Healthy Recipes Healthy Lifestyle Diets Healthy Low-Carb Recipes Low-Carb Lunch Recipes 22 Low-Carb Lunch Ideas with 400 Calories or Less By Alex Loh Alex Loh Alex Loh is EatingWell's associate food editor. As part of the food team, she creates healthy, delicious recipes for the EatingWell audience. Alex also writes informative food and cooking articles that range from how to store ground beef to the best picks from Trader Joe's. Alex conducts product and taste tests to find the best options, from salad spinners to salsas. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 30, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos These low-carb lunch ideas are the perfect choice for an easy meal. We lower the carbohydrates by using cauliflower, zucchini and avocado in place of ingredients like rice and bread. These lunches are also low in calories with each serving containing 400 calories or less to help you feel full and satisfied while meeting your nutritional goals. Recipes like Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps and Salmon-Stuffed Avocados are filling, nutritious and a delicious option for your weekly lunch prep. 01 of 22 Meal-Prep Turkey Cobb Salad View Recipe Cubed deli turkey takes the place of chicken, while Cheddar replaces blue cheese in this easy Cobb-inspired salad. The protein-rich turkey and cheese, plus eggs and bacon, gives the salad staying power, so you won't get hungry an hour after you eat. Feel free to swap out the turkey for cooked chicken or chickpeas to mix things up. Serve the salad right away or pack it up in individual containers and you'll be set for lunch for days. Source: Eatingwell.com, July 2019 02 of 22 Loaded Cauliflower Bowls View Recipe Enjoy these comforting roasted cauliflower bowls topped with cheese, bacon, scallions and sour cream on their own, or add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a full meal. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020 03 of 22 Cream of Broccoli Soup View Recipe This simple and healthy cream of broccoli soup recipe gets its flavor from a mixture of aromatic vegetables, including leeks and celery. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender) gives it a smooth, creamy texture. Enjoy this easy homemade cream of broccoli soup as a comforting appetizer or pair it with a sandwich or salad for lunch or dinner. Source: EatingWell.com, November 2019 04 of 22 Salmon-Stuffed Avocados View Recipe Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine, Spring 2019 05 of 22 Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Asparagus & Chicken Sausage View Recipe Stock the fridge with a week's worth of lunches using a handful of ingredients from your local grocery store. To save on carbs, we're swapping in riced cauliflower for regular rice and adding pregrilled asparagus, which bulks up these bowls and adds fiber. At lunchtime, just reheat to steaming then top with a bit of pesto. Try Trader Joe's for fast shortcut ingredients like these--see Tip (below) for our product recommendations. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019 06 of 22 Avocado Egg Salad View Recipe This quick recipe takes classic egg salad to the next level with the addition of creamy avocado. Serve it on a piece of toasted whole-grain bread or inside a tender lettuce leaf. Avocados brown quickly, so plan on making it no more than two hours before you plan to serve it. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020 07 of 22 Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls View Recipe With a handful of shortcut ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, you can prepare an entire week's worth of high-fiber meals in about 15 minutes. Look for precooked wild rice packets to cut down on prep time. Plus, wild rice is a good source of fiber and each pouch of cooked rice heats in 3 minutes. Topping these bowls with prebaked tofu also cuts down on the time it takes to make this quick meal-prep lunch. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019 08 of 22 Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps View Recipe Crispy green lettuce leaves hold the filling inside this low-carb turkey wrap. It's perfect for lunch or a quick, easy dinner on the go. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019 09 of 22 Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette View Recipe Inspired by the classic warm party dip, this simple salad can be served up right away or divided into small lidded containers for a week of delicious lunches. To keep the hard-boiled eggs tasting fresh, we suggest adding them to your salad just before serving or in the morning before packing your lunch to go. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019 10 of 22 Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowls View Recipe Transform canned chicken noodle soup into quick ramen bowls by adding fresh ginger, crunchy vegetables, herbs and a jammy soft-boiled egg. Look for a low-sodium soup that has 450 mg sodium or less per serving. