10 Aldi Meals Under $5 For A Quick And Easy Work Lunch

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? For anyone in the workforce, Monday through Friday breakfasts are often an afterthought while lunch serves as a highly anticipated break in the day. Even though leisurely midday meals seem to be a thing of the past (or possibly of fiction), you can make the most of your half-hour break while also stretching out your salary by opting for a bargain-priced, easy-to-prep meal from Aldi.

Some of these lunch suggestions consist of premade items from the Aldi deli case, while others might require a little prepping the night before, but nothing on this list requires a great deal of effort. You can also mix-and-match the selected pairings if any suggestions spark your own ideas.

Any math geniuses out there may notice that the listed ingredients for some of these suggestions amount to more than $5. That's because you're going to have leftovers of some items (an entire bunch of grapes is more than enough for a lunch break cheese board, while a whole package of mini chocolate bars could see you through several days' worth of desserts). When broken down into single-serving stats, you'll find everything to be as affordable as we've come to expect from one of America's cheapest and fastest-growing grocers.

Okay, so technically Specially Selected smoked salmon isn't lox (there is a difference), but since it comes from Norway that makes it "laks" (the Norwegian word for salmon). No matter what you call it, though, it tastes fantastic on top of a bagel spread with cream cheese.

The salmon itself is $4.39 per 3-ounce package, but you'll only need half the slices to top a single bagel. L'Oven Fresh bagels (plain or everything) cost $2.19 for six, so each one is $0.36. As for the Happy Farms cream cheese (plain, chive and onion, or garden vegetable), an 8-ounce tub is $1.99, so 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) will run you $0.22. That means the cost of a single smoked salmon bagel is only $2.77, so you could have two and be just slightly over budget.

Purchase Specially Selected Smoked Salmon for $4.39, L'Oven Fresh Bagels for $2.19, and Happy Farms Cream Cheese for $1.99 at Aldi.

Aldi's deli section sells a nice selection of charcuterie, but it also has a few single-serve charcuterie trays that each feature meat, cheese, and one additional item. The Park Street Deli Salami Charcuterie Tray comes with uncured hard salami, provolone, and dark chocolate-dipped almonds; the Pepperoni Charcuterie Tray supplements uncured pepperoni with mozzarella and mixed olives; and the Genoa Salami Charcuterie Tray includes provolone and breadsticks. Each 3-ounce tray makes a great snack, but to expand it into a meal we've added a side.

The Reggano Classic Pasta Salad Kit is perhaps the most prep-heavy item on this list since you need to cook the pasta and dried vegetable blend at home, supplementing it with a little bit of oil. Each 7.75-ounce box is said to yield five servings, though, so your efforts should provide you with enough pasta salad for a week's worth of lunches. You can also bulk up the salad with any meats, cheeses, and vegetables you have in the fridge; thus converting it into a super-cheap standalone lunch.

Purchase a Park Street Deli Charcuterie Tray for $2.75 and a Reggano Classic Pasta Salad Kit for $1.95 at Aldi.

If you are literally eating at your desk and have only one hand to spare while the other is frantically typing up a report, you'll need the kind of lunch you can nibble. Cheese and crackers fit the bill, and Happy Farms has cracker-cut cheese squares in gouda and yellow cheddar. To go with these cheese squares, we suggest rectangular Savoritz flatbread crackers in a choice of everything, rosemary, and sesame flavors. 

Even if you eat an entire 10-ounce package of cheese and a 5-ounce box of crackers, you'll still come in just over budget, as the former cost $3.09 while the latter are $2.19. If you show some restraint and only eat half that amount you can add green grapes to your meal. These are priced at $1.79 per pound, so a 4-ounce serving will cost you about $0.45.

Purchase Happy Farms Cracker Cuts Cheese for $3.09, Savoritz Flatbread Crackers for $2.19, and green grapes for $1.79 per pound at Aldi.

Voulez-vous un croissant? Aldi's bakery can help with that. You can turn this flaky French pastry into lunch with the addition of a 16-ounce tub of classic or cranberry almond chicken salad from the deli department. Either will run you $4.99, but you'll only need about 4 ounces for a decent-sized sandwich (that'll eat up $1.25 of your lunch budget). 

Add to this a bag of 6 large or 12 mini Bake Shop Croissants for $3.09, which tacks on just $0.52 for one standard or two small croissandwiches. This will leave enough room for a package of Bake Shop Chocolate Hazelnut Crepes. Six crepes cost $4.39, so adding two to your lunch will add $1.46. This brings your entire lunch in at just over $3.

Purchase Park Street Deli Chicken Salad for $4.99, Bake Shop Croissants for $3.09, and Bake Shop Chocolate Hazelnut Crepes for $4.39 at Aldi.

