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  6. 24 Diabetes-Friendly Lunches You'll Want to Make Forever

24 Diabetes-Friendly Lunches You'll Want to Make Forever

portrait of Dani
Danielle DeAngelis Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD July 08, 2022
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
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Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema

Whip up one of these delicious lunches each rated for four and five stars. Whether you're in the mood for a refreshing salad or zesty grain bowl, there's a fan-favorite recipe in this list for you. Each dish focuses on complex carbs like legumes and whole grains as well as limiting the saturated fat and sodium allowing them to fit seamlessly into a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. Once you try them, you'll be making recipes like our Veggie & Hummus Sandwich and Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps on repeat.

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Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing

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A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly.

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Chile-Garlic Salmon Bento Box with Avocado

Chile-Garlic Salmon Bento Box with Avocado
Credit: Charlotte and Johnny Autry
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Keeping salmon in your freezer means you always have something on hand for dinner, and—bonus!—you can cook it from frozen as we do here.

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Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios

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Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup!

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Veggie & Hummus Sandwich

Veggie & Hummus Sandwich
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This mile-high vegetable and hummus sandwich makes the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch to go. Mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables depending on your mood.

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Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema

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Pile vegetables and black beans onto crisp tostadas and top them off with lime crema for a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love. Charring the vegetables under the broiler infuses them with smoky flavor while cooking them quickly.

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Vegan Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Green Sauce

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In a vegan riff on green goddess dressing, cashews provide a creamy base with tons of flavor from herbs and apple-cider vinegar. Drizzle it all over this bowl of quinoa and roasted vegetables to make a satisfying vegan dinner or easy packable lunch that is ready in just 30 minutes.

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Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

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This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.

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Avocado-Egg Toast

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Try it once and we think you'll agree: Topping avocado toast with an egg is a near-perfect breakfast.

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Salmon Rice Bowl

Salmon Rice Bowl
Credit: Ali Redmond
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Inspired by the viral TikTok trend, this tasty bowl makes for a satisfying lunch or dinner. With a handful of healthy ingredients, like instant brown rice, heart-healthy salmon and lots of crunchy veggies, you'll have a filling and flavorful meal in just 25 minutes. Looking to cut down on carbs? Try swapping in riced cauliflower in place of the brown rice.

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Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

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This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.

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Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

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This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.

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Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Salmon-Stuffed Avocados
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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.

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Big Beautiful Summer Salad

plate with microgreens, radishes, avocado
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This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.

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Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing
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For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

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You might not think to use hummus as a pasta sauce, but the creamy dip makes the perfect backdrop to the bold flavors of this healthy Mediterranean-inspired pasta salad.

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Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

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A bold, smoky marinade elevates roasted cauliflower in this meal-prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos (see Associated Recipes). To cut down on prep time, look for precut cauliflower in the produce department. You can also save time by using microwaveable quinoa pouches (you'll need one 8-ounce pouch for this recipe) instead of cooking quinoa.

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No-Cook Black Bean Salad

No-Cook Black Bean Salad
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A classic black bean salad is a must for picnics and potlucks. This vegan version gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick.

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Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich

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In this healthy chicken sandwich recipe, the avocado is mashed to create a healthy creamy spread.

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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

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This scrumptious and healthy salad combines elements of Caesar salad, pasta salad and chicken salad for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes (and most of the prep can be done ahead). Use your blender to whip together the tangy buttermilk-based dressing, which would also be great on a salmon or chickpea salad.

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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

Vegan Superfood Buddha Bowls
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This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

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Stuffed Potatoes with Salsa & Beans

stuffed potatoes with salsa
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Taco night meets baked potato night with this simple recipe for loaded baked potatoes with salsa, beans and avocado. This easy, healthy family dinner comes together with just 10 minutes of active time, so you can make it on even the busiest of weeknights. This recipe is just as delicious with sweet potatoes in place of russets.

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Lemon Shrimp & Orzo Salad

Lemon Shrimp & Orzo Salad
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Consider making a double batch of this easy pasta salad--it's delicious the next day. The orzo will absorb the dressing as it sits, so add a little more olive oil and lemon juice if you'd like.

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Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil

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Roasted sweet potatoes are paired with spinach, cabbage and white beans and tossed together with a bright basil dressing in this healthy main dish salad.

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Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl

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This flavorful burrito bowl features grilled chicken coated in a spicy chipotle glaze. Loading it with vegetables and using quinoa in place of rice adds nutrition for a healthier dinner.

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    1 of 24 Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing
    2 of 24 Chile-Garlic Salmon Bento Box with Avocado
    3 of 24 Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios
    4 of 24 Veggie & Hummus Sandwich
    5 of 24 Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema
    6 of 24 Vegan Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Green Sauce
    7 of 24 Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
    8 of 24 Avocado-Egg Toast
    9 of 24 Salmon Rice Bowl
    10 of 24 Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple
    11 of 24 Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna
    12 of 24 Salmon-Stuffed Avocados
    13 of 24 Big Beautiful Summer Salad
    14 of 24 Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing
    15 of 24 Mediterranean Pasta Salad
    16 of 24 Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls
    17 of 24 No-Cook Black Bean Salad
    18 of 24 Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich
    19 of 24 Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
    20 of 24 Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls
    21 of 24 Stuffed Potatoes with Salsa & Beans
    22 of 24 Lemon Shrimp & Orzo Salad
    23 of 24 Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil
    24 of 24 Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl

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    24 Diabetes-Friendly Lunches You'll Want to Make Forever
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