It’s the Sisyphean task that afflicts cooking novices and professional chefs, desk jockeys and Olympic athletes, college students with dorm microwaves, and wizened food editors with every kitchen gadget: What the heck do I pack for lunch today? Whether you’re packing lunch for work, eating between meetings at home, or trying to make the most of last night’s leftovers, the question is universal.

What the Big Slop Bowl industrial complex doesn’t want you to know, is that lunch is merely a state of mind. Monday could be a virtuous bowl of crunchy, leafy vegetables. Tuesday could be crackers and cheese! And Wednesday—no judgment—tuna from a can and hot sauce. If it’s delicious, portable, and fits your lifestyle, we say you do you.

But if conjuring up packed lunch ideas is still daunting, here are some of our favorite easy recipes, loose formulas, and emergency fallbacks to meet you where you’re at.

🫙 Prep ahead
⚡ Ready in 30 minutes or less
❄️ Delicious cold
🔥 Best served hot
🌱 Vegetarian
⭐ No refrigeration needed before lunch

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Christine Keely

1. Spicy tuna rice bowl with leftover rice, crunchy vegetables, and whatever hot sauce you love. This endlessly riffable pantry meal comes together in about 10 minutes. 🫙 ⚡

2. Chicken and Cucumber Rice Bowls with crunchy vegetables and fluffy rice. They’re just as good the next day. 🫙 ❄️

3. A nutty, chewy lentil-and-barley salad with harissa and fennel. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

4. Miso-tahini tofu and veggies, a zingy slaw, and some sliced avocado piled on a bed of whole grains. 🫙 🌱

5. Gochujang-Ranch Crispy Chicken Bowl with avocado and toasted cashews. Make the chicken ahead and you’ll have lunch for days. 🫙

6. Confetti rice with lots of broccoli, feta, herbs, toasted almonds, golden raisins, and plenty of lemon. It’s just as good warm as it is at room temperature. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

7. Crispy chickpeas, caramelized corn, and punchy miso-jalapeño tahini dressing make this grain bowl one of BA’s all-time great lunches. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

8. Roasted vegetables, whole grains, miso-ginger turmeric, and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. A formula worth repeating all year long. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

9. Kimchi Fried Rice with broccoli, perfect for putting yesterday’s rice to work. 🫙 🔥

10. Roast salmon tonight, then flake the leftovers over grains with sautéed kale, cucumbers, herbs, and a squeeze of lemon tomorrow. 🫙 ❄️

Photograph by Emma Fishman

11. A meatless but mighty Smashroom Sandwich with plenty of pickled peppers. It’s just as good wrapped up for the office as it is eaten fresh. 🌱 🔥

12. A Perfect Tuna Melt with oil-packed tuna, fresh dill, capers, and buttery griddled bread. Don't skip the pickle and kettle chips on the side. ⚡ 🔥

13. Open-face kimchi tuna melts on English muffins. ⚡ 🔥

14. Stacked California veggie sandwich loaded with crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and plenty of sprouts. ❄️ 🌱

15. Green Goddess crunch sandwich—basically a really good salad tucked between two slices of bread. ❄️ 🌱

16. Spicy tuna tostadas layered with chipotle mayo, avocado, mango, and oil-packed tuna. Dinner-worthy, lunch-friendly, and ready-to-eat in about 10 minutes. ⚡

17. A giant beans-and-cheese hoagie piled high with mustard greens. ❄️ 🌱

18. An Italian hero loaded with meat and cheese…or a vegetarian version that’s just as satisfying. ❄️

19. Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches, but for lunch. Freeze a batch and grab one whenever midday hunger sneaks up on you. 🫙

20. An upgraded PB&J with pecan-miso butter and Raspberry Jam. ⚡ 🌱 ⭐️

21. SALADWICH! Because sometimes the best salad is the one you can eat with your hands. ❄️ 🌱

22. An ELT (Egg, Lettuce, & Tomato) delivers all the satisfaction of a BLT in a lighter, vegetarian sandwich. ⚡ ❄️ 🌱

Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers

23. Spicy tuna onigiri stuffed with creamy tuna and wrapped for grab-and-go lunches. 🫙 ❄️ ⚡

24. Pickle dip with potato chips, cucumber spears, carrots, celery, or whatever crunchy vegetables are hanging out in your crisper. ⚡ ❄️ 🌱

25. Curried peanut dip with jammy eggs, cold shrimp, last-night’s roasted sweet potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, or any vegetables that need using up. ⚡ ❄️ 🌱

26. Soft white bread with cream cheese and green olives. Sometimes simple wins. ⚡ ❄️ 🌱

27. Extra-fluffy hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and at least three crunchy things for dipping. ⚡ ❄️ 🌱

28. Stack a few slices of deli turkey or ham (or marinated tofu or shrimp or, sure, salami) with complimentary cheeses and crackers. You say charcuterie board, we say adult Lunchables. ❄️ 🌱

