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Hello, and welcome to Buzzy Kitchen! I’m guessing you’re in the market for lunch ideas for work if you’ve landed on this page today, and have I got some tasty treats for you! Whether you need inspiration, are bored of your regular lunches, or just fancy doing something jazzy and different for once, there’s a suitable dish.
Please allow me to show you.
90 Lunch Ideas for Work
The lunchtime meal is very different in different parts of the world. In the UK, it’s common to have sandwiches. Light lunchtime meals are also eaten by those in Denmark. If you were to travel to Bengal, however, lunch is often served in the form of a seven-course meal. And if you head on over to Australia, your lunchtime dish is slightly later: anytime between midday and 2pm.
Regardless of what time you have it, these recipes are bound to tick a few of your boxes.
Lunch for Work Ideas in Under 10 Minutes
If you’ve only got ten minutes to whip up something for lunch that you can take to work, I’ve got your back! All these lunch for work ideas take less than ten minutes to cook or put together, and they’re super simple, too. Simple is good when you’re running out of time, right?
An important thing to remember is that lunch should be relatively healthy. Junk food will just make you feel sluggish and tired later in the afternoon, and that’s no good if you’ve got a full day of work! Thankfully, these dishes are healthy, balanced, and some even contain one or more of your five-a-day!
- Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwiches by Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
- Sticky Beef Satay Wraps by Gousto
- Charred Runner Bean Salad with Lemon and Herb Dressing by Asda
- Leftover Turkey and Pesto Pinwheels by Tasty
- Veggie Grain Bowls with Turmeric Dressing by Eating Well
- Ultimate Halloumi Sandwich by Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
- Creamy Pesto and Salmon Amorini by Gousto
- Caesar Pitta by BBC Good Food
- Loaded Turkey Taco Bowls by Tasty
- Prawn and Avocado with a Twist by Asda
Lunch Ideas for Work in Under 20 Minutes
Okay, so, you’ve got a little longer to prepare, so you feel like making something really nice. It’s good to treat yourself every now and then. Life would be super boring and quite disappointing if you didn’t. (That’s my view and I’m sticking to it.)
While I’m on the subject of scrummy lunch ideas for work in under 20 minutes, there are a few other posts here on Buzzy Kitchen that you might find useful. 100 Sandwich Ideas for Lunch has a ton of indulgent, healthy, and/or delicious sandwiches to try.
- Meatball Marinara Slider by Pinch of Nom
- Smoked Mackerel Pate with Melba Toast by Asda
- Chicken Caesar Lettuce Cups by Eating Well
- Chicken and Cheese Pinwheels by My Fussy Eater
- Onigirazu (Rice Sandwich) by Tasty
- Greek Pasta Salad by Chelsea’s Messy Apron
- Chicken Sausage Rolls by My Fussy Eater
- Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles (in a Jar) by Eating Well
- Curried Leftover Pork Bulgur Salad by BBC Good Food
- Leftover Turkey and Ham Pasta by My Fussy Eater
Lunch for Work Ideas in Under 30 Minutes
A healthy, balanced, and nutritional lunch contains lots of vegetables, a little bit of healthy fats, some whole grains, and a good amount of lean protein. You’ll definitely tick all of those boxes with some of these lunch for work ideas in under 30 minutes.
If you plan on having packed lunches for a long time, it’s worth investing your money in a cool bag plus ice packs (or similar). You can also get flasks and keep-warm bags/boxes for hot food, too. Essentially, what I’m saying is, there’s no excuse not to get your packed lunch on!
