40+ Adult Lunch Ideas for Taking to Work
A few weeks ago, I was talking on Instagram about kids packing lunches for school (lots of strategies here!) and lots of people asked “what about those of us packing lunches to take to work?”
Well, crowdsourcing to the rescue!
I asked for the best suggestions for adult lunch ideas to pack and the recommendations came pouring in!
If you’re taking a lunch to work, I hope you’ll find this list of suggestions helpful!
Leftovers & Batch Cooking
This was, by a mile, the number one strategy.
- Cook a big batch on Sunday and portion it out for the week (this was mentioned over and over). One reader takes the whole week’s worth of lunches to work on Monday. “So I only think about it once – salad (taco, chicken/berry, Caesar), soup, high protein freezer burritos (our best bites recipe), chicken salad.”
- Cook extra ON PURPOSE. One reader makes dinner that serves 6-8 for a family of 4, specifically so there are leftovers. (Her favorite is my Cream Cheese and Chicken Orzo with Tomatoes and Basil for this!)
- Batch cook a protein, rice, and a veggie, then rotate the sauce all week (chimichurri, hot honey, salsa, etc.).
- Freeze extra portions in Souper Cubes or ramekins for grab-and-go later. (a favorite was a vegan chickpea and spinach curry that freezes perfectly, served with microwave rice)
- Rice burrito bowls made from taco night leftovers.
- And my personal favorite tip from the whole list: a mini crockpot for the office. Pack it cold in the morning, plug it in at your desk, and it’s hot by lunch. One reader swears by it for warming up frozen soup in a ramekin.
Adult Lunchables
Apparently we never really age out of wanting a lunchable, we just get fancier about it.
- The basic formula: cheese crackers, deli meat or pepperoni, a boiled egg, fruit, veggies, olives, pickles – build your own charcuterie plate.
- A few people upgraded with single-serve cheeses like brie or sharp cheddar.
Salads (all the varieties)
Chicken salad came up SO many times I lost count – clearly a favorite.
- Chicken salad with crackers or flat pretzel chips (the reigning champion)
- Tuna salad
- Egg salad
- Curry chicken salad with Wasa crackers
- Chickpea salad with cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and feta (keep the Italian dressing on the side so it doesn’t get soggy!)
- A lettuce salad with shredded chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, sesame ginger dressing, everything bagel seasoning and bring an avocado to add to it later.
- Bean salad – eaten as a dip with tortilla chips or Fritos.
- Italian pasta salad
- Mason jar salads
- Premade salad kits (Trader Joe’s got a specific shoutout) with protein added – one reader admitted her protein of choice is “often just chicken nuggets”.
Sandwiches & Wraps
- The classics: turkey sandwich, deli meat and cheese.
- One reader’s go-to that made my mouth water: red pepper hummus, turkey, and spinach on a hearty bread with Grillo’s pickles on the side.
- Sometimes a PB&J just sounds good – and I should say I secretly love these for a lunch every now and then.
- Chicken Caesar wraps assembled AT work so the tortilla doesn’t get soggy on the drive in
- Amylu chicken meatballs or burgers with Joseph’s lavash flatbread and a sauce
- Tortilla wraps with meat, veggies, and avocado
- Avocado toast
Breakfast for Lunch & Cottage Cheese
- Baked oatmeal or overnight oats
- Bagel and cream cheese
- Fruit protein smoothies
- Greek yogurt with frozen cherries, or a fruit and granola parfait
- Greek yogurt, apple, cut up raw veggies, nuts, and a thermos of tea.
- Cottage cheese mixed with protein powder, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup (made in the morning), with apple chopped in right before eating
- One of my go-to quick and easy lunches is – cottage cheese with turkey, avocado, tomatoes, candied jalapeños and a generous sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning.
- Pre-baked potato with cottage cheese
Outsourced Lunches
One reader said she used to spend her whole weekend meal prepping and just got tired of it – outsourcing is always a great option!
- Premade meal delivery (Factor got a specific shoutout, and I have to agree! I started eating Factor meals last year and I’ve loved having a balanced, quick lunch ready in my freezer if I need it. You can try them out for 50% off your first box here.)
- Frozen meals kept on hand as backup (Trader Joe’s was highly recommended for these)
- Premade chicken salad from Chicken Salad Chick
- And the most honest answer in the entire batch: “$20 to DoorDash a lunch when I wish I brought leftovers.”
If you need even more ideas – I shared more adult lunch ideas in this post.
