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    Home • Recipes • Meals

    Light Lunches

    Collection of healthy light lunch recipes that use fresh ingredients - from French soups (for thermos lunches), omelette, galettes, tarts and pasta to salads.

    Known as 'le déjeuner' in France, served between 12-2pm, these days it's lighter but traditionally, such as weekends with family, this is a bigger affair - see Main dishes, sides and salads.

    Looking for something specific? Browse all recipes to refine your search.

    • stack of thin buckwheat crepes showing typical hole texture and dark colour of flour
      Buckwheat Crepes (Galettes de sarrasin)
    • bowls of bright green watercress soup
      Watercress Soup (Soupe au Cresson)
    • bowl of horseradish sauce with grated apple next to a pot of French creamed horseradish sauce and salmon
      Horseradish Sauce with Apple: Perfect for Smoked Salmon
    • sweet corn soup restaurant style like in Paris - a creamy chowder topped with herb leaves, pumpkin seeds, smoked salmon and fried corn
      Sweet Corn Soup - Restaurant Style
    • slice of cheesy cornbread topped with corn, bell pepper and red onion roasted on top
      Easy Cheesy Cornbread (No Sugar, No Mix)
    • wraps standing upright on a black plate showing spirals of smoked salmon, cream cheese, greens and toasted seeds next to fresh parsley
      Gluten-Free Wraps with Buckwheat
    • Moroccan handpainted bowl filled with a raw carrot salad topped with fresh mint, toasted nuts and seeds next to oranges and a Moroccan teapot
      Raw Carrot Salad Moroccan Style
    • high rise cheesy scones piled on top of each other, surrounded by rosemary and spring onions
      Fluffy Cheese Scones Recipe
    • slices of toasted bread with cheese, nuts, lettuce and bacon
      Warm Goat Cheese Salad (salade de chèvre chaud)
    • white lion bowl of creamy fish soup surrounded by tartan and heather
      Cullen Skink - Traditional Scottish Smoked Haddock Soup
    • bowl of creamy broccoli cheese soup topped with grated broccoli and served with Parmesan crisps
      Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • 3 bowls of pea soup with fresh peas and pods
      French Pea Soup Recipe with Ham (Potage Saint Germain)
    • large round tart with pumpkin, mushrooms and topped with walnuts
      Savoury Pumpkin Tart with Mushrooms
    • baked tomato tart with french niçoise olives, basil and a green salad
      French Tomato Tart with Mustard - An Easy Summer Lunch from Provence
    • cutting into fluffy smoked haddock fishcakes
      Smoked Haddock Fishcakes Recipe
    • pan of fresh pasta noodles with goat cheese sauce, parsley and walnuts
      Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce with Walnuts
    • layers of lasagna with cheese, spinach, tomato and mint
      Corsican Cheese Lasagna (A Lazy Cannelloni au Brocciu Recipe)
    • pouring cheese sauce over a whole roasted cauliflower topped with crispy cheese and walnuts
      Crispy Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
    • bowl of homemade vegetable soup made with fresh vegetable chunks and a short cooking time
      Homemade Vegetable Soup (Soupe de légumes)
    • bright orange mini pumpkins baked and stuffed
      Stuffed Mini Pumpkins - The Most Versatile, Easy Recipe
    • stuffed courgettes with cheese
      Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini (Courgettes farcies)
    • cheese and ham hot sandwich, sliced in half to see the soft insides and toasted texture on top
      Easy Croque Monsieur Recipe -The Hot French Ham and Cheese Sandwich
    • pasta bowl of egg noodles tossed in olive oil, butter, garlic, herbs and garlic
      Fresh Alsatian Egg Noodles (Pâtes d'Alsace)
    • French onion tartlet tatin with salad
      Onion Tarte Tatin - With or Without Cheese
    • tossed green salad with seasonal fresh vegetables such as arugula, avocado and other greens with toasted nuts and seeds
      Simple Green Salad - The Best All-Rounder, Seasonal Side
    • small individual asparagus clafoutis with parmesan sauce basil top
      Asparagus Clafoutis - When a French Custard Goes Savoury
    • mint omelette
      Corsican Mint Omelette (Omelette à la Menthe)
    • plate composed of a classic French salad Nicoise with many ingredients next to a basil plant and French baguette
      Classic Niçoise Salad - With the Authentic Ingredients
    • savoury waffles topped with smoked salmon, smashed avocado and soured cream
      Cottage Cheese Waffles - A Savoury, High Protein Breakfast
    • French white porcelain bowl of leek and potato soup with a baguette and butter
      Leek and Potato Soup (potage Bonne Femme)
    • cup and saucer of creamy French mushroom soup with coffee
      Creamy Mushroom Soup (façon Cappuccino)
    • crispy cheese waffles served with a pot of honey and rosemary
      Cheese Waffles - Easy, Crispy and Cheesy
    • pan-fried John Dory fish filet topped with buttery sauce, parsley and served with carrots and potatoes
      John Dory Fish - Easy Pan-Fried Recipe
    • asparagus spears like sun rays on a tart
      Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart
    • land and sea salad with a savoury beet macaron
      French Charcuterie Plate Land and Sea (Salade Terre et Mer)
    • beetroot salad with apple, leaves, nuts, seeds, orange and smoked mackerel
      Roast Beetroot Salad with Apple and Smoked Mackerel
    • 2 fillets of pan-fried mackerel topped with mustard
      Pan-Fried Mackerel with French Mustard
    • asparagus lemon clafoutis slice
      White Asparagus Recipe: French Clafoutis with Lemon
    • pan of cooked spaghetti, tossed with a creamy lemon pasta sauce with parmesan and poppy seeds
      Creamy Lemon Pasta Sauce
    • pasta noodles tossed in green nettle sauce and topped with fried nettles
      Nettle Pesto (Pesto d'Orties)
    • blue cheese crumbled into a green salad with pear, apple and walnuts
      Roquefort Salad with Pear, Apple and Walnuts
    • two rows of whole sardine fish stuffed together in a roasting dish with fresh parsley
      Roasted Fresh Sardines (Sardines Farcies)

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    Portrait of Jill Colonna, French cookbook author in Paris
    Welcome

    Bonjour - I'm Jill

    Author and home cook in Paris. Scottish and French, I've spent 30+ years in Paris sharing lighter, flavourful recipes with less sugar. No fancy techniques - just real food we eat at home. Plus take away my travel tips to taste France like a local.

    Meet Jill

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