85 Quick Work Lunch Ideas To Shake Up Your appetite

Who can resist rice noodles bathed in an abundance of sweet and creamy peanut sauce? Not us! In this recipe, the prep actually takes longer than the cooking, so feel free to make some elements ahead. With all them behind you, the dish comes together in a snap.

Get the Creamy Peanut-Lime Chicken With Noodles recipe.

When it comes to healthy salads, none are more hearty than a taco salad. Load it up with veggies, cheese, and ground beef for the perfect satisfying summer meal. We love this classic version, but if you want to get fancy, feel free to swap in and out your fave toppings.

Get the Taco Salad recipe.

Featuring crispy potato gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, and salami, this salad is a medley of everything you love about antipasto, made extra-hearty for lunchtime.

Get the Gnocchi Antipasto Salad recipe.

This dish started as way to use leftover rice that has dried out some and may not be great on its own, but is still perfectly edible. The addition of oil and soy sauce and veggies and meat spruce up the rice for a delicious meal.

Get the Chicken Fried Rice recipe.

Inspired by the popular Japanese onigirazu, this is like a cross between sushi and a sandwich. We filled ours with spicy salmon, seasoned sushi rice, cucumber, pickled cabbage, carrot, and avocado—then wrapped it in nori to make it extra portable. Serve it with plenty of the sriracha-soy mayo on the side!

Get the Sushi Sandwich (Onigirazu) recipe.

Pinwheel sandwiches are here with their totally retro swirls, ready to be packed into lunchboxes, piled onto game day spreads, or just eaten as an afternoon snack. As long as you stick with the basic formula and amounts, the sky’s the limit on what you can fill ’em with too.

Get the Pinwheel Sandwiches recipe.

This bowl is a homemade take on a New York street food favorite. Picture succulent halal chicken, marinated to perfection in a harmonious blend of spices, fragrant oregano, and zesty lime juice: an explosion of flavors that dance on your taste buds and leave you craving for more.

Get the Halal Cart-Style Cauliflower Bowls recipe.

This wrap is hearty enough to keep you full until dinner, but not so heavy you require a post-lunch nap. Filled with a zingy arugula-dill salad, sliced turkey, roasted red peppers, and crunchy cucumbers, and sealed with a creamy goat cheese spread, it’s exactly the kind of colorful lunch we crave to brighten up our weekdays.

Get the Turkey Lavash Wraps recipe.

There’s something so special and refreshing about a sandwich that is absolutely packed to the gills with veggies. Between two slices of bread you will find NINE different vegetables packed together in harmony here. 😍

Get the Ultimate Veggie Sandwich recipe.

If you’re a fan of crispy savory egg rolls, then you might consider this unwrapped version your dream lunch. Without the need to wrap or fry, this veggie-packed meal comes together in well under an hour. Garnish with crispy raw scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and plenty of sriracha or chili oil.

Get the Egg Roll Bowls recipe.

In this vegetarian version of a Chinese-American favorite, oven-baked tofu gets tossed in a savory, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce along with crisp-tender broccoli, then topped with toasty sesame seeds and scallions. With a side of white rice, you’ll be on your way to a saucy, delicious meal.

Get the Sesame Tofu & Broccoli recipe.