Cool and refrigerate.

  5. Thu night, 15 min before serving

    Cook and rinse the noodles, toss with the sauce and pack with cucumber, scallions and sesame seeds.

  6. Each morning

    Reheat the soup until boiling before filling a preheated flask; pack cold lunches with an ice pack.

Shopping list

Produce

  • 3 onions
  • 2 heads garlic (11 cloves)
  • 30 g fresh ginger
  • 7 scallions
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 3 carrots
  • 200 g floury or all-purpose potato
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 450 g zucchini
  • 100 g green beans
  • 100 g baby spinach
  • 100 g red cabbage
  • 150 g Savoy cabbage, cavolo nero or chard
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 lime
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 30 g)
  • 2 bunches cilantro (about 50 g)
  • 1 small bunch basil
  • 1 bunch rosemary (2 sprigs)
  • 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber and 1 bag salad leaves (Wednesday and Thursday)

Dairy & eggs

  • 8 large eggs
  • 60 ml heavy (whipping) cream
  • 90 g Parmigiano Reggiano (or a vegetarian hard cheese)
  • 1 Parmesan rind (optional)

Bakery

  • 4 pita breads (Thursday)

Pantry

  • 100 g small pasta (ditalini or small shells)
  • 250 g dried soba noodles
  • 400 g fresh wheat noodles (or 300 g dried)
  • 250 g dried chickpeas
  • 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
  • 1 can (400 g) cannellini or borlotti beans
  • tomato paste (2 tbsp)
  • sugar (1 tbsp)
  • honey (1 tbsp)
  • baking soda (1 tsp)
  • 150 g tahini
  • 80 ml Chinese sesame paste or tahini
  • 90 ml soy sauce
  • rice vinegar (2 tbsp)
  • Chinkiang black vinegar (or rice vinegar) (2 tbsp)
  • toasted sesame oil (2 tbsp)
  • 60 ml toasted sesame seeds
  • chili crisp or chili oil (2 tbsp)
  • 1.5 liters vegetable stock
  • 1 liter neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed) (most is for frying)
  • Pantry check: olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, black pepper

Spices

  • ground cumin (2½ tsp)
  • ground coriander (2 tsp)
  • cayenne

Frozen

  • 150 g frozen shelled edamame