- Easy Peasy Breakfast Muffins by Pinch of Nom
- Greek Turkey Wrap by My Fussy Eater
- Pizza Puffy Pastry Twists by Tasty
- Grandma’s Macaroni Salad by Insanely Good Recipes
- Chicken Shashlik Burritos with Mango Yoghurt by Gousto
- Ham and Cheese Roll Ups by My Fussy Eater
- Bacon Asparagus Pastry Twists by Tasty
- Sesame and Ginger Sushi Bowls by BBC Good Food
- Broccoli and Cheese Frittata Fingers by My Fussy Eater
- Make-Ahead Cheesy Egg Cups by Tasty
Salad Lunch Ideas for Work
Salads are a classic lunch dish, easily thrown together, mostly healthy, and delicious (for some people). For the longest time, I thought salad was the most boring dish in the world. Literally, the dullest, no-flavour food. Bland food. Yuck. Thankfully, someone educated me on the many variations of ‘salad’ you can whip up with the help of just a few ingredients.
There’s a mix of meat-in and meat-free ideas in this list, and there’s nothing to stop you from adding your own ingredients, or switching the ones you don’t like for the ones you do. You choose the ingredients. You’re the one in control. It’s your lunch, after all.
- Thai-Style Tuna and Broccoli Salad by Delicious Magazine
- Chicken and Spanish-Style Butterbean Salad by BBC Good Food
- Halloumi, Couscous, and Orange Salad by Gousto
- Pesto and Halloumi Salad by Asda
- Vietnamese Prawn and Papaya Salad by Delicious Magazine
- Citrus Quinoa Avocado Salad by Cook for Your Life
- Lentil Salad with Tahini Dressing by BBC Good Food
- Pesto Chicken Caprese Salad with Croutons by Gousto
- Broccoli Pasta Salad with Eggs and Sunflower Seeds by BBC Good Food
- Roast Sweet Potato, Beetroot, and Red Onion Salad with Miso Dressing by Delicious Magazine
Pasta Lunch Ideas for Work
Pasta, pasta, pasta… it’s such a versatile food, don’t you think? You can have it hot or cold, which makes it great for lunches, dinners, and midnight snacks. There are also so many different ways to make it, and so many different types of pasta to try!
If you’re a big fan of pasta, your luck is in, because I’ve been dedicating my time to finding new and exciting pasta dishes to try. 50 Vegetarian Spaghetti Dinner Ideas contains a whole bunch of delicious recipes that you could totally add meat to if you wanted to. Check out the pasta archives to find new types to try, too.
- Cheese Veg-Packed Pasta Bake by Gousto
- Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad by Hungry Healthy Happy
- Grandma’s Macaroni Salad by Insanely Good Recipes
- Smoky Chipotle Mac n’ Cheese by Gousto
- Spaghetti Salad by Spend with Pennies
Lunch Ideas for a Flask
If it’s winter and you want something to warm for your lunch, a flask full of something tasty is a great idea. You can put all sorts of things in a flask to keep warm until lunchtime, including soups, stews, chili dishes, hotpots, and more!
A simple flask that you’d take coffee to work in will do the trick for your lunchtime food. You could always look at a gadget-packed new one. I personally like the Heater Food Flask with Valve, Insulating Bag, and Folding Spoon, and you can even get a larger size for the hungry luncher.
- Speedy Tomato Soup by Pinch of Nom
- Thai-Inspired Vegetable Broth by Jamie Oliver
- Caribbean Ital Bean Curry by BBC Good Food
- Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Soup by Budget Bytes
- Chicken Mulligatawny Soup with Coconut Milk by Krumpli
- Carrot and Coriander Soup with Chutney Twists by Gousto
- Italian Pasta Soup by Asda
- Mushroom and Potato Soup by BBC Good Food
- Spicy Sweetcorn Soup with Chipotle by Krumpli
- Turkey and Wild Rice Soup by Budget Bytes
- Two Broccoli Soup with Cheesy Toasts by Gousto
- Korean Chicken Hotpot by Jamie Oliver
- Simple Pork and Chickpea Stew by BBC Good Food
- Easy Vegetarian Chili by Love and Lemons
- Smoky Tomato Soup by Budget Bytes
Vegan Lunch Ideas for Work
I once promise to always include vegan and vegetarian dishes in my recipe lists, mostly because I’m a vegetarian myself. When I first made the change, I really struggled to find dishes I liked. My research has done you a bit of a favour, though. It’s because of all that research that I’m able to bring you all these delicious sandwiches.
