When it comes to eating at work, one thing is for sure: you want a lunch that is easy to make and easy to fit into a lunchbox. A delicious dish won't do you much good if it's difficult to work with, but at the same time, you probably don't want to eat a PB&J every single day at your 9-to-5. That's why we've rounded up some of the best lunch ideas for work that don't require any fuss or reheating.
From chicken salads and tuna salads, to chilled soups and bento boxes, these healthy lunches taste as good as they look. Plus, they can be eaten cold so you don't have to stand in line for the microwave. Find our packable lunch ideas that are perfect for teachers, creatives, entrepreneurs and corporate folks, or anyone on-the-go at lunchtime. Dig in below!
Salads
Whole30 Chicken and Avocado Salad
Chicken, avocado, onions, and tomatoes come together to create a colorful feast for the eyes and the taste buds.
Fattoush Salad
With plenty of veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes (and some homemade pita chips) this salad is sure to be one of your go-to's this year.
Strawberry Arugula Walnut Salad
The best thing about this salad, other than the fact that it has cheese, strawberries, and nuts, is that it only takes 10 minutes. Talk about a school day hero!
3-Ingredient Salad Dressing
If you always have a salad at school, then it's important to have some salad dressing on hand. Make yourself a whole bottle of this dressing for chicken or shrimp too!
Summer Watermelon Radish Salad
These vivid radishes have an earthy (and somewhat spicy) flavor, and they taste great when you pair them up with a balsamic vinaigrette. This might be one of the easiest salads you've ever made.
Green Goddess Salad Recipe
The real star of this salad is the dressing, which mixes ingredients like spinach, cloves, lemons, and cheese to create something delicious.
Lunch Ideas For Work That You Can Make In A Jar
Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Peanut butter and banana in one of our favorite oatmeal combos, especially when we add some chocolate chips on top. It's a little bit salty and a little bit sweet. Yes, please!
Mason Jar Tuna Salad
There are a couple different ways you can make up this tuna salad. Layer your veggies, or start by mixing everything up before adding it to your jar.
Mason Jar Ramen
Give an old mason jar a new life (after you clean it, of course) but adding it to your lunch box. Everything in this recipe is cooked before you add it to the jar, but in our opinion, it tastes just as good cold as it does warm.
Work Lunch Ideas You Can Make In A Bowl
Vegan Bibimbap Bowl
This vegan lunch has plenty of fresh and savory flavors, but feel free to add a drizzle of honey sriracha for a sweet and spicy twist.
Green Soup
If you're a fan of chilled soups that don't require a microwave, then you should definitely try this Bridgerton-inspired recipe. The creamy consistency is thanks to avocados and buttermilk, and garlic and chives provide the perfect amount of flavor.
Poke Bowl Bento Box
Bento boxes are some of our favorite lunchtime picks because of the way they keep your food separated. Your fish, rice, avocado, and seaweed won't touch (even though they taste amazing together anyway!).
Make-Ahead Burrito Bowl
With chicken, spices, corn, avocados, and black beans (and that's just the beginning of the ingredient list), this burrito bowl recipe is about to save you a ton of money on Chipotle.
Eggplant Moussaka
This tasty Lebanese dish features roasted eggplants and a tomato-based sauce with enough onion, garlic, and chickpeas to satisfy your cravings.
Finger Foods
Heart-Shaped Pizza
You really can't go wrong with cold pizza, especially when it's shaped like a heart. Without a doubt, the best thing about homemade pizza is that you can decide exactly what does (or doesn't) go on it.
Veggie Stuffed Picnic Rolls
The secret to making these rolls so tasty is the sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. The mix of textures and flavors can't be beat!
Superfood Egg Sandwich
We can eat an egg sandwich anytime of day, and if you feel the same way, then you have to try this healthy superfood spin.
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
It's always a good time to eat BBQ chicken, and these quesadillas prove it. The best part? They've got potato chips cooked inside.
