5 Easy Aldi Options for Your Work Lunch

One of my irritations over the years is how inadequate the Aldi single-serve food lineup has been. If I needed a simple grab-and-go meal, Aldi just didn’t have it. If I wanted to put together, say, a work lunch for myself, there was always — always — assembly required … as in, I would have to buy the bread, the meat, the cheese, the mayo, and put it all together myself.

Grab-and-go, I learned, was the domain of my larger regional grocer, or maybe Trader Joe’s where I could pick up a wrap.

Aldi, I’m happy to say, has gotten better at this. Is it ideal? No. But it’s better. Now, when I’m in a pinch and I really need a last-minute quick-and-easy lunch, especially for work, there are more choices than before.

Here is a rundown of five of the most notable.

1. Little Salad Bar Salad Bowls

A mainstay in the Aldi refrigerated section, we first wrote about these back in 2019. Two of the three bowls available then are still around now — Little Salad Bar Chicken Caesar Salad and Little Salad Bar Santa Fe Style Salad — while Cranberry Walnut has since been replaced by a Little Salad Bar Chef Salad. While that might not be ideal for vegetarians — the Chef Salad has chicken and ham, while the other two have chicken — those who are okay with meat will find these bowls to be a great and filling lunchtime option with salad, meat, cheese, and dressing.

Bonus: the bowls come with a utensil.

2. Park Street Deli Wraps

Aldi introduced this sneaky little number in the spring of 2024, a simple wrap in the store’s refrigerated section. You can choose from the Park Street Deli Turkey Club Wrap or Italian-Style Wrap. I’d long been calling for Aldi to bring a sandwich or wrap into the fray, so it was a big deal to see the grocer finally pull it off. While these aren’t the healthiest and don’t have lettuce or other veggies, they’re tasty and filling and, of course, are easy. This is one of my favorite emergency lunch options. I’m particularly partial to the turkey club, although the Italian is fine, especially if you like just a bit of pepper kick.

3. Park Street Deli Lunch Kits

These Park Street Deli Lunch Kits showed up in 2024 as the Aldi take on Lunchables. (Aldi usually sells name-brand Lunchables, too, if you’re looking for the real thing.) While Lunchable-style boxes would seem more suited for kids — and, to an extent, that’s true — don’t count them out if you’re an adult. Sure, your co-workers may have their opinions on them, but these kits have a decent amount of crackers, meat, cheese, and even a small dessert. If you need a small meal in a hurry, these will do it.

4. Park Street Deli Hummus, Chicken Salad, and Guacamole Singles

 

Prefer to have a dip that you can drop your fruits, veggies, or crackers in? Aldi sells a range of single-serve dips that you can take with you. Aldi sells single-serve cups of Park Street Deli Classic Hummus and Park Street Deli Red Pepper Hummus.

If hummus isn’t your thing, Aldi also stocks Park Street Deli Classic Chicken Salad and Park Street Deli Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad in single containers.

Aldi also sells Park Street Deli Guacamole in single-serving cups, if you’re in the mood for something a little different.

The caveat is, of course, that you’ll also need to get the foods you’ll be dipping these in, so it’s not 100% take-and-eat, but with a little planning these can be paired with whatever you want them paired with: pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers, carrot sticks and sliced bell peppers and cucumbers, or anything you like.

5. Cheese Club Express Mac

An old-school standby, these Cheese Club Express Mac Cups just need water and a microwave. (You’ll also need a utensil, as one is not included.) They’re quick and easy, and while they’re not at all healthy, as comfort food goes, they work in a pinch. They also hold on the shelf for a while, so they’re not bad to keep around when you don’t have ready access to a fridge.

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Do you have a favorite Aldi work lunch go-to? Let us know in the comments.