29. Smash a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, then toss them with something briny (peperoncini, pickles, olives), something punchy (sliced scallions, harissa, chili crisp), and something creamy (yogurt, tahini, leftover green goddess dressing). Enjoy with crackers or toast. ⚡ 🫙 🌱

30. Mango Chicken Summer Rolls with crisp vegetables and fresh lettuce and cilantro, all wrapped up in rice paper, are refreshing, portable, and ideal for hot-weather lunches. 🫙 ❄️

Photo by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen

31. Turn all the produce from the back of your fridge into tomorrow’s lunch. Kale, broccoli slaw, chickpeas, and a punchy citrus dressing only get better after a night in the fridge. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

32. Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad (sesame-ginger dressing FTW) packed into a deli container. 🫙 ❄️

33. Let the supermarket olive bar do most of the work with marinated vegetables, olives, beans, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss cooked pasta and chill. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

34. Zucchini butter spread generously over toasted sourdough, rye crackers, or seeded crispbread. ⚡ ❄️ 🌱

35. A broccoli salad that gets better as it sits in the office fridge. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

36. Sheet-Pan Halloumi With Avocado and Citrus. Pack the pita separately so it stays crisp. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

37. Marinated Mixed Beans—a pantry-friendly lunch that’s every bit as good tucked into greens as it is eaten with crusty bread. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

38. Plantain and black bean salad with lime and cilantro. It tastes even better on day two. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

39. Green Beans and Cucumbers With Miso Dressing. A crisp, refreshing lunch that holds up beautifully in the fridge. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

40. Fattoush with tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and a bright lemon-sumac dressing. Pack toasted pita chips separately to toss in just before eating. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

41. Classic Greek salad with big hunks of feta, juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and plenty of oregano. ❄️ 🌱

Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Emma Ringness

42. Haemul pajeon (Korean Seafood Pancakes) crisp up beautifully in a skillet the next day, but also delicious cold. Pack the soy dipping sauce separately. 🫙 ❄️ 🔥

43. Green chutney chicken tucked into warm pita, wrapped in naan, or spooned over rice with a dollop of yogurt. 🫙 🔥

44. Paneer kathi rolls wrapped in parchment and foil so they stay warm on the way to work. They were practically designed for taking to lunch. 🫙 🔥 🌱

45. Larb—made with chicken, beef, lamb, or tofu—served over rice instead of delicate lettuce cups. It reheats surprisingly well. 🫙 🔥

46. EASY TACO BOWLS! Yesterday’s leftover meat + rice and/or beans, salsa, and whatever crunchy toppings you have. 🫙 🔥

47. Make a giant lasagna. Cut into individual portions and freeze for future lunches. Let the frozen brick thaw in transit (and the office fridge), then microwave at the office. 🫙 🔥

48. Greek chicken thighs plus the lemon potatoes that inspired them. 🫙 🔥

49. Mac and Cheese. Sometimes the leftovers are even better than dinner. 🫙 🔥 🌱

50. Bulgogi, however you’re feeling it today: tucked into lettuce wraps, piled over rice, stuffed into a sandwich, or simply eaten straight from the container. ❄️

51. Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder repurposed all week in sandwiches, tacos, grain bowls, soups, or salads. 🫙 🔥

52. Enchiladas—one of the all-time great make-ahead lunches. 🫙 🔥

Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen

53. Creamy chili crisp pasta made with just three ingredients. Greek yogurt and chili crisp create a glossy, spicy sauce in minutes. ⚡ 🌱

54. The easiest tuna spaghetti ever, proof that a pantry dinner can become tomorrow’s lunch. ⚡ 🔥

55. Chilled sesame soba noodles tossed with a spicy-sweet dressing and whatever crunchy vegetables are in your fridge. They’re made for packed lunches. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

56. Gochujang sesame noodles with leafy greens and a punchy sauce that comes together in no time. ⚡ 🌱

57. Japchae (Korean stir-fried glass noodles) with plenty of vegetables. It’s just as satisfying warm as it is at room temperature. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

58. Cold noodle salads made with ramen, soba, or rice noodles. Keep a versatile no-cook sauce on hand and swap in whatever vegetables and proteins you have. 🫙 ❄️

59. Stir-Fried Udon with pork and vegetables is even better packed up for lunch the next day. 🫙 🔥

60. Crispy sheet-pan gnocchi with burst tomatoes and plenty of Parmesan. Leftovers are great at room temperature. 🫙 🌱

61. One-pot baked pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe—the kind of cozy dinner you’ll be happy to see waiting for you in the office fridge. 🫙 🔥

Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams

62. Transform store-bought rotisserie chicken into a crunchy, spiced halal-cart-inspired salad with iceberg lettuce, pita chips, and a creamy yogurt sauce. 🫙 ❄️