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2019 11 of 22 Asian-Style Chicken Salad Bowls View Recipe Everything you need (just 4 ingredients!) to prepare a week's worth of healthy, low-carb lunches can be found at your neighborhood grocery store. A bag of prechopped red and green cabbage serves as the crunchy low-carb base in these chicken salad bowls, which only require 10 minutes to assemble. Top with sesame-flavored almonds and a sesame dressing and you have one irresistible lunch you'll look forward to all week. Shopping at Trader Joe's? See Tip (below) for our product recommendations. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019 12 of 22 Pickle Sub Sandwiches with Turkey & Cheddar View Recipe Cut down on carbs by swapping out the bread for slices of pickle to make these fun turkey and Cheddar sandwiches. Roma tomatoes are the perfect oblong shape for these mini sandwiches but feel free to use regular tomatoes--simply cut the slices in half so they fit nicely on the pickle sandwich. These sandwiches are an easy lunch, but they're also great on a party tray for a casual get-together. Source: EatingWell.com, October 2019 13 of 22 Thai-Style Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu View Recipe Prep four days' worth of high-protein vegan lunches using just four easy ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, including a veggie-heavy salad mix as a base. Because this salad mix is hearty, you can dress these bowls up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors in this healthy chopped salad to marry. If you can't find a hearty mix, go with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts. Source: EatingWell.com, September 2019 14 of 22 Mexican Spaghetti Squash Meal-Prep Bowls View Recipe Set yourself up for a week of super-satisfying lunches with these south of the border-style meal-prep bowls. We took one of our favorite recipes, Mexican Stuffed Acorn Squash (see Associated Recipes) and repurposed the filling into a tasty topping for low-carb spaghetti squash. The Mexican-inspired seasoning blend adds a lot of flavor easily, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and queso fresco finishes the dish. Source: EatingWell.com, August 2019 15 of 22 Chicken-Corn Tortilla Soup View Recipe Using bone-in chicken thighs in this soup ensures the meat stays moist over the long cooking time. Not only are chicken thighs inherently juicier than breast meat, but cooking chicken on the bone also helps it stay succulent. Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook 16 of 22 Cauliflower Grilled Cheese Sandwiches View Recipe Turn a comfort food classic into a healthier low-carb version packed with veggies. We use cauliflower rice to make gluten-free toast that holds together this green chile grilled cheese sandwich for a delicious and healthy dinner. Source: EatingWell.com, November 2018 17 of 22 Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad View Recipe A simple dressing, using yogurt rather than mayo, moistens the chicken in this tasty lightened-up chicken salad. Plus, it's flavor-packed thanks to a quick-to-fix honey mustard. Whip up a batch while you're meal prepping for easy, packable lunches. Source: EatingWell.com, September 2018 18 of 22 Cucumber Turkey Sub Sandwich View Recipe When you're craving a sub but you don't want all the carbs, these turkey-and-cheese deli sandwiches on cucumber rolls are a healthy alternative. Hollow out a cucumber and fill it up with your favorite sandwich fillings for a crisp sub with less carbs and calories. Plus, you can easily pack these up for work, school or a picnic--no soggy bread! Source: EatingWell.com, December 2017 19 of 22 Cauliflower Soup View Recipe A healthy take on a loaded baked potato, this creamy cauliflower soup recipe has all the fixings of a loaded potato (bacon included) but for way fewer calories and carbs. Ready in a quick 20 minutes, this easy soup is great for busy weeknights or can be meal prepped ahead of time to take for lunch or frozen for a ready-made meal down the road. This recipe was originally made for one serving but can be easily adapted to serve more. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine 20 of 22 Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados View Recipe Looking for a clean, packable lunch for work? This healthy homemade chicken salad served inside an avocado instead of with bread is just the ticket. Plus, this recipe makes enough for ready-made lunches for the week! If you have leftover cooked chicken on hand, skip Step 1 and use about 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken in Step 2. Source: EatingWell.com, April 2017 21 of 22 Tomato Bun Tuna Melt View Recipe Make a bun out of a tomato in this healthy low-carb tuna melt recipe that swaps bread for veggies. You save 23 grams of carbohydrate and get 1 veggie serving while you're at it! Source: EatingWell.com, December 2017 22 of 22 Middle Eastern Salad Bowls with Farro & Chicken View Recipe We're pairing two shortcut products you can likely find at your local specialty grocery store--Middle Eastern bean salad and microwaveable farro--to add protein, fiber and satisfying texture to these high-protein lunch bowls. To cut down on prep time, we're also using preseasoned grilled chicken breasts from the refrigerated section, bottled balsamic vinaigrette and a few other ready-to-use ingredients to make these quick and easy meal-prep lunches. Source: EatingWell.com, September 2019 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit