12 Lunch Recipes: Common Lunch Ideas

Depending on where you are in the world and your own personal preferences and traditions, your perfect idea of lunch might look different than someone else’s. Here are just a handful of common lunch food options.

1. 1. Salads: A highly customizable lunch option, a salad can include practically whatever you want. You can also serve it hot or cold. Try simple additions like grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken, blue cheese or goat cheese, and black beans tossed in a simple vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon juice. Or consider adding grains, like quinoa, farro, or couscous. Nuts and berries or other fruits are also popular additions.
2. 2. Sandwiches: Peanut butter and jelly (or PB&J) sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches are easy options. But you can also get more creative with deli meats, cured meats, grilled meats, or roasted meats; and many different types of cheese. Toast your sandwich or use a panini press if you like yours served warm. Common ingredients to add to sandwiches include condiments, such as mustard, and other spreads; as well as bean sprouts, avocado, tomatoes, and other vegetables.
3. 3. Snacks: Lunch doesn’t have to be a cohesive dish; you can make a light meal out of snacks or appetizers like hummus and pita chips, guacamole and tortilla chips, or a charcuterie and cheese board.
4. 4. Soups: Like salads and sandwiches, soups are highly customizable and can be quick to reheat in smaller servings if you make them in advance. Common soups include potato, leek, lentil, tomato, vegetable, chicken noodle, butternut squash, pumpkin, and others.
   
5. 5. Wraps: Wraps provide an alternative to sandwiches. The rolled-up meals feature vegetables, grains, and proteins inside. Use a whole-grain or flour tortilla to turn a chicken salad sandwich into a chicken wrap, or fill a whole-grain tortilla with sweet potatoes, avocado, black beans, and rice to make a veggie burrito. You can also use lettuce leaves—fill a large leaf with tuna salad, chicken salad, or avocado salad.

Here are a dozen lunch ideas representing a variety of foods and flavors:

1. 1. Butter lettuce salad: A great vessel for salad toppings, butter lettuce is tender and sweet. Tear the leaves, add red peppers, grilled chicken, and chunks of Parmesan cheese and toss everything with tahini dressing. Try this recipe for a simple butter lettuce salad.
2. 2. Caprese salad: A classic Italian salad, Caprese salad consists of fresh, sliced tomatoes layered with sliced, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil leaves. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil or basil pesto over the ingredients. For a twist, cube the tomatoes and mozzarella and toss them with pasta, like orzo, for a Caprese pasta salad. Try this recipe for a classic Caprese salad.
3. 3. Cemita: Mexican sandwiches from the state of Puebla, cemita’s name derives from the signature sesame seed bread, called cemita rolls. Fill with meat, cheese, avocado, and fresh herbs for a classic version. Toast on a griddle and serve warm or enjoy room temperature. Learn how to make this Mexican cemita sandwich recipe.
4. 4. Chicken gyro: Trim the crispy spit-cooked chicken as it cooks, tuck it inside a warm pita, and top it with a combo of veggies and tzatziki sauce for traditional Greek gyros. You can use beef, too. Learn how to make chicken gyros.
5. 5. Chicken taco: There’s no one way to make chicken tacos—you can start by shredding rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, or even crispy chicken. Add it to a tortilla with a few toppings and you’re set. Try this easy chicken taco recipe.
6. 6. Cucumber sandwich: Served alongside a salad or other finger sandwiches, a cucumber sandwich can make a great lunch. Bread, cucumber slices, and butter is all it needs. A spread of herb cream cheese is also popular. Try this cucumber sandwich recipe.
7. 7. Garlic noodles: Requiring little prep time and easy to reheat, noodles make a great comfort food lunch option. Cook them with tons of garlic and a savory, flavor-packed sauce, then serve them with anything from fish to a quick veggie stir-fry. Learn how to make simple garlic noodles.
8. 8. Greek salad: A combination of classic Mediterranean flavors, Greek salad includes ingredients like crisp lettuce, cucumbers, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. A light vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar and olive oil brings it all together. Try this easy Greek salad recipe.
9. 9. Homemade peanut butter: Make peanut butter at home for enhanced PB&J sandwiches or satay chicken with a Thai peanut sauce. Grind roasted peanuts in a food processor or high-powered blender for best results. Check out this homemade peanut butter recipe.
10. 10. Lentil soup: For a warm and hearty lunch, make lentil soup. Packed with protein, lentils are members of the legume family. Cook lentil soup on the stovetop, in a pressure cooker, or in a slow cooker. Try this easy lentil soup recipe.
11. 11. Mediterranean chickpea salad: Loaded with chickpeas, cucumbers, feta cheese, red onion, and tomatoes, a chickpea salad is versatile. Enjoy it as is or stuff it inside a pita for a more portable lunch. Learn how to make a simple Mediterranean chickpea salad.
12. 12. Tamago sando: Japanese egg salad sandwiches, tamago sandos are cut into perfect rectangles. These sandwiches use Japanese milk bread and Japanese mayonnaise. Try this Tamago sando recipe.

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