63. No mayo for you? Creamy Tahini Chicken Salad swaps in a nutty tahini dressing that’s equally at home on greens, tucked into sandwiches, or scooped up with crackers. 🫙 ❄️

64. One of the fastest ways to turn leftover chicken into lunch? Tacos. Add black beans, avocado, salsa, pickled onions, or whatever toppings you have on hand. ⚡

65. Instead of one big Green Curry Chicken Pot Pie, bake it in individual portions to mete out through the week. 🫙 🔥

66. Fried rice with chopped up rotisserie chicken is the perfect clean-out-the-fridge meal. Toss in frozen peas, kimchi, or any vegetable that needs using up. 🫙 🔥

67. A gingery miso dressing adds punch to a green salad with chicken. Make a batch on Sunday and pack it throughout the week. 🫙 ❄️

68. A square of sheet-pan pizza with shredded chicken + store-bought BBQ sauce or pesto or Buffalo sauce, complete with complementing cheeses and vegetables. 🫙 🔥

Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker

69. Restorative Gingery Chicken Noodle Soup comes together in one pot—exactly the kind of lunch you want on a busy weekday. 🫙 🔥

70. With wispy egg ribbons and whatever greens are hanging around your refrigerator, 10-Minute Bone Broth Soup is one of the fastest lunches you’ll make all week. ⚡ 🔥

71. Keep a tub of miso in the fridge, and you’ll always have a quick lunch within reach. Go classic miso soup or zhuzh it up with whatever’s in your pantry. ⚡ 🌱

72. Any form of tomato soup, whether it’s summery salmorejo or cozy Instant Pot tomato soup with grilled cheese. 🔥 🌱

73. Curried lentil soup with coconut is hearty enough to be a complete meal and tastes even better after a night in the refrigerator. 🫙 🔥 🌱

74. Spring Minestrone makes sure you get in a goodly portion of green vegetables and beans, but presents them in a warming savory broth. 🫙 🔥 🌱

75. A bright cauliflower stew inspired by Greek avgolemono, with tender chunks of chicken and rice, equally at home on a weeknight dinner table or in a thermos the next afternoon. 🫙 🔥

76. Chili is the definition of cook once, eat all week—or freeze individual portions for future lunches. Go hearty beef chili or ground turkey chili or white chicken chili or canned-pumpkin chili or vegetarian chili. The limit, as they say, does not exist. 🫙 🔥

77. Fully microwavable, almost-instant miso-kimchi ramen. Fair warning, you’re gonna put this 10-minute meal on heavy rotation. ⚡ 🔥

Photo by Alex Lau

78. A frittata fits the mold of the use-it-up ethos. Pack in greens and ham, crispy rice and parm, roasted squash, or any leftover vegetables and grains you have lurking in the fridge. Then eat it as is or slap it on a sandwich. 🫙 ❄️ 🔥

79. Bake a Quiche for Sunday brunch, then enjoy the remaining slices warm or straight from the fridge all week. 🫙 ❄️ 🔥 🌱

80. A microwave omelet with a dollop of chili crisp. ⚡ 🌱

81. A simple, classic egg salad…on toasted bread, stuffed into pita, scooped onto crackers, or piled over greens. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

82. Transform everyday scrambled eggs with fresh ginger and soy sauce into…well, soy-ginger scrambled eggs. Spoon it over rice for a satisfying lunch in minutes. ⚡ 🌱

83. Layer jammy eggs with tinned tuna, potatoes, crisp vegetables, and a bright vinaigrette for a classic niçoise salad. 🫙 ❄️

84. Savory overnight oats with an egg and chili crisp prove oats aren’t just for breakfast. 🫙 ❄️ 🌱

85. Turkish-Style Eggs and Tomatoes makes a hearty lunch alongside a hunk of crusty bread for scooping up every last bite. 🔥 ⚡ 🌱

Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie

86. A snack mix (like this furikake-ranch version) + a piece of fruit and a few slices of cheese is the kind of pantry lunch that saves the day when grocery shopping didn’t happen. ⭐️

87. Five-minute buttered tofu for the days when cooking feels like too much. ⚡ 🔥 🌱

88. A thick slice of leftover Banana Bread slathered with Greek yogurt or almond butter is a great move to get you through the afternoon. ⚡ 🌱 ⭐️

89. Popcorn isn’t just a desperation dinner—it’s also a great no-other-options lunch. Dress up a fresh batch with soy sauce and furikake, nutritional yeast and chile flakes, tomato powder and ghee, dried fruit and nuts, or coconut flakes and sesame seeds. ⚡ ⭐️ 🌱 Get our favorite microwave popcorn popper →

90. A steam-in-the-bag bag of frozen vegetables showered with Parmesan, butter, olive oil, chili crisp, or toasted nuts. Not glamorous, but it gets the job done. ⚡ 🌱

91. PB&J and an apple. Sometimes the classics become classics for a reason.⚡ 🌱 ⭐️