55 Cheap and Easy Lunch Ideas That'll Recharge Your Day
Love Thy Lunch
Whether you're eating at your desk at home or the break room at work, a good lunch can change the entire trajectory of your day. If you're looking to keep it cheap, tasty, and healthy, you may want to make your own.
Short on time? Short on funds? Short on creativity? Here are 55 ideas for quick and easy lunches that can really turn your day around.
1. Caprese Sub
Everybody likes a caprese salad, of course, but there's an easy way to level it up into an elite meatless lunch. The secret, as with so many sandwiches, is in the sauce and the bread.
Recipe: Cookie + Kate
2. Hummus and Veggie Wrap
These can dry out easily, so make sure you’ve got plenty of acid in there; a squirt of lemon juice never huts.
Recipe: Simple Green Smoothies
3. Perfect Grilled Cheese
Butter and cheese on the outside. Those are the secrets. If you're in this for a "healthy" grilled cheese, I've got bad news: Make a different sandwich. This one isn't for you.
Recipe: Two Peas & Their Pod
4. Avocado Toast
Avocado toast is a delicate dance; the more you add, the harder it is to eat. Yet, the less you add, the more boring it is to eat. Here's a great recipe to split the difference.
Recipe: Bon Appétit
5. Chicken Caesar Wrap
The classic lunchtime favorite is incredibly easy to make at home, especially if your grocery store sells Caesar salad kits.
Recipe: Tastes Better From Scratch
6. Tuna Melt
Making a tuna sandwich for lunch is one of the easiest things to do, but with only a few extra minutes of oven time, you can melt it into superiority.
Recipe: Foodie Crush
7. Tofu Stir Fry
Easy, vegan, and tasty. Don't forget to squeeze your tofu first.
Recipe: Well Plated by Erin
8. Greek Salad
The salad you'll never get sick of scales up in deliciousness in direct proportion with the quality of your feta and the quality of your protein.
Recipe: The Mediterranean Dish
9. Homemade Crunch Wrap
Once you've got the fold down, the possibilities here are endless.
Recipe: Delish
10. Turkey Club Wrap
A classic for a reason. Enjoy getting addicted to this one.
Recipe: Tastes Lovely
11. Dressed Up Instant Ramen
There are so many directions you can go with this. Marinate some ramen eggs. Sautée some mushrooms. Air fry some tofu. The bowl is your oyster.
Recipe: Tasting Table
12. Chicken Pita
A lot of store-bought pita can be weak and crumbly, so make sure you've got quality pita on hand to make this work.
Recipe: Pinch of Yum
13. Salmon Bowl
Whether your salmon is baked, smoked, steamed, air-fried, seared, or raw, salmon makes for a great centerpiece to a rice bowl.
Recipe: The Big Man’s World
14. Taco Bowl
You can use rice. You can use lettuce. You can even use a gigantic tostada shell, if you want.
Recipe: Jar of Lemons
15. Turkey Spinach Melt
We already know turkey and spinach are a great combo, but, duh, don't forget about melty cheese. You mustn't ever forget about melty cheese.
Recipe: Easy Healthy Recipes
16. Pasta Salad
Lots of acid and crunchy veggies are the difference-maker, here. The brighter, the better.
Recipe: Pinch of Yum
17. Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Are you a ranch or a blue cheese person? Either way, make sure you choose the right Buffalo sauce.
Recipe: Alida’s Kitchen
18. Reuben Pizza
You've had it as a sandwich. You've had it as a bowl. Now you can get your classic corned beef-kraut mix on pizza.
Recipe: Sweet and Savory Food
19. Chickpea Salad
Healthy, filling and easy. Chickpea salads are really the total package.
Recipe: The Mediterranean Dish
20. Philly Rolls
If you can't get raw salmon but still want sushi, give a Philadelphia roll a look. Smoked salmon is the star here.
Recipe: Chef Chris Cho
21. Copycat Zuppa Toscana
You don't need to set foot in an Olive Garden to get some Zuppa Toscana. It's easier than you think, and only needs stuff you can find easily at the store.
Recipe: Natasha’s Kitchen
22. Italian Sub
Spoiler alert: Publix sells that good submarine bread. That oughta level up your game.
Recipe: Sip & Feast
23. Curry Chicken Salad
It can top a salad, melt in a sandwich, or even go a la carte. Don't forget the green apple.
Recipe: The Real Food Dietitians
24. Egg Roll Bowls
You don't need to own a deep fryer to enjoy egg rolls. You just need a bowl.
Recipe: The Seasoned Mom
25. Falafel Bowl
Frozen falafel works, but for the freshest and tastiest lunch possible, you might want to make 'em from scratch.
Recipe: Tasty Thrifty Timely
26. Cowboy Caviar
Make a huge quantity. You'll want to keep raiding the fridge all week.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
27. Antipasto Salad
Like a charcuterie board, but dumped onto a salad. For health.
