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Healthy Lunch Recipes

Find healthy, delicious lunch recipes including wraps, vegan and vegetarian recipes, and kid-friendly lunches. Healthier Recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Cheap, Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work

These healthy lunch recipes all clock in at $3 or less per serving and are perfectly packable!

Cheap, Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps

A zesty slaw adds plenty of vegetables to this protein-packed recipe for an easy, packable lunch.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps

Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados

Forget the bread—stuff classic chicken salad in lower carb avocados for a healthy lunch or impressive appetizer with this easy recipe.

Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados

Mediterranean Wrap

Grilled Thai Chicken Sandwich

Grilled Eggplant & Portobello Sandwich

Sweet Southern Egg Salad

Healthy MyPlate-Inspired Lunch Recipes

These delicious lunch recipes make it easy to eat healthfully and in line with the USDA's MyPlate Guidelines. These healthy recipes meet the MyPlate guidelines for calories, portion size, sodium, saturated fat and added sugars. To make these recipes part of a complete meal, please refer to our serving suggestions included with the recipe.

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Smoked Turkey & Farro Salad

Shrimp Cobb Salad

Zesty Shrimp & Black Bean Salad

Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Quiche

Pack-and-Go Healthy Lunch Recipes for Work

Get new healthy lunch recipes to pack and bring to work.

Shrimp Cobb Salad

Hummus & Greek Salad

Creamy Pesto Chicken Salad with Greens

Couscous & Fruit Salad

Healthy Lunch Salad Ideas for Work

Make a filling and healthy salad that will power you through any work day. Full of protein and fiber these quick salads are an easy way to spruce up your lunch.

Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl

Chile-Lime Veggie Noodles

Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles

Taco Lettuce Wraps

Metabolism-Boosting Lunch Ideas for Work

Here's a great reason to spice up your lunch: research shows that capsaicin, a compound in chiles, can rev your body's metabolism and may help you burn more fat. Try these packable lunches for Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles, Taco Lettuce Wraps and more.

Clean-Eating Bento Box Lunch

Mediterranean Bento Lunch

Taco Salad Bento Lunch for Kids

Deconstructed Sushi Bento Lunch

Easy Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Work and School

The ancient Japanese tradition of packing lunch in a bento box, a decorative container with small compartments, has now become mainstream. We love bento box lunches because the compartments help control portion sizes and they're great for kids too. Try these easy bento box lunch ideas to shake up your lunch routine.

Black Bean-Quinoa Buddha Bowl

Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles

Orzo Chicken Salad with Avocado-Lime Dressing

Salmon Sushi Buddha Bowl

Make-Ahead Lunch Ideas for Work

Mornings can be hectic save yourself some time and fix lunch the night before.

Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

Roasted Veggie & Hummus Pita Pockets

Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

Apple & Cheddar Pita Pockets

5-Ingredient Lunch Ideas for Work

Healthy and quick lunch recipes, with only five ingredients.

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Tex-Mex Bento Box

Quesadillas make a quick and easy sandwich alternative. Even though they are often served hot, quesadillas also taste good cold or at room temperature. That makes them an ideal addition to this flavor-packed bento box, a collection of foods that you can meal-prep on the weekend for easy lunches at work or school.

Confetti Pasta Bento Box

Cook extra pasta with dinner and set it aside to make an easy pasta salad you can pack for lunch the following day. Add beans, leftover chicken, deli turkey or tuna for extra protein.

Greek Yogurt Parfait Bento Box

Greek yogurt provides the filling protein base for this colorful lunch box, but the remaining ingredients are very flexible to accommodate your child's tastes. You can replace the cereal or granola with dried fruit, and swap steamed vegetables for the cherry tomatoes and cucumber.

Veggie Sushi Bento Box

A sushi-like wrap of veggies and ranch dressing packaged in a tortilla makes an appealing lunch that kids will love. The choice of vegetables in the filling is flexible, depending on your child's preferences and what you have on hand.

