r/Cooking • u/britthood • 2d ago

Favorite cold lunches?

I work in outside sales, so I’m in the car all day and don’t usually have access to a microwave to heat up my lunches. What are your favorite make-ahead lunches that can be eaten cold/room temp? (I have an insulated lunchbox, so no worries about it needing to stay cold.) Looking for something with a decent amount of protein. I also, for some reason, don’t like the taste of cold leftover chicken… but other meats don’t both me. Thanks!

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u/houston-we-have-uh-o 2d ago

Italian pasta salad! Easy to make ahead, gets better with time, and delicious cold or room temp. Can add as much protein as you want.

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u/WrennyWrenegade 1d ago

Don't limit it to Italian-style either! I love to switch up pasta salads and do Greek-inspired flavors or Southwest-style with black beans and corn with a cilantro-lime vinegrette. Or other Italian-ish flavors like Caprese add-ins with balsamic vinegrette or lemon and ricotta with springtime veggies. Cold tortellini with pesto is great. Peanut noodles or a sesame ginger dressing with shredded cabbage and edamame. You can make them as light or a hearty as you'd like by changing up dressings and the ratio of add-ins to pasta. The possibilities are literally endless.