25 Travel-Friendly Lunch Ideas for Work (That Taste Great)

Let's be honest; Packing a wholesome lunch for the days that you're going to work can be a challenge. For most of us we need something that can be prepared in advance, something that travels well and something that tastes great. Sandwiches and salads are good options but they can get monotnous if you make them all the time. That's why we've rounded up these lunch recipes. You'll find classic options like wraps and grain bowls—but you'll also find some new ideas like fried rice, quesadillas and even chicken fajitas. So, whatever you're craving, you can fill up and power through your day! A good place ot start? This lemon-drizzled salmon and veggie grain bowl. It's the perfect midday pick-me-up—and a breeze to prepare, too.

Use leftover roast chicken to whip up Jeff's chicken salad studded with sweet cranberries and crunchy celery. Wrap it up in soft tortillas for a lunch-friendly meal.

Healthy vegetables and spiced chickpeas get roasted on the same baking sheet, making dinner a breeze to put together and clean up. Quinoa and avocado round out this nutritional meal.

Jeff’s big-batch soup ensures you’ll have enough for a full week of lunches — and it’s incredibly easy to prepare! Toss the ingredients in your slow cooker and you’ll have a hearty soup that’s packed with veggies and perfect for eating with a piece of crusty bread.

Enjoy a layered lunch with this portable, Mexican-inspired quinoa salad. To save time, make a big batch of quinoa, and freeze it in resealable bags for up to 1 month. Having a whole-grain arsenal in your freezer will help cut down on prep time later.

This salad is inspired by a popular menu item at a healthy restaurant chain. We love it — but we also love saving money. So set aside some time during your week to make this vinaigrette, which makes enough for about five salads. And if you're super ambitious, go ahead and prep enough ingredients for a week's worth of lunches.

Soup is one of our favorite choices for a work lunch because it’s easy to prepare multiple portions ahead of time. Rachael’s spicy recipe, which is served with your favorite taco toppings, is one you’ll want to make again and again.

Make Ree’s sandwich rolls on a Sunday and let them chill in the fridge until Monday morning. Her advice? Prepare the spicy mayo but don’t spread it on the bread until you’re ready to eat — after all, nobody likes a soggy sandwich

Farro is an Italian variety of wheat with grains that turn tender and toothsome with cooking. It's often added to soups and risotto but works as a terrific substitute for rice in this easy stir-fry.

Giada's trick to this quick and easy recipe is to either buy your favorite store-bought marinara sauce, or make your own and use the leftovers for the soup broth.

Southwestern chicken fajita salad is the perfect grab-and-go lunch that requires minimal added effort, plus it's a well-balanced meal with wholesome, real ingredients. Simply toss all of the ingredients together in a baking pan, then put it in the oven, set the timer, and walk away. You can enjoy the fajita mixture warm with a tortilla and rice, or, in this case, cold by incorporating it into a salad.

The flavors of the Mediterranean are cooked up in 30 minutes in an Instant Pot® for a quick and filling, souvlaki-inspired lunch.

Trisha uses a buttered skillet to make golden-brown quesadillas that are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Pro tip: make a big batch on Sunday night so you have enough for a few days of lunch — just be sure the quesadillas are completely cool before packing so the steam doesn’t make them soggy!

Forget about the gloopy mayonnaise-laced pasta salads you know (and perhaps don't love). GZ's version features bright, fresh produce like cucumber and tomatoes, plus rotisserie chicken for heft and a simple red wine vinaigrette.

Homemade meatballs are the secret to this soup's authentic Italian flavor. Giada uses curly endive for color and texture.

These protein-packed fajitas cleverly use a foil-lined baking sheet and broiler to make a quick and healthy meal that can be packed with rice, salad or a tortilla.

Ina adds cashews to her curried chicken salad for a bit of salt and crunch. Plan ahead by cooking the chicken on Sunday and allowing it to cool overnight — this will make it easier to shred before work Monday morning.

Instead of leftover Chinese, pack up these soba noodles covered in a peanut butter and soy sauce glaze.

The stir-fried filling in Rachael's lettuce wraps boasts crunch, bright colors and flavor from oranges and hoisin.

This fiber-packed vegetarian version of a classic French sandwich is great for days when you have a long commute. It's the perfect way to use up whatever fresh veggies you have on hand, plus its one of those things that gets better as it sits, so make it the night before you leave for work.

Layered is the new chopped! We've gone vertical for this colorful salad. We love the tender-chewy barley, but it can be swapped out for your favorite whole grain, like brown rice or quinoa. The jar makes this salad super portable and shows off its pretty layers.

Enjoy a variety of textures and classic flavors from celery, whole-grain mustard and chopped boiled eggs in this fuss-free egg salad.

Sorry, salads and sandwiches — Trisha’s wholesome rice bowl is the only lunch we want on a busy work day. She whips up a creamy green goddess dressing to drizzle over brown rice, sliced avocado and stir-fried veggies.

This is the kind of wrap you’ll want to eat again and again. Chickpeas are smashed with balsamic vinegar and oil to form a creamy spread, then rolled up in a flatbread with muenster cheese, portobello mushrooms and peppery arugula.