Layered Salad Cups: The Anything-But-Sad Desk Lunch

With these cute, convenient and easy-to-make jar salads, there’s officially no excuse not to bring your lunch to work. We’re serving up five clever ideas, but really, the options are limitless when you follow a few basics: 

1. Always put wet ingredients and dressings on the bottom to prevent sogginess
2. Layer sturdy items like veggies and protein in the middle
3. Add lettuce, herbs and other delicate ingredients on the top 

Then all that’s left to do is shake, dump and eat! Here are the recipes we turned into lunch cups.

Slow-Cooker Mexican Pork Burrito Bowls 

This recipe proves that almost anything can be transformed into a salad jar when you think in layers. And while you do have to plan ahead to make the pork, trust us, it’s worth it.

Harvest Grain Chicken Chopped Salad

The secret to this salad’s success is starting with a box of Suddenly Grain Salad harvest grains. It’s made with brown, wild and red rice, quinoa, with cranberries & almonds, and a sweet blush vinaigrette that makes the entire salad sing.

Pizza Bread Salad

Finally, the perfect solution to that extra pizza crust in the package! We kept this one simple with pepperoni, basil and mozzarella, but it’s ripe for customizing with your favorite pizza toppings.

Layered Tortellini Pesto Chicken Salad

This guy is layered with seven layers of yum starting with a creamy pesto dressing, cheese-filled tortellini (arguably the best part), sweet peas, chicken, red peppers, carrots and romaine lettuce. Lunch will never be the same!

Fattoush Pasta Salad

Try out a Middle Eastern Mediterranean-inspired salad loaded with fresh vegetables, herbs and crumbled feta for a filling lunch that won’t weigh you down.