27 Bento Box Lunch Ideas That Are Work- and School-Approved
It’s that time again: Time to figure out what you’re going to pack for lunch. Sure, you could go with the good old turkey and cheese sandwich—it hasn’t let you down yet. Or you could break out of your rut and pack one of these 27 bento box lunch ideas, all of which happen to be work- (and school-) approved.
RELATED: I’m Totally Disorganized, but Here’s How I Meal Prep and Bring My Lunch Every Day
1. Meal-Prep Mayo-Less Potato Salad
Good news: You can be anti-mayonnaise and still get your potato salad fix. Even better, this one lasts up to five days in the fridge.
2. No-Cook Greek Pita Bento Box
Wait, you’re saying we can prep four meals in 20 minutes? That’s what we call meal-prep magic.
3. Meal-Prep Honey Sesame Chicken with Broccolini
Don’t have an actual bento box? No worries, friend. This meal looks (and tastes) just as good in any portable dish.
4. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
This is one lunch your kid definitely won’t want to trade. (That is, if you don’t pack it for yourself first.)
5. No-Cook Taco Salad Bento Box
It’s like a full taco bar in one tiny box, and it takes a mere 25 minutes to meal prep for the whole week. Genius.
6. Sheet Pan Garlic-Ginger Chicken and Broccoli
Thanks to this savory soy sauce-garlic-ginger situation, you may never go back to PB&J again. Not that there’s anything wrong with PB&J, but you get the idea.
7. Slow-Cooker Meal-Prep Burrito Bowls
No time to cook? No problem. Lean on your slow-cooker to do the hard work, and reap the juicy pork-shoulder-burrito benefits.
8. Meal-Prep Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls
Protein-packed and flavorful? Marinating is a lunchtime game changer. (So are pretty glass containers, but we digress.)
9. Greek Healthy Meal Prep
Tzatziki? Check. Hummus? Check. We could get used to this “packing lunch” thing.
10. Meal-Prep Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
OK, this might bend the definition of bento box slightly—but it’s worth it for meatballs.
11. Meal-Prep Creamy Kale Caesar Salad
Even the biggest veggie-haters (aka your kids) will go weak in the knees for this meal. It’s all in the creamy garlic dressing.
12. Tuna Protein Box
We’ve found the key to making a healthy lunch look irresistible: Give everything a cute compartment to sit in.
13. Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Broccoli Pesto
In a room full of sad $15 salads, be a homemade chicken kebab.
14. Meal-Prep Creamy Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Raisins
Want to make lunch for you and your kids at the same time? Look no further than this easy, tasty pasta salad.
15. Spicy Chicken Meal Prep with Rice and Beans
This is a fantastic way to get rid of the leftovers hiding in your fridge. Got rice from last night? A can of black beans waiting in the pantry? You’re already halfway there.
16. Whole-Wheat Chicken Wrap Bento Box
We can’t get over the way those itty-bitty chicken wraps look nestled into their bento, begging to be eaten. (Thanks, Coterie member Monique Volz.)
17. Honey Lemon Chicken Bowls
Sweet-and-salty chicken, broccoli and rice in 30 minutes? Swoon.
18. Tuna Salad Meal Prep
You could scrounge through the stale cereal and snacks at your office, or you could pack a healthy Greek yogurt tuna salad that takes ten minutes to make. It’s your call.
19. Vegan Macadamia Coconut Tofu Bowls
Monique Volz does it again, this time with a nutritious combo of roasted sweet potatoes and crispy tofu.
20. Dukkah-Roasted Vegetable Chopped Salad
What’s dukkah, you ask? A totally mouthwatering blend of Middle Eastern spices that will take your lunch from meh to amazing.
21. Grilled Veggie and Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls
If you’re in search of a lunch that will keep you satisfied without weighing you down, look no further.
22. Meal Prep Breakfast Taco Bowls
Breakfast for lunch? We think that’s a great idea, especially when it involves tacos.
23. Healthy Mexican Chicken Meal Prep
Don’t skimp on the avocado-cilantro ranch dressing. Ditto for the southwestern seasoning.
24. Sheet-Pan Chicken Tinga Bowls
You’ve got whole grains, meat, veggies and legumes representing all the necessary food groups. And tinga sauce—that one’s a food group, too.
25. Sesame Ginger Beef and Zucchini Noodles
Low-carb doesn’t have to be boring or flavorless, and this dish is proof.
26. Meal Prep Moroccan Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Bowls
There’s no denying that this is a lot prettier than your usual lunch-meat-on-white-bread situation—better tasting, too.
27. Low-Carb Greek Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
The hardest thing you’ll have to do is crumble feta on top.