Recipe

This pesto salad lunch is a fast and easy way to make lunch at work stress-free! Simple ingredients full of flavor!

Give yourself a yummy lunch and pack this pesto salad recipe without pasta. It's stress-free, filling, and a great way to fuel your brain and body to get through the rest of the workday.

pesto salad with avocado, tomatoes, olives, ham and cheese in a glass lunch container

Healthy Pesto Salad with No Pasta

Laura fuentes holding a skillet of food standing in front of a blue door

I don't know about you, but I want my healthy and easy work lunch to also have lots of FLAVOR. Ever since I created this simple pesto salad without pasta, I've stopped stressing over what to make and pack for lunch. It's been glorious.

Whether you're trying to cut carbs or just want a lighter meal, this recipe puts your pesto to use. You can pack the salad in a matter of minutes, either the same morning or the night before.

Ingredients

The veggies in this salad are shredded lettuce, avocado, and cherry tomatoes. To make it a filling meal, add mozzarella cheese, black olives, and deli turkey. The epic flavor comes from pesto sauce; you can use my homemade pesto recipe or one from the store.

How to Make Healthy Pesto Salad

Build a base.
Place the shredded lettuce directly in your lunch container or bowl.
Load up with toppings.
Top the lettuce with avocado pieces, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, black olives, and deli turkey.
Pour or pack the pesto dressing.
Combine pesto with a little water to thin it out into a dressing-like consistency. Pour it over the salad or pack it in a sauce container if not using it right away.

Laura’s Tip for Packing It for Work

The biggest tip is not to pour the pesto dressing over the salad until you're ready to eat it. I recommend you pack it in a separate small lidded container. You can pack the salad into a box with a lid or even a large mason jar and stack it up. Yes, mason jar salads are totally a thing, and they're really fun and unique to eat.

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Healthy Pesto Salad Work Lunch

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 5

This pesto salad lunch is a fast and easy way to make lunch at work stress-free! Simple ingredients full of flavor!

5 from 19 votes

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Ingredients

1 cup lettuce, shredded
½ avocado, diced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ounce mozzarella cheese, chopped
2 tablespoons black olives
3 ounces deli turkey, rolled up or chopped
1 tablespoon pesto
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Place the shredded lettuce directly in your lunch container.
Top the lettuce with avocado pieces, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, black olives, and deli turkey.
In a small dish, combine pesto with a little water to thin it out into a dressing-like consistency. Pour it over the salad or pack in a separate small lidded container.

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