summer eating: lunch outside

open faced sandwiches forever.

Coming up with something to eat three times a day can feel a bit tedious at times. Breakfast is quick and routine. For dinner, I can plan ahead and generally take the time to make something decent. Lunch? Lunch can be tough. I always want to eat something delicious. But I also have a limited budget and of course I want to use up what is in my fridge and it needs to be pretty fast to throw together. And. And. And. Limitations aside, it is possible for lunchtime to be a delight. Most of all in the midst of summer when you can (ideally) sneak outside and eat it in the sunshine, lunch can be a moment of rest and enjoyment in the middle of a busy day. In an effort to alleviate my ongoing “what in the world am I going to eat” weekday lunchtime anxiety, I am sharing my mainstays for easy, breezy, summer-y midday meals and I would love to hear yours.

Open-faced sandwiches

The ultimate: absolute peak summer lunch is an open-faced sandwich. Toast up your bread (rye or sourdough are fantastic here). Schmear with something creamy and delicious - ricotta or hummus are always great options. Top with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Tomatoes are the summer-iest of all but slices of cucumber or a handful of arugula or leftover roasted veggies would all be delicious. Sprinkle with any other pops of flavor: fresh herbs, sunflower seeds, crumbled feta, flaky sea salt.

Pasta salad

I have an (often failed) goal of always having a pasta, grain, or bean salad in the fridge on hand for lunches or snacking throughout the week. When it comes to pasta salads, I truly don’t discriminate. Penne with pesto is a classic for summer (even better with cherry tomatoes or mozzarella pearls studded throughout). A heartier and tasty option is rotini in a cilantro dressing tossed with beans, avocado, tomatoes and corn.

My very favorite pasta salad is broccoli and feta with orzo. Simply break up broccoli into small pieces, douse in olive oil and salt and bake on high heat until starting to char. Boil your orzo until cooked through, strain, and then toss with olive oil, red wine vinegar, broccoli pieces, feta crumbles, and pepitas. You really can’t go wrong with the ratios here and it is so tasty warm or chilled later.

Hearty, hearty salads! On the left, chunky avocado for my filling add-on. On the right, every single one of all-time favorites: grape leaves, huge chunks of feta, hummus and bread.

A hearty green salad

With the bounty of summer produce it would be a shame not to eat a fresh, crisp salad every now and then. My criticism is that they often aren’t filling, so rounding a salad out with substantial add-ons is a must. I love tossing big cubes of cheddar into my salad (delicious with peas, radishes and any herb-y dressing). Another favorite is adding a huge scoop of hummus to the side of my bowl to incorporate into the salad while eating (even better if a few stuffed grape leaves are on the side as well). Of course, beans (black beans! chickpeas!) and nuts (pistachios! pecans!) will improve any salad.

Snacks for lunch

Super simple! Crackers, cheese, (optional deli meat) and chopped up veggies make a perfect summertime lunch. No cook, fun to eat and so satisfying.

I can almost taste the heirloom tomatoes on this open-faced sandwich from last summer. What a beauty!

I hope this inspires a delicious lunch or two for you this week. What are your go-to weekday lunches? Anything you’ve been loving this summer? Give me all of your pasta salad recipes!

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