Confession: I’m a professional recipe developer, and yet every day I stand in front of the swamp in my refrigerator and ask myself: What’s for lunch…again? Especially figuring out what to make for weekday lunch can be as inspiring as washing your sheets.
However, once I started paying attention to which lunch foods made me feel better for the rest of the day, I came up with a few guidelines that I try to follow no matter what I have in the refrigerator and pantry. Nowadays, my work-from-home lunches (or lunch at the desk) meet the following parameters:
1. It’s exciting enough to eat that you won’t be tempted to order a mediocre salad.
2. Made with ingredients you already have at home.
3. Satisfy and feed, cannot immediately induce a nap after meals.
4. Requires no more than 5 to 10 minutes to assemble
5. More about assembling or putting things together than about cooking
Below I’m sharing three easy lunches that I love and that are in heavy rotation in my home.
Improved tuna salad
The “improvement” in question is a handful of chopped pepperoncini and a splash of brine, although any combination of chopped pickles + brine (pickles! Kimchi! sauerkraut!) adds transformative verve and brightness to the familiar tuna salad.
Dress some lettuce (bibb, romaine, or iceberg are good options) with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Place the lettuce on a shallow plate or bowl and top with some sliced avocado.
Drain two 5 oz. cans of tuna and pour into the same bowl. Add the sauces: a large tablespoon of mayonnaise (or extra virgin olive oil if you don’t use mayonnaise), a small tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a couple of drops of hot sauce and a splash of lemon juice or a splash of your vinegar favorite. Now add any number of optional crunchies: 2 stalks of chopped celery, ¼ of chopped red onion or some shallot or chives, a small handful of chopped herbs (dill or parsley are my favorites) and, critically, 2 -3 chopped pepperoncini with a splash. of its pickled brine. Season with salt and pepper. Mix, mix, mix until everything is combined. Place a large spoonful on top of the salad and enjoy.
Other ideas with tuna salad: Mash some avocado on grainy toast and pile tuna salad on top for an open tartine, or eat it with plenty of crackers like Wasa or seed-filled Norwegian crispbreads.
Lentils dressed with fried egg
I often make a pot of lentils and a tray of roasted vegetables to eat with various meals throughout the week. Realizing that I only love eating lentils warm It was a game changer and made them much more attractive to me as a lunch option.
In a bowl, toss some arugula or other tangy salad greens with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper. Place vegetables in a shallow plate or bowl. Reheat 1 cup cooked lentils (French, brown, or green) and mix with 1 cup leftover roasted vegetables in the same bowl. Season with a splash of red wine vinegar or a splash of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a few shavings of Parmesan and/or some thinly sliced scallions if desired. Place the hot lentils on top of the vegetables and top with a runny fried egg.
kitchen sink sandwich
Every time I eat a seeded whole wheat bread sandwich (Lost Bread Co. sells amazing bread at my local farmers market in Brooklyn), these towering kitchen sink sandwiches, inspired by classic hippie fare, inevitably find their way in my lunch rotation. Think of this as a salad sandwiched between two slices of bread. And like any good salad, a kitchen sandwich comprises multiple flavors and textures.
Spread a slice of grainy bread with mashed avocado or hummus. Spread a second slice of bread with a thick layer of herbed goat cheese (also good: a board of feta cheese, sliced fresh mozzarella, sharp cheddar cheese, or even cream cheese). Fill the sandwich with any or all of the following:
Something crunchy: Cucumber, tomato, lettuce, apples, thinly sliced radishes or fennel, grated carrots
Something compelling: Baked tofu, sliced hard-boiled egg, sliced leftover roasted vegetables (beets, squash, sweet potatoes or carrots are especially good),
Something pickled: Pickled beets, pickled carrots, sauerkraut, chopped kimchi, pickled onions
Buds and herbs: Alfalfa, broccoli, whatever takes your fancy, but a bunch of inch-tall sprouts is a must for the right hippie sandwich vibe. If you have them, add a handful of tender herbs, such as basil, mint, cilantro or parsley.
Finish the sandwich by seasoning both halves with a squeeze of lemon and some salt and pepper before sealing (this brings all the flavors together).
The sandwich pictured has mashed avocado, goat cheese, sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, Bibb lettuce, pickled red onions, and alfalfa sprouts.
What easy weeknight lunches do you like?
Christina Chaey is a writer and recipe developer living in Brooklyn. A former senior editor at Bon Appétit, she writes a newsletter called Gentle Foods, where she explores the intersection of cooking and mental health and shares recipes from her home kitchen. She’s working on her first cookbook, due out in spring 2026. Follow her on Instagram, if you want.
PS: A formula for easy lunchbox prep and what food geniuses eat for lunch.
(Photos by Christina Chaey.)
