14 best lunch cookbooks
Lunch cookbooks are a category of cookbooks that focus specifically on recipes and ideas for preparing delicious and satisfying lunches. These cookbooks often cater to a variety of dietary preferences and cuisines, including vegetarian and vegan options. Here's what you can expect to find in lunch cookbooks:
Recipe Variety: Lunch cookbooks offer a diverse range of recipes to suit different tastes and preferences. They may include recipes for salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups, pasta dishes, rice bowls, and more, all tailored to make a satisfying midday meal.
Vegetarian and Vegan Options: Many lunch cookbooks provide options for those following vegetarian or vegan diets. These recipes emphasize plant-based ingredients like vegetables, legumes, tofu, and grains, creating flavorful and nutritious lunch options.
Cultural and Global Influences: Lunch cookbooks often feature recipes inspired by various cuisines from around the world. You can explore dishes from Italian, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, and other culinary traditions, offering a wide range of flavors and ingredients.
Quick and Easy Meals: Some lunch cookbooks focus on quick and easy lunch ideas that are suitable for busy individuals or families. These recipes typically require minimal prep time and cooking, making them convenient for weekdays.
Healthy and Nutritious Choices: Many lunch cookbooks emphasize healthy eating by including recipes that incorporate fresh and nutritious ingredients. These recipes may prioritize whole grains, lean proteins, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Special Dietary Needs: Lunch cookbooks often cater to individuals with dietary restrictions or allergies. You may find recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or cater to other specific dietary needs.
Meal Planning and Prep Tips: Some lunch cookbooks provide guidance on meal planning and batch cooking, helping you prepare lunches in advance to save time during the week. These books may offer tips on storage, reheating, and packing lunches for work or school.
Creative Ideas: Lunch cookbooks often include creative and unique lunch ideas that go beyond the typical sandwich.You might discover recipes for inventive salads, grain bowls, homemade soups, and more.
Photographs and Presentation: Many lunch cookbooks feature vibrant photographs of the dishes, along with serving and presentation tips to make your lunches visually appealing.
Cooking Techniques: Lunch cookbooks may also cover various cooking techniques and methods to help you master the art of preparing satisfying and delicious midday meals.
In summary, lunch cookbooks are a valuable resource for individuals looking to expand their repertoire of lunchtime recipes. They offer a wide range of options, including vegetarian and vegan choices, and provide inspiration for creating tasty and nutritious lunches that can be enjoyed at home or on the go.
Below you can find our editor's choice of the best lunch cookbooks on the market
Lunch!: Flavorful, Colorful, Powerful Lunch Bowls to Reclaim Your Midday Meal
Dovetail
Clean-Eating Breakfasts and Lunches Made Simple: 75 Flavorful and Nutritious Recipes that Ditch Processed Ingredients
Page Street Publishing
The Little Lunchbox Cookbook: Easy Real-Food Bento Lunches for Kids on the Go
Page Street Publishing
The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook: Easy & Delicious Home-Cooked Meals for Busy Families
Page Street Publishing
Modern Lunch: +100 Recipes for Assembling the New Midday Meal
Appetite by Random House
Cook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free, Affordable Meal Prep to Preserve Your Time & Sanity
Victory Belt Publishing
Beating the Lunch Box Blues: Fresh Ideas for Lunches on the Go! (Rachael Ray Books)
Atria Books
Sant Ambroeus: The Coffee Bar Cookbook: Light Lunches, Sweet Treats, and Coffee Drinks from New York's Favorite Milanese Cafe
Rizzoli
Product features
I NOSTRI CAFFÈ
TRAMEZZINI
FOCACCINE E CORNETTI
PANINETTI ALL’OLIO
PANINI CALDI
BISCOTTI
DOLCI
GELATI E SORBETTI
Meal Prep Lunches: 80 Recipes for Ready-to-Go Meals
Rockridge Press
Product features
A guide to kitchen prep
Learn how to stock your pantry and fridge to keep meal prep easy and convenient, and get a helpful guide to storage containers.
Keys to success
Get practical pointers for meal prep success, including how to avoid common mistakes like using the wrong container or prepping too far in advance.
Reheat-free recipes
Explore a number of recipes that don’t require reheating, like Tex-Mex Cauliflower-Stuffed Peppers and Greek-Inspired Pasta Salad.
The 30-Minute Heart Healthy Cookbook: Delicious Recipes for Easy, Low-Sodium Meals
Rockridge Press
Product features
Diet variety
Whether you’re eating vegetarian, vegan, DASH, or Mediterranean, find a range of recipes that fit your needs.
Nutritional info
Convenient nutritional calculations help you quickly find the amount of sodium, fat, vitamin K, potassium, and more for each recipe.
Health guidance
Get tips for dieting when you have high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes, or prediabetes.
Peanuts Lunch Bag Cookbook: 50+ Packable Snacks, Sandwiches, Tasty Treats & More
Weldon Owen
Effortless Bento: 300 Japanese Box Lunch Recipes
Vertical
Let's Fix Lunch!: Enjoy Delicious, Planet-Friendly Meals at Work, School, or On the Go
Chronicle Books
Product features
Roast Beef Sandwich with Balsamic Caramelized
Apple Streusel Bars
Vegetarian Quinoa Bibimbap Bowl
Spinach-Feta Fittata
Three Quick Questions for Kat Nouri, Founder and CEO of Stasher
I think lunch is the most overlooked mealtime. Whether you're working long days while at home, in an office, or just constantly on-the-go, balancing it all while trying to find inspiration for that mid-day meal can be draining and difficult. And that’s for a meal that should be our most important of the day! Most of us opt for uninspiring options or look to takeout for variety. What I love most about this book is that you can eat healthy, make it easy AND reduce your reliance on single-use plastic containers. I'm thrilled to share my ideas for easy, delicious and creative lunch ideas that are not only good for you, but good for the earth too!
What will readers learn from this cookbook?
I want people to be inspired again during lunch. This book provides options for easy prepping and tips that not only nourish your body but feed your imagination. We have easy-to-prep sandwich, salad, soup and snacks recipes that are super simple and make you look like a four-star chef. And it provides valuable and budget-friendly tips to make your meals (and kitchen) a little more planet-friendly.
What is your go-to favorite lunch?
I love a good salad with all the fixin's. My absolute favorite go-to right now is the baked tofu salad with a miso-sesame vinaigrette. vIt's a perfect warm-weather salad! I also love to pair the salad with the Kuku Sabzi. I make this ahead at the beginning of the week and then store it in my Stasher Stand-Up and it stays fresh for a few days in the fridge.
Vegan YUM: The Secrets to Mastering Plant-Based Cooking
Page Street Publishing
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