Behold the humble spinach pancake. It's cheap, it's simple, it has a good nutritional value and is a childhood favourite of many. Very easy to make as vegan as well and there is a vegan option.
These are probably the all time favourite school lunch in Finland. They are also a very popular ready meal that keeps on being loved by everyone. In school you are allowed to take a stack, or two. This means 10 or 15 if memory serves me right. This depends on the school. Kids like these so much that there has to be a set limit of how many you can take or they run out before everyone gets a share.
Had these for my work lunch today. With lingonberry jam, as is tradition. Back in the day the lingonberries for the school lingonberry jam were collectively picked in autumn, I'm old enough to have done this.
They are made from flour, spinach, egg, water (sometimes milk or partially milk) and salt. You can buy these from any store and everyone eats them, not the worst ready meal imo.
Their cousin is the blood pancake that kids these days don't much like and they aren't offered in school as often, but those are popular still as well. I personally like them very much. They are also eaten with lingonberry jam.
speaking of spinach and school there's the other food that you either hate or love unlike the near universal love for the spinach pancake
spoiler
we had this at the kindergarten i work at today and i got to take like 5 liters back home and still had to pour some down the drain
I am here to defend the humble spinach soup so I am one of those who love it. It has to be well made though and in school it often is not. I would assume especially now as we no longer have cooks in schools and daycares and the food is basically factory made.
But the good old spinach soup is basically a bechamel based soup where you add the spinach, nutmeg, onion, garlic and salt & pepper. It's really good made with stinging nettle too, just like the pancakes.
I always make this when it gets really cold and it was always one of those cheap filling things to make when I was low on money. Frozen spinach and eggs are cheap, some homemade bread buns on the side and you're fed. You could make almost the whole meal from one of those EU food aid bags, had to only have money for the spinach.
I personally hated it as a child, but grew to love it later. From what I've heard it's actually pretty good where I work but they don't make it vegan so I cant actually try it.
Ah that's a shame, it's so easy to make vegan.