Office lunch recipes to make your mouth water

We know that as you tackle those deadlines, you need something to fill you up and keep you going. So, we thought we’d give you tasty ideas to give your lunch a much-needed upgrade. 

Chicken wraps

A chicken wrap will leave you satisfied, it is easy to make, and you can swap out the ingredients with anything to your liking. Wrap up in foil and you are ready to go.

What you’ll need 

• 4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips

• 2 Carrots

• 4 Baby marrow

• 1 whole onion

• Half a cup of plain yoghurt 

• Sweet chilli sauce 

• 15ml chopped garlic

• 15ml coriander 

• 15ml ground cumin

• 15ml ground coriander 

• 1Tbsp paprika 

• 1Tbsp salt and pepper 

• 25g butter

• 6 individual wraps

How to make it

1. Cook the chicken breast (strips) on medium to high heat, once cooked, leave at room temperature to cool down.

2. Cut the vegetables into julienne strips and stir fry in a pan then set aside.

3. In a bowl, mix the yoghurt, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, cumin, ground coriander, paprika, salt and pepper.

4. Add the chicken strips and stir to coat. Lay the individual wraps on foil on a flat surface, spread the sweet chilli mix, arrange chicken strips and vegetable mix.

5. Fold wraps tightly, slice into half then pack into your lunchbox. 

Salad bowl 

A hearty salad bowl is a satisfying and healthy office lunch option. Your base can be some greens, then you can add your favourite toppings like roasted veggies, grilled chicken or tofu, nuts, and seeds. To finish off, drizzle with your favourite dressing and enjoy. 

What you’ll need

• Half a cup of chopped onion

• Half a cup of chopped green pepper

• 1 packet of mixed salad greens

• 2 sliced chicken breasts (optional)

• 1 chopped tomato 

• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing 

• Quarter teaspoon onion powder

• Pinch of garlic powder

• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it 

1. Gather all your ingredients.

2. Combine onion, green pepper, salad greens, tomato and chicken in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Then toss and mix well.

3. Add salad dressing, toss and pack in your lunch box. If you prefer, you can add the dressing when you eat the salad at work. 

Beef sliders 

This recipe is easy to make and packs all the flavour you need to make your office lunch juicy. You can keep the filling simple or put your own spin on it. Whether it’s avocado, caramelised onions or cheese. You can also serve with chips, carrot sticks or baby cucumbers.

What you’ll need

• 250g beef mince

• 2 cloves of crushed garlic

• 1Tbsp fresh grated ginger

• 2Tbsp canola oil 

• Half a teaspoon sea salt

• For the sliders

• 4 mini slider buns, halved and buttered

• A handful of lettuce leaves

• 6 cherry or Rosa tomatoes rinsed and sliced 

• Quarter English cucumber, rinsed and thinly sliced 

How to make it

1. Place the beef mince in a large bowl, with the garlic, ginger and salt, then mix until well combined. Divide into 4 portions and roll the mixture in your hands to form 4 equal-sized balls, then flatten slightly.

2. Heat half the oil in a pan over high heat and cook the patties for 3-4 minutes on each side. Flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side, or until cooked through. Transfer onto a plate and set aside.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the remaining patties until done.

4. To assemble the burgers, toast the halved, buttered buns in a toaster. Top the buns with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber.

5. Top with a beef patty and cover with the top bun and place in the lunchbox.