Food and Recipes Lunch 20 Easy Packed Lunch Ideas to Try When You're Tired of PB&J By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 27, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Lunch can be a difficult task to tackle during the week. Meal prepping is a great tool, but it doesn't always pan out if your Sunday schedule fills up. It's also easy to get in the habit of eating lunch out with coworkers, which can rack up the calories (and the bills). With these packed lunch ideas, mealtime is no longer a worry. Step outside of the (lunch) box with these creative lunch recipes. These brown bag lunch recipes are healthy, easy to make, and portable. It can be hard to eat light and fill up, but these recipes have plenty of protein to keep you full (without feeling like you need an afternoon nap after eating). Whether you crave soups you can heat up at the office, easy salads you can put together in a flash, or all-in-one bowl recipes, let these lunch ideas be your healthy guide. Leave that sad turkey sandwich and bag of salad behind—these recipes will upgrade your midday needs. 01 of 20 Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich Sneak in healthy apples and protein-packed cheese for a turkey sandwich that's anything but boring. 02 of 20 Soba Noodle-and-Shrimp Bowls Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Soba Noodle-and-Shrimp Bowls These noodle bowls have tons of Asian flavor without tons of calories. They're served chilled or at room temperature, so they're perfect for work. 03 of 20 Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches Buttery biscuits, creamy white barbecue sauce, and slow-cooked chicken make this recipe a weekday warrior for kids and adults alike. 04 of 20 Smoky White Bean Soup Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton; Recipe: Smoky White Bean Soup This comforting, healthy soup recipe is also a one-pot dish that's ready in 25 minutes, so there's nothing negative about this recipe. 05 of 20 Ham Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Ham Salad Served over a bed of greens, on a buttery croissant, or with crackers, ham salad is a Southern dish made for lunchtime. 06 of 20 Burrito Bowls Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Burrito Bowls Customize your toppings for these healthy burrito bowls and never get bored with lunch again. 07 of 20 Egg Salad Sandwiches Jen Causey Recipe: Egg Salad Sandwiches This classic spread will never go out of style. Make a batch, and send it to the cafeteria. 08 of 20 Chicken Salad With Grapes and Pecans Will Dickey Recipe: Chicken Salad With Grapes and Pecans Turn classic chicken salad into a fancier lunch option with the addition of juicy grapes and nutty pecans. While this chicken salad is obviously great on croissants or bread, we also like to serve it atop a bed of lettuce for a more refined afternoon meal. 09 of 20 Blackberry-Oat Crumble Bars Photo: Helen Norman; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Blackberry-Oat Crumble Bars These ooey-gooey treats taste like a twist between blackberry cobbler and a bar cookie—which means...heaven? 10 of 20 Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup For a cozy meal, there's nothing quite like a warm bowl of beef soup, but it takes hours to simmer or slow cook to perfection. Not so with this recipe! It's the most delicious shortcut we've ever found. 11 of 20 Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls These colorful, meatless bowls are packed with filling, good-for-you ingredients. You'll have the most flavorful lunchbox in the work refrigerator. 12 of 20 Garlic Shrimp and Herbed Couscous Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Garlic Shrimp and Herbed Couscous Salad You'll add this light, bright recipe to your weekly roundup. Serve it alone or over a bed of lightly dressed salad greens. 13 of 20 Greek Meatballs with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce and Rice Greg DuPree Recipe: Greek Meatballs with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce and Rice Serve the meatballs over rice or make meatball pitas with cucumber-yogurt sauce for two healthy, Mediterranean lunch options. 14 of 20 Vidalia Onion Soup Recipe: Vidalia Onion Soup Instead of going out for lunch, make this quick, savory soup. Don't forget a piece of crusty bread for dipping! 15 of 20 Asparagus and Goat Cheese Mini Quiches Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Asparagus and Goat Cheese Mini Quiches Make these quiches up to two days ahead and have them ready to go in the refrigerator. They're served at room temperature, so no office microwave required, and individual servings make portion control easy. 16 of 20 Classic Southern BLT Monica Farber/Southern Living Recipe: Classic Southern BLT You can never go wrong with the classics, and this sandwich is supremely easy to toss together. 17 of 20 Gulf Crab Cakes with Lemon Butter Iain Bagwell Recipe: Gulf Crab Cakes with Lemon Butter Make these crab cakes for dinner and take the leftovers to work the next day with a side green salad for a fancy midweek treat. 18 of 20 No-Bake Granola Bars Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: No-Bake Granola Bars When you're in a pinch, these no-bake bars will fill up a lunch box or save snack time. 19 of 20 Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Bacon Callie Nash Recipe: Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Bacon Don't let the name fool you—this grilled cheese is as kid-friendly as it gets. 20 of 20 Chicken and Fontina Panini Greg Dupree; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Chicken and Fontina Panini You wouldn't guess this fancy-feeling lunch panini only calls for five ingredients. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit