3 lunch break recipes with seasonal vegetables

Lunch at work with vegetables and taste

In the context of a correct food plan, seasonality is one of the most important selection criteria, because plants in their full maturity are rich in nutrients and express their organoleptic qualities to the fullest.

Organizing a lunch break with seasonal vegetable dishes, prepared in advance, only to be warmed up, is therefore a habit that benefits our health and our economy.

For this reason, we have selected - and offer you - three seasonal recipes based on vegetables, to be served piping hot, ideal for dinner at home, which can also be taken to the office and solve the lunch break the next day.

Three tasty recipes with seasonal vegetables to take to work

1. "Risotto with radicchio and gorgonzola"

The creamy aspect and enveloping taste of this risotto express the perfect harmony of two ingredients with a strong character.

To prepare 4 portions of this delicious dish, start by stewing a Treviso red radicchio in a saucepan on a base of butter (20 g) and granulated sugar (15 g).

Meanwhile, dry toast the rice (320 g of Carnaroli) in a pan, then pour 1 glass of red wine: when the wine has completely evaporated, let the rice cook in the vegetable broth, gradually adding the radicchio, previously reduced to cream with the help of an immersion blender.

At the end of cooking, add salt and complete the risotto with the hot gorgonzola fondue (100 g) and, if desired, with crunchy chopped walnuts.

2. "Stray spinach with gorgonzola and pears"

The combination of fruit, green leafy vegetables and cheese enriches the final taste of this preparation with an unprecedented sweet note: in this case, spinach can serve as a side dish to a meat dish, or simply accompanied by slices of toasted bread, represent an excellent single dish, nutritious and tasty.

After carefully cleaning and washing the spinach (about 1 kg), blanch it for a few minutes in boiling salted water and then quickly sauté it in a pan with a knob of butter and half a chopped shallot.

Halfway through cooking, add salt to the spinach and add, in sequence, a jar of natural white yoghurt, 2 diced pears, cubes of spicy gorgonzola (80 g).

Once the preparation is complete, if desired, we can add a finely chopped fresh red pepper to the dish.

3. "sausage and turnip stew"

Who said comfort food is only soups?

This second rustic dish, based on tasty sausage, is very simple to prepare but very satisfying and, thanks to the presence of white turnips, it surprises with its sweet and slightly spicy flavour.

We begin the preparation by cutting 400 g of sausage into small cylinders and browning it in a pan, without fat, adding only a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary.

When it is well cooked, remove it from the pan and add the turnips, cut into medium-thick wedges, and let them stew in the cooking fat from the sausage for about half an hour.

As soon as the turnips are soft and dry, add the pieces of sausage and leave everything to flavor for a few minutes, then adjust the salt and, to taste, complete the dish with freshly ground black pepper.

Lunch break at work: how to carry and heat food

Even at your desk you can enjoy a hot and tasty dish, prepared in advance and conveniently placed inside an airtight lunch box, which allows it to be transported safely and includes everything you need for lunch in the office, including cutlery and a space to insert the thermal bottle with our favorite drink.

If we want to enjoy our dishes piping hot, we can combine the lunchbox kit with a functional electric food warmer, equipped with an integrated timer and digital display, which will allow us to plan the time in which our dish will be brought back to the ideal temperature.

Available in a wide range of models, with internal trays of different sizes, the lunch box-food warmer is simple and intuitive to use: just insert the plug into a common electrical socket or, when it is equipped with dual voltage, connect it to the cigarette lighter of the car and also use it on the go.