Mini Mezze Bento Box

Pita wedges and crudité with hummus make a satisfyingly simple lunch box. We round out this Mediterranean-inspired snack lunch with cheese and fruit. If your child likes olives, sprinkle some into the veggie dippers.

Vegan Potato Soup

Roasted shiitake mushrooms make a vegan "bacon" topping that gives this soup a delicate hint of smoke. Soaked cashews get whirled up into a luscious sauce that serves as a dairy-free cream alternative. Don't shy away from this comforting soup because it's meat-free; it has more than enough flavor to satisfy.

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

Thai spices and creamy coconut milk distinguish this version from traditional butternut squash soup. Curry paste is a convenient way to add complex flavor, but if you want to make sure this soup is vegan or if you are allergic to shellfish, check the ingredient list carefully--some brands contain shellfish.

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Instant-Pot Potato Soup

Russet potatoes turn tender and soft in minutes in a pressure cooker, so you can make this comforting soup quickly on busy weeknights. Garnish with the classic potato soup fixings--bacon, scallions and melted Cheddar cheese.

Prosciutto & Spinach Grilled Cheese

Make grilled cheese for one with this quick and easy recipe! This sandwich packs in a healthy dose of veggies plus a delicious flavor boost from sliced prosciutto (Italian ham).

Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad

Avocado makes an exceptionally creamy and healthful dressing for this chicken salad. A bit of ranch dressing with pickled jalapeño adds a tangy spin to the lunchtime classic. Serve it on a slice of whole-wheat toast for an open-face sandwich or in a lettuce cup for a low-carb lunch.

Pressure-Cooker Chili

Chili cooks in just 15 minutes when it's made in a multicooker. The beef gets infused with the flavors of chili powder and cumin. Shredded cheese, scallion and sour cream round out the meal, but feel free to garnish with whatever toppings you choose.

Vegan White Bean Chili

Fresh Anaheim (or poblano) chiles add mild heat to this classic white bean chili and contribute lots of smoky flavor. Quinoa adds body to the chili, while diced zucchini provides pretty flecks of green and increases the veggie content.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

This creamy, refreshing cucumber salad is an easy side dish for any summer BBQ. Bright dill and white-wine vinegar add fresh tartness to cucumbers and red onions. Enjoy this salad the day you prepare it so the ingredients don't turn watery.

Vegan Thai Cucumber Salad

This sweet and tangy salad of cucumber, scallions and pepper is packed with vibrant Thai flavors and a bit of extra crunch from dry-roasted peanuts. If possible, use a red jalapeño (or chile) to brighten the salad with a few specks of red. Cut the heat by removing the seeds before chopping.

Easy Tomato Gazpacho

Many gazpacho recipes are thickened with bread, but this one uses just vegetables, making it a gluten-free refresher for a hot summer day. The key to any flavorful gazpacho is giving it time to rest. The flavors meld and become cohesive when the soup is allowed to sit a bit before serving.

Greek Tortellini Salad

Fresh cheese tortellini and classic Greek salad ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion come together for a fast side dish that's perfect for potlucks, picnics and other casual gatherings.

Sweet Potato Salad

Give traditional potato salad a fresh spin with sweet potatoes, peppery arugula and a tangy-sweet dressing. This crowd-pleasing side dish is also versatile; you can add ingredients you prefer in potato salad, like bacon or green onions. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.

Amish Broccoli Salad

This creamy broccoli and cauliflower salad has a fabulous crunch. The salad holds well and is perfect for potlucks and picnics. Our version has considerably less sugar than most Amish salad recipes and is lighter because we use a mixture of low-fat Greek yogurt and mayonnaise for the dressing.

Smoked Salmon & Avocado Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are surprisingly easy to make. Better yet, they're incredibly versatile. Smoked salmon and avocado are a classic spring roll combination for an easy healthy lunch to pack for work--or whip some up for a light party appetizer.

Vegan Potato Salad

This egg-free version of the summertime staple is so creamy no one will ever guess it's vegan. Tossing the potatoes with dressing while they are still warm helps them absorb the flavors. Serve at room temperature or chilled.