Recipe: Bon Appétit
28. Copycat Panera Frontega Chicken
Panera's Frontega Chicken sandwich rules, as you know. What you may not have known is that you can make it at home pretty easily, especially if you've already got some chipotle mayo.
Recipe: White Kitchen Red Wine
29. Chopped Green Goddess Salad
The TikTok-beloved salad may be boring to look at, but it's tasty, and that's all that really matters.
Recipe: Feel Good Foodie
30. Mini Pasta Bake
"Mini" is open to interpretation, of course.
Recipe: One Sweet Appetite
31. Halal Cart Cauliflower Bowl
Cauliflower has really had its moment lately in lots of ways, like rice and pizza crust, but you know how it also shines? As itself. Spice it up like a New York halal cart would, and enjoy.
Recipe: Delish
32. Blackberry Chicken Salad
This hits so hard when blackberries are in season, but if they're not, swap it for any fresh fruit that calls your name.
Recipe: Well Plated by Erin
33. Japanese Egg Salad
Egg salad is good. Japanese egg salad is great.
Recipe: The Flavor Bender
34. Tex-Mex Queso and Chips
Tex-Mex afficionados are incredibly particular about what qualifies as true, legitimate queso dip, so trust this recipe from a Texan.
Recipe: Homesick Texan
35. Tea Sandwiches
Treat yourself like the king of England and pour yourself a spot of tea with some scones and an assortment of finger sandwiches. Or better yet, make the butler do it.
Recipe: NYT Cooking
36. Fried Rice
So easy. So fast. So delicious. Don't skip the egg.
Recipe: Recipe Tin Eats
37. Mango Chicken Wrap
Mango plays so well with savory proteins that it's hard to screw up, but the spicy mayo is the part that really sends this one home.
Recipe: The Tasty Chilli
38. BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
If you've got time to get this going in the slow-cooker the night before, even better. If not, Trader Joe's has a pretty decent pre-cooked BBQ pork option.
Recipe: Allrecipes
39. Chicken and Rice Soup
So homey, so comforting, and most importantly, so filling. A rainy day is beggin' for this one.
Recipe: Two Peas & Their Pod
40. Spicy Peanut Noodles
All you need is peanut butter, people.
Recipe: Half Baked Harvest
41. Black Bean Burger
Skip the nasty frozen patty and get your own black bean burger going. They caramelize oh so well in the pan.
Recipe: Sally’s Baking Recipes
42. Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Lemon, garlic, white wine, and olive oil are a hell of a combo. No pasta shape you've got in the cupboard will argue against them.
Recipe: The Recipe Critic
43. Turkey Cranberry Sandwich
Whether it's the week after Thanksgiving or not, the turkey-cranberry sandwich always feels like a great choice.
Recipe: The Hopeless Housewife
44. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This has broccoli, which means it's healthy. Any questions?
Recipe: Love & Lemons
45. Spinach Ricotta Toast
Any great toast starts with great bread. Slice yourself something thick from a fresh loaf for this one.
Recipe: Cook For Your Life
46. Chicken Satay
If you can nail the peanut sauce on this classic Thai appetizer, you're in business.
Recipe: Recipe Tin Eats
47. Stuffed Zucchini
Why do peppers and eggplants get all the stuffed attention? Zucchini is a great gourd and it's ready to be stuffed.
Recipe: Dinner at the Zoo
48. Pesto Gnocchi
Gnocchi works in about a million ways, but with pesto? That just might be the best.
Recipe: Salt & Lavender
49. Eggplant Chickpea Stew
This is best eaten hot, so if you work from home, keep this in your rotation.
Recipe: The First Mess
50. Sausage Kale Soup
No matter what your feelings on kale are, it can't be argued that kale's cavernous body soaks up the flavors of a soup beautifully.
Recipe: Wholesome Yum
51. BBQ Tofu Sandwich
Fry it. Smoke it. Slow-cook it. As long as you drench it in sauce, you're in line for a great barbecue tofu sandwich.
Recipe: Feasting at Home
52. Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice
You can take this in the direction of a rice bowl or a casserole. Either way, you're gonna love this one.
Recipe: Jo Cooks
53. Dumpling Soup
An aromatic bowl of soup full of garlicky pot-stickers is comfort food at its finest. Frozen dumplings will do just fine.
Recipe: Gimme Some Oven
54. Veggie Chili
You can take this in the all-day slow cooker route, or you can do a quickie on the stove. Serve it with cornbread, if you've got any.
Recipe: The Vegan 8
55. Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
If cheesy chicken and broccoli are on the brain but you've got no rice, don't fret: The combo works flawlessly in pasta, too.
Recipe: Tastes Lovely
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This article was originally published on Cheapism
