Packing lunches day after day can be a grind and when you add in eaters who don’t enjoy sandwiches, it can feel even more stressful. But it doesn’t have to be! After years of packing lunches for two kids who don’t like sandwiches, I’ve pulled together a list of 21 non-sandwich lunch ideas that are perfect for school or work.
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If you were to ask me what my favorite meal of the day was, I’d be hard pressed to give you an answer because while dinner is likely my favorite meal, I have a soft spot for sandwiches. I have always loved them. My kids on the other hand? Not so much. While they will eat them from time to time, the truth is that they’d much prefer to eat foods other than sandwiches most of the time.
So, over the past 14 years of packing school lunches, I’ve learned to get creative and have tried many, many different non-sandwich lunch ideas to see what would be a hit and what wouldn’t land. The following list are foods that I have found work wonderfully, whether you are packing lunch for school or work.
A Tip: If you are looking for lunch options for your kids or partner, I recommend reviewing this list with them. See what ideas are the most appealing and start from there. This will give you more buy-in and a better chance of success.
Non-Sandwich Lunch Ideas
To better help you to navigate this list and also find what you need quickly, I’ve divided the list into two categories: foods you can make the day of and those that you make-ahead and either refrigerate or freeze to be used throughout the week (or over time).
Day-Of Non-Sandwich Lunch Ideas
The following can all be thrown together in the morning. Some may require cooking, but none take more than 10 minutes to assemble, cook, and throw into a lunch box!
Platters
My family likes to call these lunches platters, but you could also think of them as mini-charcuterie boards. You basically assemble a collection of proteins, carbs, and fruits or vegetables that can be enjoyed together or separately. Great options include:
- whole grain crackers or sliced French bread
- diced or sliced cheese
- deli meat that has been cut into little squares
- hummus
- hard-boiled or deviled eggs
- nuts
- olives
- pickles
- cucumber, bell pepper, or carrot sticks or slices
Quesadillas
These can be as simple as a tortilla, folded, with cheese melted inside or you can add other goodies in such as refried or regular beans, diced meat, baby spinach, bell peppers, etc.
Veggie burgers
You can quickly warm these up in the toaster oven or in a skillet and then serve in a bun or diced with ketchup for dipping.
Veggie nuggets
Like veggie burgers, these are easy to heat up in the toaster oven or oven. Send wrapped in foil or in a thermos, if folks want them warm, and with ketchup or another dipping sauce.
Bagels & Cream Cheese
Some might argue that this is a sandwich, but my crew considers this a category of it’s own. Feel free to add fun toppings here such as sliced cucumber, sliced bell pepper, baby spinach, or smoked salmon. And if you want to get really fancy, you can make your own flavored cream cheese or even your own bagels!
Cereal
An unconventional option, but a fun one! Send the cereal in one container and then a small portion of milk (dairy or non) in a leak-proof container so that they can be mixed together at lunch time. Bonus points if you also send some berries or diced fruit to add in as well!
Yogurt & Granola
Like the cereal, I recommend sending the yogurt and granola separately to be mixed together at lunchtime (otherwise the granola will get soggy). Adding in diced up fruit or berries is great here as well. For the granola, you can use store-bought or make your own.
Wraps
Again, sandwich-like, but my kids think these are special enough to be their own thing. Here are two options to get you started: rainbow wraps and crunchy veggie wraps.
Naan, Tortilla, or English Muffins Pizzas
Easily thrown together in the toaster oven while eating breakfast, these pizzas are a perennial favorite in my household. A little jarred pasta sauce, some mozzarella, melt it on top of naan, tortilla, or English muffins in the toaster oven and lunch is ready!
Oatmeal
I put this in the “day of” grouping because with instant or even stove-top oatmeal, you can make it in the morning, but it should be noted that you can also make this ahead of time (check out this recipe for freezing instructions). Either way, I recommend sending it in a thermos so it can stay warm. You can put toppings on when packing it up or send them separately to mix-in at lunchtime.
Make-Ahead Non-Sandwich Lunch Ideas
The following are some of my favorite make-ahead options. I like to make these in bulk and then freeze in individual portions for easy reheating the morning of.
Pinwheels
My whole crew love these so much that I can barely keep them in the house long enough to get them into lunchboxes! Once you’ve got the general idea down, the variations are endless. We’ve made these with pizza toppings, veggies mixed in, even peanut butter and jelly!
Soups
My kids absolutely adore pureed vegetable soups. So, I will make a batch and then freeze it in individual portions that can be heated up in the morning and then thrown into a thermos. Toss in some crackers or bread, and maybe some cheese for extra protein, and lunch is ready! Some recipes to get you started include this tomato soup and this potato leek version.
Stews & Chilis
Another family favorite. Whenever I am making a stew or chili, I double it and freeze half in individual portions for easy reheating.
Pastas
My kids are crazy for pastas, especially pasta salads and pesto pastas, either warm or at room temperature, which means they can be packed in a thermos to stay warm or in a regular container to be enjoyed as is.
Frittatas and quiches
Packed with protein and great at room temperature, these are an awesome option either made at the beginning of the week and stored in the fridge or baked in muffin tins so that individual portions are easy to freeze for longer-term use.
Casseroles
Like stews and chilis, I’ll sometimes make double and then divide one up into individual portion sizes to freeze for easy lunches later.
Calzones
A fantastic freezer-friendly option! You can keep these as simple and plain cheese and marinara or add in extra veggies or protein sources.
Burritos
Another great freezer option. This was my older son’s lunch of choice for almost an entire school year!
Pancakes
Pancakes freeze really well and then can be defrosted, boxed up for lunch, and served with a little (sealable) container of maple syrup.
Waffles
Like pancakes, waffles freeze really well and can be served with maple syrup, or you can make them into little sandwiches with cream cheese for a fun new twist.
Bean & Rice Bowls
Make rice, make beans, send to lunch warmed up in a thermos. You can add toppings if you’d like either on the side or already mixed in (just know the cheese will melt if it’s put into the thermos).
Tofu and Rice
Like bean and rice bowls, you can make the rice and a nicely-flavored baked or sauteed tofu (here’s one recipe to get you started) at the start of the week and then enjoy it all week long.
Bonus Idea: Leftovers
Maybe not glamorous, but for one of my kids and my husband this is their absolute favorite lunch to bring to school and work. And the best part is you can pack it up right after dinner, which makes the mornings even easier!
Do you have favorite non-sandwich lunch ideas that I missed? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
Want more fun lunch ideas? Check out our lists of school lunch ideas and healthy teen lunches. And while you’re at it, make sure to take a look at our tips on how to get your kids to pack their own lunches.