13 Office-Friendly Lunch Ideas
As food costs rise, more and more people are starting to take their lunches to work instead of buying something on the go. Brown-bagging is the cost-effective way to get lunch every day, and these thirteen lunch ideas will not only help you save money but also make sure you actually enjoy your lunch. They are flavorful, easy to make with simple ingredients, and super easy to pack up, too.
From sandwiches to pasta salads, these lunch ideas are simple enough for even those who don’t cook much. The ingredients are easily found in any grocery store, so you won’t have to hunt around for exotic ingredients. Make it, bag it, and enjoy it.
1. Orzo Salad With Pesto
If you love pasta salad, you can’t go wrong with orzo. This rice-shaped pasta makes it so easy to make a pasta salad. Just cut everything you want to add to it small enough to keep the texture of this type of salad. This Orzo pasta with pesto has a wonderful, refreshing pesto flavor, and the salad works well as a side dish or as a main course. It goes particularly well with chicken.
2. Mediterranean Sandwich
This wonderful Mediterranean sandwich is probably one of the more “exotic” recipes in this collection. You can easily make it the night before and then pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm it up for lunch. It has a wonderful sweet and savory flavor combination that is often found in Mediterranean fare. Serve this with a green side salad for a full lunch.
3. BLT Pasta Salad
This BLT pasta salad is a tasty lunch you are sure to enjoy. The combination of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and pasta is delicious and flavorful, and it is also office-friendly. However, you might want to consider adding the dressing at the office so your pasta doesn’t become soggy.
4. Cobb Salad Wraps
Cobb salad wraps are the perfect portable lunch for work. Chicken or turkey, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, bacon, avocado, and tomato all come together for a delicious, healthy lunch you’ll love. The wrap easily with some plastic wrap or a small container. You can also stick a toothpick in them to make sure they stay together during transit to your work fridge.
5. Apple & Gouda Kebabs
While this is a great idea for a school lunch for younger kids, who says lunch has to be a sandwich or a wrap? Shake things up with these apple and gouda kebabs. These tasty kebabs can be put together in minutes with gouda cheese, apples, and cherry tomatoes, and grownups will enjoy these as much as the kiddos will. This could also be a tasty workday snack. Serve these with a hefty side of veggie sticks and maybe some ranch dip to round out the meal. A green salad would go well with these, too.
6. Chicken Avocado Salad
This healthy chicken avocado salad is perfect for lunch at work. Full of protein and healthy fats from the chicken and avocado, with a flavorful dressing to pull it all together, this lighter meal will actually fill you up and keep you that way until dinner. Enjoy this with a green side salad or even with some toast. Store this in your work fridge until you are ready to eat lunch. It’s great cold, straight from the fridge. No heating required.
7. Easy Quinoa Salad
If you want a super easy quinoa salad to take for lunch, give this one a try. The leftovers are great if you make this for dinner and take w what’s left for lunch the next day. It pairs well with chicken, fish, pork, or beef and can even be enjoyed as a plant-based main course. Enjoy it with a green salad to round out the meal.
8. BLT Wrap
Everyone loves a good BLT. But a sandwich is not always convenient. Sometimes, a wrap is better. This delicious BLT wrap recipe is a great option for work lunches. It travels really well and you can even take the components and assemble it at work if you want something that tastes just-made. It’s a bit lighter on your stomach without 2 big slices of bread, and you can opt for things like low-carb wraps if that’s your preference.
9. Easy Tuna Wrap
Lunch doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. These tasty tuna wraps are easy to make in minutes using canned tuna, and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. With just a few simple additions, lunch is packed and ready to go. It travels well and tastes great cold out of the office fridge.
10. Easy Asparagus Salad
If you want an easy salad that knocks it out of the park in the flavor department, this is the asparagus salad you want to try. It has delicious bits of crispy bacon, perfectly cooked asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, and a lovely vinaigrette-style dressing. Combine all of those together, and you have one amazing salad for lunch.
11. Quick And Simple Mediterranean Bowl
This simple salad comes together fast with minimal ingredients while still packing a flavorful punch. It’s a delicious hummus bowl that makes a fantastic lunch. It’s easy to pack in a smaller, lunch-sized container, and you don’t have to warm it up to eat it. This quick and simple Mediterranean bowl is also easy to meal prep. Double the recipe to make a few lunches for the week.
12. Chickpea Quinoa Salad With Fresh Basil
This plant-based meal is perfect for a Meatless Monday lunch. It’s filling thanks to tons of fiber and has plenty of protein as well, thanks to the quinoa, which has all nine essential amino acids. This Chickpea Quinoa Salad With Fresh Basil has a truly fresh flavor and will keep you full from lunch until dinner. You can make a big batch and freeze some for future lunches, too.
13. Broccoli Salad
Nothing beats a fresh Broccoli Salad. With lots of fresh veggies, including tomatoes, avocado, and green onions, this delicious salad is actually far more filling than it looks. Raw broccoli is surprisingly filling, and the combination of ingredients makes this a salad not to miss. Make a big batch so you’ll have lunch for a few days, or use leftovers as a side dish for dinner.
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This originally appeared on The Gracious Pantry.
