45 Lunch Ideas for 2019.

I’m here with lunch ideas for your 2019! I mean, what the heck should we eat for lunch?

These are all lunch ideas that you can make and prep ahead of time. Woohoo!

While I’m all about having a fried egg for lunch or topping my avocado toast with a fried egg or grilling and roasting some vegetables for lunch, when you work out of the home that just isn’t feasible. These are all dishes that you can make or prep ahead of time and ones that will taste great come lunch time.

That’s the biggest thing for me. No matter how fantastic the salad was that I would make for lunch when I sat behind a desk, whether it had croutons or last night’s chicken on top, it still tasted like a sad desk lunch and I just wanted something more delicious. Now I am sharing a bunch of my favorite substantial salads below, but there are a ton of other lunch ideas here that range from soups to bowls to full blown meals!

45 Lunch Ideas for 2019

There are lunch ideas below that may take a few minutes to throw together once lunchtime comes (i.e. slicing a tomato or a hard-boiled egg, assembling a lettuce wrap, etc), but the idea is that you can actually prep the ingredients ahead of time to make your lunch WORTH IT. There are lunch ideas that can be made completely ahead of time and reheated. I’ve found that for me, the secret is having a lunch made that I really love, even if it takes some prep time the Sunday before.

Classics

These recipes are some of my most-lunched recipes on the blog. They are my favorites, the ones I eat frequently or that you guys tell me you’re loving.

The Best Ever Egg Salad

Tomato and Avocado Bagelwiches

Green Goddess Tuna Melts

Crunchy Roasted Chickpea Pitas (pack the chickpeas separately, along with some hummus and tomatoes!)

Thai Turkey Burgers (these are amazing made ahead of time and served on salads or in wraps!)

Asian Turkey Burgers (same as above!)

Southwest Chicken Salad Slider Melts

Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocados. (Be sure to peel and stuff the avocado right before eating.)

Shaved Egg Avocado Toast. (If you don’t want to actually shave an egg at work, just slice it!)

Smoked Salmon Bagels

Breakfast Quinoa (this is so satisfying that I don’t mind having it for lunch)

Marinated White Beans with Toast (this is equally good with some whole grain crackers!)

Lemon Almond Roast Chicken Salad

Greek Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Salads & Bowls

Most of these salads can be prepped the night before, and if they don’t have a protein, add one of your choice if desired. A few of them, like the greek salads and chickpea salad, get more delicious as they sit.

Grilled Chicken Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad

Rosemary Chicken, Bacon Avocado Salad

Cheeseburger Chopped Salad

My Favorite Greek Salad

Black Pepper Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad

Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad

BBQ Quinoa Salad

Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls

Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl

BLT Chopped Salad

Greek Orzo Salad in a Jar

The Best Simple Chickpea Salad

Soups

All of these soups are delicious if you make them a day or so ahead of time. For the soups with pasta, you can always cook it separately and add it the morning of or right before eating so it doesn’t soak up too much liquid. I like preparing a soup for lunches, and freezing half of it. That way lunch will already be prepared in a few weeks/months or you can even have it for dinner at some point.

Lemon Chicken Soup

30 Minute Asian Chicken Soup

Game Day Chili

White Chicken Quinoa Chili

Mini Chicken Meatball Soup

Butternut Squash Quinoa Chili

Ginger Sweet Potato Soup

Chickpea Pasta Soup

Spicy Sausage, Kale & Whole Wheat Pasta Soup

Meals

Of course, I use the term “meals” loosely here, because everyone’s idea of a meal is subjective! These meals have a little more substance. They feel more like actual MEALS than lunches, if that makes sense. They are served hot, they aren’t a cold bowl of salad. And if you’re anything like Eddie, that is what he loves – lunch that tastes and satisfies like dinner. These are some of my favorites that can be made a day or two ahead of time! If you prefer leftovers for lunch, these are for you.

Chicken Feta Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles

Broccoli Bacon Pasta

Pasta with Chickpeas, Spinach and Garlic

15 Minute Sesame Ramen Noodles

Farfalle with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Marinated Feta

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

One Pan Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken and Green Bean Skillet

Slow Cooker Mini Turkey Meatballs

Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers

Korean Beef Bowls

Thai Drunken Zucchini Noodles with Honey Chicken

I’d love to hear some of your favorite lunch ideas below! Even though I work from home, work in my kitchen and cook most days of the week, I still struggle with lunch ideas myself. Tell me your favorites!

And tomorrow I’ll be sharing my favorite dinner ideas as I do every year, but you can also find 100 ideas on my instagram highlights!