25 Healthy Cold Lunches to Pack for Work

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Updated on July 22, 2024

Chickpea Salad Sandwich — Photo: Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn

No microwave at work? No problem. These healthy cold lunch ideas can hang out in the fridge or an insulated bag with an ice pack until you're ready to chow down. These midday meals are impossible to resist, from cool quinoa bowls and simple salads to mini charcuterie boards. Recipes like our Spicy Salmon Sushi Roll-Ups and Chickpea Salad Sandwich are packable lunches perfect for a refreshing bite during the workday.

Most of these recipes can be prepared in advance, allowing you to enjoy them for dinner and have leftovers for the next day. If you opt for a sandwich recipe, most sandwiches can last a few days in the refrigerator if stored properly in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap. Consider separating the ingredients in airtight containers for a fresher-tasting sandwich, especially if they add moisture to the bread. This makes it easy to assemble before you're ready to leave the house. The same applies to salads—keeping ingredients separate is often best.

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Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls

Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls

This pesto chicken quinoa bowl is packed with herbs from the basil pesto and the Italian spice mix and gets a slight kick of heat from the red pepper. If you enjoy the flavor profile, this dish can also be made with orzo in place of quinoa.

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Spicy Salmon Sushi Roll-Ups

Spicy Salmon Sushi Roll-Ups

These sushi roll-ups are filled with spicy salmon, crunchy carrot, cucumbers and creamy avocado. You can also serve these up as bowls and chop up the nori to sprinkle on top.

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Shrimp Pasta Salad

This fresh and bright cold shrimp pasta salad features classic shrimp scampi flavors. Lemon and Dijon mustard brighten the dressing, and asparagus adds a nice crunch. Farfalle pasta works well with this dish, but any medium pasta shape will work.

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Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing

We've replaced chicken with shrimp in this delicious and easy spin on the classic Cobb salad. This satisfying salad takes just 20 minutes to make, so it's perfect for weeknight dinners, but it's elegant enough to serve to guests.

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Rainbow Veggie Wraps

There's definitely a sushi vibe to these kid-friendly wraps, which are stuffed with vegetables, cheese and hummus and then rolled and sliced. Serve them with store-bought green goddess, a creamy herb-filled dressing, to take it up a notch with ease. They look impressive but they're easy enough for kids to assemble themselves for an easy lunch or dinner.

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Chopped Cobb Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

Chopped Cobb Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing — Joy Howard

In place of bacon, this satisfying salad uses store-bought crispy chickpeas for lower saturated fat and less prep time. Using fresh herbs, bright citrus and a creamy base of yogurt and mayonnaise for the dressing gives it a flavorful finish.

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Prosciutto, Mozzarella & Melon Plate

This perfect picnic for two is great for an outdoor date night or even just a quick, romantic dinner at home. The fresh fruit, vegetables and cheese pair perfectly with prosecco for sipping. Chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert make the meal extra-special.

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Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Chickpea Salad Sandwich — Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn

This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It's got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch.

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Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Shrimp & Avocado Salad — Jennifer Causey

Peppery fresh radishes complement sweet shrimp and creamy avocado in this quick salad. Enjoy this healthy salad as a quick light dinner or for lunch.

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Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich

Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich — Brie Passano

When you boil eggs ahead of time, it's easy to create a lickety-split and delightful lunchtime egg salad. And using the flavorful leafy carrot tops in it is like getting herbs for free.

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Spring Veggie Wraps

Spring Veggie Wraps

A tangy tahini-ginger-soy mixture both marinates the tofu and serves as a sauce for this colorful veggie wrap recipe. Look for spinach tortillas for an additional pop of green.

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Caprese Sandwich

Caprese Sandwich — Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely

This caprese sandwich is fresh from the basil and hearty from thick, crusty ciabatta. The sun-dried tomatoes deepen the flavor. Topping the bread with a layer of basil leaves and using toasted bread helps to keep the sandwich from getting soggy if you need to make it a few hours ahead.

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Orange-Mint Freekeh Salad with Lima Beans

Orange-Mint Freekeh Salad with Lima Beans — Jacob Fox

This salad is loaded with colorful produce: fresh mint, snap peas, radishes and oranges. For pretty snap pea slices, cut them into long, thin strips.

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Goddess Veggie Bowls with Chicken

Dark green lacinato kale contrasts with the warm tones of bell peppers and tomatoes in this healthy green goddess salad recipe.

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Turkey, Cheese & Veggie Plate

This colorful picnic dinner idea features tasty munchies you don't need utensils for and mild flavors that kids prefer, like deli meat, cheese and crunchy raw veggies. It's easy to assemble this complete menu, and adults will enjoy it as much as the kids. The menu calls for store-bought hummus and cookies, but you can easily make them yourself.

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Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad.

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Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing

A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly.

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Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch

This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.

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Sweet & Savory Hummus Plate

Fresh veggies with dip, juicy fruit and even a sweet treat make up this easy-to-make picnic dinner that's great for packing up or enjoying at home. Plus, this combo excludes the most common allergens and food intolerances (it's free from dairy, eggs, soy, nuts and gluten) so just about everyone should be able to enjoy it without worrying.

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Chopped Cobb Salad

This single-serving recipe for Cobb salad swaps chicken in for bacon, which makes it a great source of protein for lunch. If you prefer another salad dressing, feel free to use that instead of our honey-mustard vinaigrette.

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Chickpea Tuna Salad

Chickpea Tuna Salad — Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn

This chickpea tuna salad with capers, feta and cucumber makes for the perfect lunch to pack for work or school. You can prep the salad the night before (just be sure to keep the spinach separate and dress the salad right before serving).

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Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing

For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

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3-Ingredient Farro Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken

3-Ingredient Mediterranean Farro Bowl — Carolyn Hodges

To make this hearty grain bowl, grab a salad kit from the grocery store. Then, top the kit with farro and chicken for a high-protein lunch or dinner that's ready in minutes.

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Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate

Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate

This healthy fruit, veggie and cheese plate is easy and affordable to pull together for a fun snack-style dinner at home or can be packed up and enjoyed as an outdoor picnic.

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Catchall Lunch Salad

Catchall Lunch Salad

This easy salad is great for using up any small amounts of leftover canned foods and produce you have on hand.

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