Chicken Salad Keto Lettuce Wraps
Sweet raspberries and earthy walnuts round out the flavor of salty chicken salad perfectly. The lettuce wraps also make this teach lunch idea super easy to eat.
Mott's Fruit Flavored Snacks
Nature Valley Granola Bars
Zest Delites Fruit Leather Snacks 36-Pack
Two-Bite Kale Tabouli Pockets
Quinoa, kale, and tomato pita pockets? Say no more. Fix a variety of these mini sandwiches to try different flavor combinations.
Chocolate PB+J Banana Bites
These bites are the perfect early morning snack or after-lunch treat. Thanks to the protein from the peanut butter and the antioxidants from the chocolate, this is one dessert that's actually good for you.
Pizza Roll-Ups
These roll-ups are seriously easy to make. All you need are some tortillas, and then you can add in all your favorite pizza toppings (and leave out the ones you don't like).
Charcuterie Feast For One
Have all your favorite charcuterie foods (meat, cheese, and fruit are ours) with this solo plate. Make a double batch and bring your leftovers tomorrow!
Pasta Salads
Paleo Pasta Salad
Pepperoni and olives will add a saltiness to your zucchini noodles that cannot be beat — especially when it's paired with banana peppers.
Zucchini Noodles
Speaking of zucchini noodles, here's everything you need to know about making them for yourself. They'll taste great with salad dressing, pasta sauce, or pasta salad toppings, meaning you can try new lunch ideas for work everyday.
Pizza Pasta Salad
Turn your love for pizza into something brand new with a pasta salad recipe that still features all of your favorite pizza toppings. Everyone wins here.
Tomato Basil Orzo
Consider this dish like a cousin to pasta salad. Orzo is the perfect base for a combo of tomato, basil, and cheese.
Lunch Sides
Cream Cheese + Pepper Lunch
Mix up your work lunch by adding peppers of different colors, that way you get a variety of nutrients with your lunch.
Make-Ahead Baked Oatmeal Bites
These little one-bite wonders have flavors of cinnamon and apple and can be eaten anytime of day.
Hot Pink Beet Hummus Bowl
Hummus is the perfect dip for veggies, chips, and crackers. The only thing that could make it even better? A hot pink color palette.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Mushrooms make for a great snack because they're basically like little bowls — you can fit a variety of different toppings inside and pop the whole thing in your mouth! A mix of veggies and cheese makes this snack one that you can eat cold.
Watermelon Mozzarella Ceviche
Melons taste good with a variety of surprising ingredients (like prosciutto and cantaloupe), and this cheese and watermelon combo proves it!
Taco Dip Recipe
This taco dip side can also double as a fantastic snack. We love adding cheese, beans, avocado, tomatoes, and onions to ours.
Unconventional Eats
Granny Smith and Arugula Stack Salad
If you've always wanted to eat a salad with a fork and knife, now is your chance. The balsamic vinegar and spicy mustard add some serious edge to the tart apples.
Sweet Potato Toast With Chickpeas + Avocado Dressing
Swap your bread for sweet potatoes with this easy lunch idea for work. It provides a deep sweetness that goes perfectly with the spicy chickpeas and fresh avocado dressing.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie
Have your meal and drink it too thanks to this protein smoothie. It'll fill you up like a lunch, but taste like a dessert.
Stuffed Avocados
We already love avocados, but stuffed with shrimp, scallions, and peppers, these are almost too good to be true.
Individual Hasselback Caprese Salads
If you love caprese and want a carb-light lunch idea for work, add the cheese and basil right into the tomatoes instead.
Chocolate-Covered Cheese Bites
If you've never tried this combo, trust us: the saltiness from the cheese and the rich sweetness of the chocolate goes very, very well together. Switch it up with a different cheese every time, or experiment with different kinds of chocolate until you find the perfect match.
Mini Bacon and Blue Cheese Wedge Salads
This might not be your average salad, but these toothpick versions pack just as much flavor.
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