Don’t forget, you can always use a meat substitute, such as tofu or plant-based ‘meats,’ in your sandwiches. Even the meaty ones aren’t totally off-limits for you. Alternatively, there are plenty of vegetables, mushrooms, legumes, and other ingredients that make a tasty lunchtime snack.
- Pickled Vegetable Sandwiches with [Vegan] Cream Cheese by The Vegan Lunch Box
- Chickpea “Chicken” Salad by Eating Well
- Portobello Fajita Bowls by Tasty
- Giant Couscous Salad with Charred Veg and Tangy Pesto by BBC Good Food
- Tomato, Chicken, and Sweetcorn Soup by Asda
- Cream of Mushroom Soup by Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
- White Bean and Roasted Beet Sandwich by Cook for Your Life
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich by Tasty
- Creamy Potato Salad by Nutriciously
- Spicy Chickpea Sausage Rolls with Puff Pastry by The Vegan Lunch Box
Vegetarian Lunch Ideas for Work
Are you a vegetarian? Do you just have meat-free days, weeks, or months? These sandwich ideas for work might just fill you up and taste great for lunchtime… or y’know, whenever you eat your lunch. For me, it’s about ten minutes after I’ve started work.
One thing to remember when looking at vegetarian lunch ideas for work is that many cheeses are not vegetarian-friendly. Parmesan, for example, is made with rennet, which is an animal product created once the animal is dead. How stringent are you with your vegetarian lifestyle? Do you always read the packaging? Or do you eat first and check later? (The latter is my personal approach.)
- Halloumi and Spinach Borek by The Vegan Lunch Box
- Asparagus and Cress Muffin-Tin Quiches by Asda
- Beetroot, Feta, and Rosemary Breakfast Muffins by Ocado
- Bean and Feta Spread with Greek Salad Salsa and Oatcakes by BBC Good Food
- Tomato Basil Wrap with Vegan Mozzarella by All Nutritious
- Cold Italian Pasta Salad by Everyday Family Cooking
- Tofu Grinder Salad Sandwich by The Vegan Lunch Box
- Spicy Mushroom Wrap by All Nutritious
- Veggie Pitta Pizzas by Ocado
- Vegan Pesto Cheese Swirls by The Vegan Lunch Box
Lunch Ideas for Work UK: Others
I’m throwing in a few more lunch ideas for work, mostly because they don’t fit in other places. They definitely deserve a spot on this list, though. Quick, tasty, and portable – three things lunchtime meals must be.
Here’s a fun fact for you: the word ‘lunch’ wasn’t used to describe the midday meal until the early 1800s. It wasn’t until the early-to-middle 1900s that it became more popular, and even then, it was used in a ‘ladies that lunch’ fashion. Women tended to go to lunch with friends more than men.
- Chunky Chorizo Sausage Rolls by Ocado
- Chicken Gyros by The Forked Spoon
- Leek and Mustard Cheese Tart by Asda
- Salmon and Chive Bagel Topper by BBC Good Food
- Rice Crust Spinach Quiche by Ocado
- Easy Crustless Quiche with Asparagus and Bacon by Daisies and Pie
- Salmon and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Grain Bowl by BBC Good Food
- Spring Roll Wraps by Cadry’s Kitchen
- Giant Sausage Roll by Daisies and Pie
- Harissa Salmon and Quinoa by Ocado
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out this list. Have any of the recipes caught your eye? Have they filled with you inspiration? I hope so! The humble sandwich is so much versatile than many of us give credit for.
Why not take a look at some of the other recipe collections on Buzzy Kitchen? Here are a few that I think you might find interesting: