On my quest to continue to find easy lunches to spice up my WFH lunches, I came across this recipe from ALLRECIPES.com. They say it’s a family favorite that’s been saved 48,581 times. That kind of street cred made me think it was worth a try in the Delaney Test Kitchen. It was definitely easy, and was a nice change from plain old grilled cheese. Prep was only 5 minutes, and then 10 minutes to cook. Here’s the recipe:
 
Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:
·       2 slices Italian bread
·       1 tablespoon softened butter, divided
·       1 tablespoon prepared pesto sauce, divided
·       1 slice provolone cheese
·       2 slices tomato
·       1 slice American cheese
 
Directions:
Step 1:
Spread one side of a slice of bread with butter, and place it, buttered side down, into a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Step 2:
Spread the top of the bread slice in the skillet with half the pesto sauce, and place a slice of provolone cheese, the tomato slices, and the slice of American cheese onto the pesto.

Step 3:
Spread remaining pesto sauce on one side of the second slice of bread, and place the bread slice, pesto side down, onto the sandwich. Butter the top side of the sandwich.

Step 4:
Gently fry the sandwich, flipping once, until both sides of the bread are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

I really love salmon, but no one else in my house does. My husband hates the smell. So other than grilling it outside, I am always looking for a better way to cook it.  And I finally found it.
 
With this recipe you can either plate it and eat it, or save it and put it on a salad the next day. I did both, and to me that is a huge win. Plus, this recipe can double for an easy WFH lunch or dinner.
 
This recipe is from the “5 Dishes to Cook this Week” from the 2/28/21 New York Times.  I’ve linked to the recipe, but here is the best part: In addition to the salmon all you need to have on hand is foil, extra virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and salt and pepper. Easy Peasy.  Even easier? You can prepare the foil packets the night before so that they are ready to go for lunch. 
 
When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the packages in a roasting pan, and cook for 5 -8 minutes once the mixture starts to sizzle. All in, I cooked mine for 12 minutes and it was perfect.  This was a Delaney Test Kitchen WIN! Here are the details:

Salmon and Tomatoes in Foil
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ to 2 pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise (4 pieces)
• 12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
•  Salt and pepper
• 16 basil leaves

PREPARATION:

1. For each of 4 packages, place one 12-inch-long sheet of aluminum foil on top of another. Smear top sheet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, and layer a fillet of salmon, 6 tomato halves, salt and pepper, 4 basil leaves and another half tablespoon oil. Seal package by folding foil onto itself and crimping edges tightly. Repeat to make other packages, and refrigerate until ready to cook, no more than 24 hours later.
2. When you are ready to cook, heat oven to 500 degrees. Place packages in a roasting pan. (Or they can be cooked on top of the stove in 2 skillets over medium-high heat.) Cook 5 minutes (for medium-rare) to 8 minutes from the time the mixture starts to sizzle, or roughly 10 to 12 minutes total.
3. Let packages rest a minute, and cut a slit along the top with a knife. Use a knife and fork to open the package. Spoon the salmon, garnish and juices onto a plate, and serve.