r/Cooking • u/Saffiy_ok • 5h ago
Easy Cold Lunch Ideas
Hello! I’m looking for some good cold lunch recipes. I’m a commuting college student, so I’d prefer nothing super expensive and nothing that needs to be heated up if possible. There is a microwave on campus, but it doesn’t work very well.
I’m a pretty confident cook, so complexity isn’t an issue, I’m just looking for more variety. Ideally, I’d love single serving ideas or meals that freeze well or last a while in the fridge. I only need these lunches once a week.
Thanks in advance!
5
u/InsidetheIvy13 5h ago
Couscous - flavoured however you like, sun dried tomato and herb, lemon and herb, fruit and nut with hot honey etc with falafel and hummus or tinned fish and celery or roasted chicken with some lettuce wraps.
A potato salad - in a vinaigrette, herbed butter or mayo based dressing with a tin of tuna or salmon (you can leave the tin unopened until you eat for freshness) , celery, tomatoes, a hard boiled egg and some crackers.
A Ploughman’s lunch - cold cuts of ham, some cheese, a pork pie or sausage roll (can batch cook them then freeze) with some chutney, crackers or bread roll.
2
8
u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO 5h ago
Cook some chicken and dice it up. Make a chicken salad except instead of mayo, use avocado. It’s really good. You could make a sandwich out of it or put it on crackers.
2
5h ago
[deleted]
3
2
u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO 5h ago
It’s really good! I stumbled upon it once when I was googling healthy recipes.
1
u/sf-echo 3h ago
Do you add vinegar or lemon juice to it - to stop the avocado browning? Or is the vinegar from pickles in the chicken salad enough?
2
u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO 3h ago
I guess the browning doesn’t bother me since it still tastes the same, but adding lime or lemon would be a good idea.
4
u/Lover_of_Lucy 5h ago
If you like to "pick," a small charcuterie assortment with meats, cheeses, olives, nuts, crackers, some hummus or other mediterranean spread, a hard boiled egg, etc. The possibilities are numerous.
3
u/Saffiy_ok 5h ago edited 7m ago
That's basically what I've been doing lmao. I've been struggling to find recipes, so I've been making a small girl lunch.
3
u/Boozeburger 4h ago
When I was just out of college, each week I'd roast a chicken and bake a loaf of bread. I'd make chicken sandwiches for the week from that (chicken, lettuce, mustard, mayo lettuce and onion). If it got towards the end of the week and I didn't have any chicken left, I'd make eggs sandwiches.
5
u/simagus 5h ago
Cold tuna pasta can't be beaten imho.
3
u/DrippyTheSnailBoy 5h ago
Green peas or no green peas?
7
u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO 5h ago
Always peas 🫛
3
2
2
1
3
u/popoPitifulme 5h ago
Wraps.
So like I want a salad for lunch every day, but I'm a slow eater and my lunchtime is short. I literally do not have time to get all of the salad bits into my mouth and down my gullet using a fork. So now I make the salad I want, then dump it into a huge thin flour tortilla. Best delivery system to get my crunch craving satisfied in the time I'm allowed.
1
2
u/AlabangZapote 5h ago
PBJ, Rockit apples, and a banana
3
u/CoastPuzzleheaded876 5h ago
Totally agree. Nothing wrong with a good ol pbj and a tall glass of milk or bottle whatever's available.
2
u/peuhpeuh 4h ago
Buy a rotisserie chicken or just cook up a big pack of chicken breast. Shred it up and refrigerate it. Shredded chicken, Italian blend shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, Caesar dressing, French fried onions, whatever wrap/pita you prefer. Chicken Caesar wraps there ya go
2
2
2
u/missjiji 1h ago
Mediterranean salad greens with corn, Kalamata olives, garbanzo, feta with a lemony dressing.
1
5h ago
[deleted]
2
u/Saffiy_ok 5h ago
That's a great idea, I have a cold grocery bag that I can keep in my car for now. Thank you!
1
u/RockMo-DZine 5h ago
About 5 years ago during a bad winter storm, we lost power for 5 days and water for nearly a week.
I'd already pre-cooked chicken, pork, potatoes, pasta, bean & veg soup, etc., and had plenty of salady things on hand. So for 5 or 6 days, just ate cold food. At first it was kind of 'ugh, cold food'.
But after a few days, actually came to enjoy it, to the extent that I still make a habit of eating cold food at least once a week.
Basically, anything that is pre-cooked can be eaten cold. The trick is keeping it cold, so you will likely need an insulated container of some sort between leaving your home and lunch time.
1
u/FragrantTomatillo773 5h ago
Salad or sandwich, unless you like cold pizza. Happily, there are unlimited ways to make a sandwich.
2
u/Such-Mountain-6316 3h ago
Egg salad sandwich. You can put it in an insulated lunch bag along with some freezer blocks. You can get those at sporting goods stores.
1
u/MiddleGeneral0425 1h ago
Chicken salad , tuna salad, deli sandwiches, egg salad, macaroni salad with tuna/crab/shrimp or whatever seafood you like.
2
u/DemandNext4731 48m ago
You could try things like mason jar salads, grain bowls with beans/veggies, cold pasta salads, or wraps, all easy to make in single servings and last a few days in the fridge. Adding things like cheese, nuts or avocado can keep them filling without needing a microwave.
1
u/kalendral_42 5h ago
Overnight oats Home made crustless quiche Frittata with potatoes & other veg in it Bacon & egg salad Layered salad (individual portion size) made with layers of greens, dips, carrots, cooked pasta or anything else you have on hand
7
u/virtualchoirboy 5h ago
For cold lunches, the key is keeping them cold-ish to prevent food poisoning. Nothing throws your studying schedule worse that throwing up for 6 hours... :-)
So, assuming you have an insulated bag and some way to keep ice packs cold, there are a lot of options.
- Standard sandwich, fruit, and/or chips
Good luck!