Were you a Lunchables kid? That oh-so-recognizable packaging might not be something you'd want to bring into the office if you're trying to establish your adult credentials, but a Snack Selects snack pack offers the same convenience with more of a grown-up vibe. They come in four varieties: colby and pepper Jack with crackers, gouda and sharp cheddar with pretzels, sharp white cheddar with dried cranberries and almonds, and sharp yellow cheddar with cranberries and cashews. Each package of three snacks is $2.85, but the snacks are small (1.5 ounces each) so you may want to eat all three for a meal. You can also upgrade to Protein Snack Selects for $3.39 in your choice of beef bites with mild cheddar, brown sugar turkey bites with sharp cheddar, and turkey bites with colby Jack. 

As a treat, tack on a five-pack of Choceur Mini Chocolate Bars (dark, milk, white, or milk chocolate hazelnut). At $3.55, this works out to $0.71 per 1.4-ounce bar, so a lunch composed of three snack trays plus one bar would cost between $3.56 and $4.10.

Purchase Snack Selects starting at $2.85 and five-packs of Choceur Chocolate Bars for $3.55 at Aldi.

Hummus and pita is a pairing as classic as peanut butter and jelly, although interactive dipping can be much more fun than mindless sandwich chomping. Park Street Deli offers hummus in a variety of flavors to choose from, including 10-ounce tubs of classic, olive tapenade, pine nut, red pepper, and spicy. (There's also an 8-ounce tub of caramelized onion hummus which is cheaper at $2.19.) Oddly enough, the store's bakery doesn't usually carry pita bread (what's up with that, Aldi?), but the snack aisle offers 7.33-ounce bags of Clancy's Pita Chips in sea salt and parmesan garlic and herb.

Purchase Park Street Deli Hummus for $2.85 and Clancy's Pita Chips for $2.55 at Aldi.

No-one's got time during the workday to run out to Olive Garden and fill up on endless salad and breadsticks, but you needn't feel FOMO when you realize that a pretty substantial Mediterranean-style meal from Aldi costs less money (and there's no need to tip unless you feel like slipping yourself a few bucks for being so clever). Mama Cozzi calzones can be heated up in the break room microwave and offer a choice of four cheese, pepperoni, buffalo chicken, and Philly cheesesteak. The first two weigh 7 ounces each while the last two are 6 ounces. If you're willing to go slightly over budget, you can pair this already substantial entree with an 8-ounce Park Street Deli chickpea salad or 7-ounce taboule salad for another $2.65. Either way, you'll be fueled up through the afternoon and beyond.

Purchase a Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Calzone for $2.65 at Aldi.

Aldi's soup selection isn't particularly large, but the best ones on offer are sold under the Deutsche Küche label. The Fall Harvest Vegetable, German Bean, and Hearty Pea soups all come in 28-ounce cans; sufficient to provide two very generous portions. At $2.99 per can, you're looking at $1.50 per serving. If you add a $3.19 Little Salad Bar Salad Bowl (chef, chicken Caesar, or Santa Fe ranging from 5.2 to 6.25 ounces in size), you'll have as good a lunch as you'd get in a diner or family-style restaurant for a mere $4.69.

Purchase a can of Deutsche Küche soup for $2.99 and a Little Salad Bar Salad Bowl for $3.19 at Aldi.

Dry ramen noodles can be a pain to prepare since they require boiling water to cook. Fusia Asian Inspirations ramen takeout boxes, however, don't need any additions, just a minute or so in the microwave. (You can also eat them cold; they're quite tasty that way.) Available flavors include kung pao, pad Thai, and teriyaki, each packed in an 8.11-ounce carton. 

If you'd like to add more to the meal and don't mind a little homework, you could also pick up a Little Salad Bar Asian Chopped Salad Kit complete with wonton strips, almonds, and sesame dressing. Even though the cost of a 12-ounce bag ($3.65) added to the $2.95 you'll pay for a carton of noodles will put you over the $5 price limit, the salad makes enough for two side servings. This means you're really only looking at $4.77 per meal.

Purchase a Fusia Asian Inspirations Ramen for $2.95 and a Little Salad Bar Asian Chopped Salad Kit for $3.65 at Aldi.

One of the easiest lunch options Aldi has to offer are the premade wrap sandwiches from Park Street Deli. The Italian-style wrap is made with salami, spicy ham, pepperoni, provolone, and Italian dressing while the turkey club wrap supplements the poultry with smoked ham, bacon, cheddar, and ranch dressing. Each 8-ounce sandwich sells for $4.39. If you also spend $7.25 on a 16-bag variety pack of Clancy's kettle chips (three jalapeño, three sea salt and vinegar, four mesquite barbecue, and six original), that works out to $0.45 per 1-ounce bag. This brings your total lunch cost to $4.84.

Purchase a Park Street Deli Wrap for $4.39 and a Clancy's Kettle Chips Variety Pack for $7.25 at Aldi.