lunch al desko

This creamy, spicy-sweet dip will be loose and pourable when warm, but it will thicken once fully chilled. We love to pair it with leftover roast or rotisserie chicken, jammy eggs, cucumber spears, and roasted sweet potatoes for the perfect (desk-friendly) lunch.

Peanut Dip

vegetable oil

red curry paste

coconut milk

peanut butter

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

Tbsp. fish sauce

Tbsp. honey

Kosher salt

This creamy, spicy-sweet dip will be loose and pourable when warm, but it will thicken once fully chilled. We love to pair it with leftover roast or rotisserie chicken, jammy eggs, cucumber spears, and roasted sweet potatoes for the perfect (desk-friendly) lunch. This dish is part of the Bon Appétit Guide to Actually Enjoying Your Lunch at Work. Find more recipes, tips, and tricks here.

Bon Appétit

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste begins to stick to bottom of saucepan and is very fragrant, 2–3 minutes.

Whisk in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture turns darker in color and is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in peanut butter, vinegar, fish sauce, and honey. Season to taste with salt; it should be well seasoned since the things you are dipping in it may not be (i.e., boiled eggs, cukes, etc.). Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight portable container and chill.

Do Ahead: Dip can be made 4 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Cooked with olive oil and herbs, these Roasted Cherry Tomatoes will burst and release their juices for an extra layer of seasoning.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

cherry tomatoes

thyme

olive oil

salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss cherry tomatoes with thyme and oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tomatoes are blistered and beginning to burst, 20–25 minutes. Let cool.

This delicate, brothy grain soup manages to be comforting and fortifying—but without requiring a nap afterward. If you have really good homemade stock on hand, you can use it instead of the water called for here; the soup will only benefit from the addition. But even if you don’t, the flavors will get richer and more concentrated the longer it sits, which means it’s a great make-ahead recipe for a weekday lunch or dinner.

Farro and Escarole Soup

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

capers

onion,

unhulled farro

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

celery stalks, thinly sliced on a diagonal

escarole

Parmesan (about ¼ cup)

This delicate, brothy grain soup manages to be comforting and fortifying—but without requiring a nap afterward. If you have really good homemade stock on hand, you can use it instead of the water called for here; the soup will only benefit from the addition. But even if you don’t, the flavors will get richer and more concentrated the longer it sits, which means it’s a great make-ahead recipe for a weekday lunch or dinner. This dish is part of the Bon Appétit Guide to Actually Enjoying Your Lunch at Work. Find more recipes, tips, and tricks here.

Cook garlic, capers, and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until garlic is golden, 4–6 minutes. Add onion, farro, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

Add 6 cups cold water to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until farro is tender, 20–25 minutes. Add celery and cook, uncovered, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir escarole and Parmesan into soup and continue to cook until escarole is wilted, another 4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Do Ahead: Soup can be made 4 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.

A Thai restaurant classic, this peanut dressing makes an equally great dipping sauce for dumplings and summer rolls.

Peanut Dressing

rice vinegar

sugar

soy sauce

Whisk peanut butter, rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in water until dressing is the consistency of heavy cream (¼–½ cup); season with salt and pepper.

Sassed-up canned beans become a creamy layer in this vegetarian sandwich, while thick-cut feta provides something to sink your teeth into.

Greens-and-Beans Sandwiches

cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed

Tbsp. Sesame-Scallion Sauce

lemon juice

fennel stems and fronds

dark rye bread, toasted

French feta,

Chile-Garlic Cucumbers

Yes, you should bring your lunch to work because the plastic clamshell holding your Santa Fe salad will still be on this planet when your great-great-grandchild is born. But also, it’s probably healthier, tastier, and cheaper than your to-go default. Sassed-up canned beans become a creamy layer in this vegetarian sandwich, while thick-cut feta provides something to sink your teeth into.

Mash beans, sauce, and lemon juice in a medium bowl until combined and mostly smooth; season with salt. Thinly slice about ⅓ cup fennel stems and tear fronds to measure ¼ cup.

Divide mixture between 2 slices of bread. Layer feta over and top with cucumbers. Scatter fennel stems and fronds over. Close up sandwiches with remaining slices of bread.

Top 5 lunch al desko recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Peanut Dip

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Farro and Escarole Soup

Peanut Dressing

Greens-and-Beans Sandwiches

Top 5 lunch al desko recipes from across the web

The most viewed lunch al desko recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Peanut Dip

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Farro and Escarole Soup

Peanut Dressing

Greens-and-Beans Sandwiches

The most viewed lunch al desko recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine