Lunchbox

Packing lunch is a daily deadline, and the food has to survive hours in a bag before anyone eats it. Every recipe here is built for that: it holds its texture cold, travels without leaking or going soggy, and can mostly be made the night before.

You will find no-sandwich mains, bento-style snack boxes, wraps and pinwheels, cold pasta and grain salads, breakfast foods that work at noon, dips with dippers, and warm thermos lunches for days when cold food will not do. There are nut-free options throughout for allergy-aware classrooms, and plenty of ideas sized for teenagers as well as preschoolers.

Start with the big roundups if you are planning a whole week, or browse the individual recipes below to fill one slot in the box.