27 Great Dinners That Make Great Leftovers for Lunch the Next Day

I just love it when a meal can carry me through from one day to the next and it still tastes as delicious as it does when it’s fresh. Today, I’m sharing my favorite, tried-and-true list of dinners that make great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Grab your tupperware, friends. This is a list you’re gonna want to come back to again and again!

Dinners that make great leftovers are basically the sneaky superheroes of your kitchen, if you ask me.

Remember how Clark Kent ducked into a telephone booth and emerged as Superman?

Now, compare that to dinner that makes banging leftovers.

• They both save lives.
• They also lead double lives.
• They’re kinda dreamboat-ish.

And there is nothing I love more during a busy week than knowing my efforts aren’t going to waste.

Because while technically every dinner can turn into leftovers, we all know that not all dinner recipes are created equal in the next-day’s-meal department.

Not everything tastes good the day after it’s made.

Not every dinner recipe travels well to work or school.

For years now, I’ve been filing away a list of dinners that make great leftovers as lunches.

Of dinners that worked.

These are dinners turned lunch that taste good the next day, held up well in a lunchbox, and didn’t involve fifty million steps to get us there.

Here’s what I consider a great dinner turned lunch recipe:

• The dinner part has to be relatively simple
• It can’t get soggy or mushy before it’s eaten again
• No heavy cheese or cream sauces that mask boring flavors.
• Kids have to enjoy it both the night it’s cooked AND when it’s served as leftovers.
• You can pull it from the fridge, reheat, and eat as is: no adding wraps or buns or anything extra on the side.
• Healthy-ish.

Ok, ready for the list of AMAZING easy dinners that make great lunches the next day?

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Vegetarian

Roasted Carrot Soup from Well Plated

Spaghetti Pie from Percolate Kitchen

Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup from Percolate Kitchen

Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup from Percolate Kitchen

Weeknight Kimchi Fried Rice with Vegetables from Percolate Kitchen

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells from Love and Lemons

Black Bean and Vegetable Soup from Percolate Kitchen

Cuban-Inspired Sheet Pan Plantains with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes from Percolate Kitchen

Beef/Pork

Sausage Manicotti by Percolate Kitchen

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu from Percolate Kitchen

Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs from Eat Yourself Skinny

Brothy Taco Soup from Percolate Kitchen

Korean Beef Bowls from The Whole Kitchen Sink

Instant Pot Pork Carnitas from Percolate Kitchen

Smoked Kielbasa, Beer, and Vegetable Chowder  from Percolate Kitchen

Sheet Pan Teriyaki Steak Tips with Sesame Broccoli from Percolate Kitchen

Chicken

One Pan Honey Lemon Chicken and Asparagus from Cafe Delites

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Percolate Kitchen

Garlicky Satay Chicken Skewers from Percolate Kitchen

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Hawaiian Chicken Noodle Bowls from Fit Foodie Finds

Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Meal from Percolate Kitchen

Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers from Percolate Kitchen

Thai-Style Chicken, Mushroom, and Coconut Soup from Percolate Kitchen

Green Thai Quick Chicken Curry from Percolate Kitchen

Seafood

Sheet Pan Korean-Inspired Salmon with crispy Rice and Fried Egg from Percolate Kitchen

Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole from Percolate Kitchen

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Thai Salmon Foil Packet from Damn Delicious

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That’s it! Now, go forth and meal plan 🙂

If you want more easy simple dinner ideas, click the banner below to download your meal planning bundle- packed full of my tried-and-true simple dinner ideas, meal planning cheatsheets and outlines, and more.