Do you want filling meal ideas that you can easily prep for lunch? Well, life is full of pasta-bilities! In this article, we’ll be discussing adult lunch box ideas that will not only leave you satisfied during lunch but will also give you the nutrition you need!
Meal prepping has lots of benefits– including health and financial gains. Eating out is the most convenient way of eating but it gets as convenient when you meal prep. You also save a ton of money and since you’ll have control over what you eat, you’ll start eating healthier while reducing food waste.
If you’re looking for more healthy lunchables to meal prep but want more variation than just pasta, check out this list of 15 Best Healthy Lunchables For Adults To Meal Prep.
17 Best Adult Lunch Box Ideas With Pasta
Mac ‘N’ Cheese Breakfast
Whaaat? Pasta for breakfast? Yup! And you don’t even have to spend so much effort on it because you can meal prep them. Mac and cheese recipes need ingredients like noodles, milk, cheese, and butter. But for a breakfast twist, you can add some crumbled sausage as toasted biscuit as toppings.
Brussel Sprouts and Bacon Pesto Pasta
Pesto pasta is one of the easiest adult lunch box ideas for meal prep! You’ll literally only need pesto and pasta, then you can add other ingredients to customize them. For this recipe, you’ll also need some shredded brussels sprouts, crispy bacon, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese.
Veggie Pasta Salad in a Jar
Want to bring Italian flavors to your meals? With some Italian dressing, tomatoes and olives, bowtie pasta, salami, and cheeses, you’ll have the taste of Italy in a jar! Just make sure to layer them the right way so your food stays fresh. You can find these tips in our 17 Vegan Mason Jar Salads We Can’t Resist article.
DIY Instant Noodle Cups
Everyone loves the convenience of instant noodles! But does anyone like the unhealthy and artificial ingredients it has? Prepping your own “instant” noodle cups may take a little bit more time than those packaged ones but it’ll keep you healthier. You can easily do this with soup stock paste, filler ingredients like veggies, cooked noodles, and some herbs.
Quick and Easy Caprese Pasta
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Caprese salads or pasta are another one of those adult lunch box ideas that are ridiculously easy to prep. You’ll just need some whole-wheat pasta, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, some herbs, and seasonings. Toss these all into a container and you’d be good to go!
Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad
To make this pasta salad, you can use pasta, avocados, pesto, an assortment of sliced vegetables, cheese, olives, and some herbs and seasoning. This simple but hearty meal will definitely give you the boost of energy you need for the day!
Cheesy Tex-Mex Pasta
With some rigatoni pasta, seasoned ground beef, beef broth and tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, bell peppers, and other veggies, you can make this Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta. BTW, you can just combine these all in just one pot, making meal prep and cleaning sooo easy.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Sun-dried tomatoes are one of the classic ingredients of quick-and-easy pasta. You’ll only need some bowtie pasta, soup stock of your choice, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and some herbs and seasonings. This meal will keep you full until your next meal!
Chicken and Zucchini Tortellini
This Mediterranean-style recipe is filled with flavor and colors that will definitely make your day! You’ll need some tortellini, zucchini, chicken breast, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto. You can also cut out the chicken for a veggie-friendly meal!
Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
We couldn’t not include this “pasta” dish! It uses spiralized zucchini for its noodles but you can swap it out with regular ol’ pasta. To make the chicken meatballs, you have to combine ground chicken, cheese, grated garlic, and other seasonings in a bowl and then cook them. Combine these with your noodles and lemon slices and you’re done!
Healthy Shrimp Scampi
For this dish, you’ll need some shrimp, pasta noodles, grape tomatoes, parmesan, saffron threads and red pepper flakes for more flavoring, some herbs, and salt and pepper to season. While traditional scampi uses butter and wine, you can substitute them for coconut oil. You can also add a Thai twist to the meal with some crushed peanuts as garnish.
Butternut Squash Ravioli With A Twist
There are premade butternut squash ravioli available in the market. For that twist, you’ll be using a delicious brown butter sauce for pairing. To do this, you have to melt some butter until it becomes brown, then add the cream and sage. Combine the pasta and sauce and season them with parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley. Finally, top them all off with some toasted walnuts.
Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
This creamy dish is another one of our adult lunch box ideas that can be cooked in just one pot. You can throw some rotini, mushrooms, dry white wine, seasonings, and different herbs and spices into the pot and you’ll be all set. Once cooked, you can prep ‘em, store ‘em, and grab ‘em when you need them.
Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta
Pasta can have different variations and each one will always be full of flavor! For example, you can easily whip up this meal with just kale, pasta, parmesan cheese, and your preferred seasonings. You can also add a Garlic Marinated Chicken for more protein!
Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta
You can easily make vegan and gluten-free pasta by using coconut milk! With some pasta, tomato paste, coconut milk, olive oil, onion and garlic, salt and pepper, and parsley, you can create this scrumptious meal. You can also top it all off with some breadcrumbs for that extra texture.
Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad
Want a high-carb, high-protein meal? This meal prep idea will definitely be your solution! You can prep this meal with some pasta, seasoned chicken breasts, a sesame vinaigrette, and the garnishes of your choice. This oh-so-healthy meal will give you a burst of flavor you can enjoy.
Sweet Noodle Kugel
Noodles? For dessert? Yep, this traditional Jewish meal is the answer! To make this delicacy, you’ll need some noodles, butter, eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, light cream, white sugar, and raisins. You can also add some breadcrumbs, sugar, and cinnamon as toppings. If this doesn’t prove how versatile pasta are, then we don’t know what will!
Why Choose Pasta?
Pasta is part of a really good diet. It’s made from grain and if it’s whole-grain, there’s tons of fiber too. Buying or even making some only requires very basic ingredients so you won’t spend a fortune for having them. You can also have quick meals because they’re really easy to make!
If this article isn’t proof enough, pasta is really versatile. You can have it at any time of the day and with different variations you’ll never get bored of. Oh, and it’s perfect for meal prepping because it’ll always stay fresh!
When you consume pasta in moderation, it can be part of a really good diet. It’s low in fat, doesn’t have much salt, and can keep your blood sugar in check. You can even lose weight with pasta! If you’re getting bored of your normal lunches and want variation, these adult lunch box ideas are here to save you from boredom.
