Back to work lunch ideas

A portable Vietnamese chicken salad.
A portable Vietnamese chicken salad.

Ditch the standard ham and cheese sandwich and boring tuna salad in favour of these lunchbox ideas.

There are flavour-packed salads that either travel well or can be dressed just before they're eaten.

Plus sandwich filling ideas from some of Australia's top chefs and a frittata that can be made the night before and eaten cold for lunch with salad.

In a piece from the archives, Jill Dupleix takes inspiration from Asia with ideas ranging from a Japanese cold noodle salad with seaweed to hard-boiled eggs with smoked eel and baby potatoes.

 

Recipes

Vietnamese chicken salad.

Vietnamese chicken salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Medium

Jill Dupleix

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (11)
Cypriot grain salad.

Hellenic Republic’s Cypriot grain salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Easy

Travis McAuley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (110)
Murdoch Recipe Thumbnail

Vegetable and bean salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Easy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reader rating (1)
Tony Tan's Persian pilaff rice.

Addas polow (Persian rice pilaf and lentils)

  • < 30 mins
  • Medium

Tony Tan

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (6)
Mozzarella and raw vegetable salad.

Raw vegetable salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Medium

jane and Jeremy Strode

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (2)
Caroline Velik's Greek salad.

Greek salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Medium

Caroline Velik

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (19)
Smoked trout and avocado salad

Smoked trout and avocado salad

  • < 30 mins
  • Easy

jane and Jeremy Strode

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Reader rating (1)
Murdoch Recipe Thumbnail

Lebanese wrap with chargrilled chicken

  • < 30 mins
  • Easy

Greengrocer wrap.

Green Grocer Wrap

  • < 30 mins
  • Easy

Tony Chiodo

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (2)
Murdoch Recipe Thumbnail

Bbq duck and hoisin wrap

  • < 30 mins
  • Easy

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (2)
Prawn and avocado sandwich with Japanese dressing

Prawn and avocado sandwich with Japanese dressing

  • < 30 mins
  • Medium

Jeremy and Jane Strode

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (2)
Junior sushi roll

Junior sushi rolls

  • < 30 mins
  • Medium

Jeremy & Jane Strode

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (4)
Murdoch Recipe Thumbnail

Leek, zucchini and cheese frittata

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Easy

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Reader ratings (2)

4 comments so far

  • fantastic ideas but who has the time?

    Commenter
    jaci
    Location
    Date and time
    January 07, 2014, 6:21PM

  • Seriously? You imagine an office worker or tradie to make these "fab" lunch box variations. The standards you talk about (ham/cheese sanga; tuna salad) are standards because they are cheap and easy. Has Jill, bless her, ever worked a 9 to 5 job? I ruled out the possibility of her being a tradie but happy to be corrected.

    When do the writer expect people to whip up these lunches? The night before or the morning of? if I take anything slightly "gourmet" to the office, then it is leftovers. Nothing specifically whipped up for lunch.

    Commenter
    Growler
    Location
    The Couch
    Date and time
    January 08, 2014, 4:36AM

    • Oh thats right @Growler, if you don't/can't do it, then nobody can. Makes sense mate, not.

      Commenter
      Sean
      Location
      Date and time
      January 08, 2014, 12:57PM

  • It's great to see some non meat and dairy options being promoted.

    Commenter
    Sean
    Location
    Date and time
    January 08, 2014, 6:08AM

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