While you might have the ability to eat a hot lunch each day, sometimes it’s just not convenient to prepare something warm or find a way to heat up your packed lunch. Whether you work from home or in an office, knowing some no-heat lunch recipes can really come in handy. For times when you can’t access a microwave at work or simply don’t have the energy to use the one in your home (we’ve all had those days), having some no-heat lunch ideas in your back pocket that taste great cold or at room temperature is a must. Opting for the same old, super basic salad or sandwich can get boring quickly, however. What you need is a bit of inspiration.
Yes, of course, there are plenty of exciting salads and sandwiches you can make, but you have many more options than just that. There are plenty of meat, fish, and veggie dishes that work just as well at room temperature as they do when newly out of the oven or off the stove. And those are absolutely the perfect thing for you to bring for lunch. Honestly, even if you do have access to a microwave or toaster oven, who wants to put in the effort to heat up lunch every day anyway?
These no-heat lunches will get you out of your lunchtime rut without sacrificing flavor or adding pre-lunch preparation. What’s not to like about that?
1. Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
Source: Eating Bird Food
2. Cold Peanut Noodle Salad
Source: Budget Bytes
3. Mango Avocado Quinoa Salad
Source: Foodie Crush
4. Caprese Chicken Salad Bowls
Source: Sweet Peas and Saffron
5. Mexican Pinwheels
Source: A Couple Cooks
6. Healthy Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Source: Gimme Delicious
7. Avocado Tuna Salad
Source: Isabel Eats
8. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Source: Eating Bird Food
9. Mediterranean One Pot Pasta
Source: Midwest Foodie
10. Chicken Bacon Pressed Picnic Sandwiches with Raspberry Honey Mustard
Source: Host The Toast
11. Greek Salmon Salad Bowls
Source: Gimme Some Oven
12. Korean Beef Power Bowls
Source: Chungah Rhee | Damn Delicious
13. Mexican Turkey and Bean Quinoa Bowl
Source: I Will Not Eat Oysters
14. Greek Lemon Chicken Bowls
Source: Half Baked Harvest
15. Sesame Soba Noodles
Source: Love & Lemons
16. Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups
Source: The Toasted Pine Nut
17. Roasted Butternut Squash Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Couscous
Source: Ambitious Kitchen
18. Lentil Greek Salad with Dill Sauce
Source: Pinch of Yum
19. Grilled Shrimp Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Source: Foodie Crush
20. Antipasti Burrata Panzanella
Source: What’s Gaby Cooking
