Say goodbye to lunchtime stress this month—we’ve done the planning for you! These quick and easy lunch options are prepared in just 15 minutes or less, allowing you to enjoy a healthy meal with minimal effort. Plus, they highlight delicious spring produce like kale and carrots. Try hassle-free recipes like our Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chicken & Fresh Berries and our 5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles.
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Mozzarella, Tomato & Prosciutto Sandwich
This prosciutto sandwich takes the classic ham-and-cheese sandwich to a new level with savory prosciutto and fresh, creamy mozzarella. The toasted bread adds a nice crispiness that complements the softness of the fillings. If you want to enhance the basil flavor even more, a smear of pesto on the toasted bread will do the trick.
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Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chicken & Fresh Berries
If you’re packing this grain bowl for work, combine the dressing ingredients in a small container. When you’re ready to eat, shake the dressing well, add it to the salad and toss. If you don’t have time to make a homemade dressing, use 3 tablespoons of store-bought olive oil vinaigrette. Keep prep time short by using rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken) and a pouch of microwavable quinoa.
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Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
These 5-ingredient quesadillas take just 10 minutes to make. Using pre-sliced onions and peppers plus a taco seasoning blend helps keep the ingredient list (and prep time) short. If you like a little heat, use pepper Jack cheese in the filling.
Steak Enchilada Skillet
This one-skillet dinner is a breeze to pull together, making it perfect for busy weeknights—plus it’s easy to build and adjust to taste for picky eaters. Flour tortillas are cooked right in the skillet with everything else. Add them gradually to prevent them from sticking together. For a slightly different flavor and firmer texture, swap out the flour tortillas for corn tortillas.
5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles
Nutty soba noodles team up with peanut butter in this easy vegetarian pasta dish. Chile-garlic sauce adds nice heat, while lime juice and zest brighten the flavor. Enjoy this quick dish warm, or serve it chilled for an easy lunch. We like the firm texture and flavor of soba noodles, but regular whole-wheat pasta will work well too. For a boost of protein, serve with shredded chicken or shrimp or tofu.
Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco
This chicken, spinach and feta wrap recipe is elevated by the convenience of rotisserie chicken and the scrumptious flavor of sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk together the easy dressing, toss with the chicken, add spinach and wrap it all together for a delicious lunch or dinner. Using rotisserie chicken speeds up the process, but you can also reach for this recipe if you have leftover cooked chicken on hand.
Crunchy Veggie Wraps
These vegetarian wraps pack perfectly for school or office lunches.
Turkey Meatball & Feta Lunchbox
This easy lunchbox lunch is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean, including feta, hummus and cucumber. Turkey meatballs are dipped in a homemade creamy yogurt-dill sauce, but ranch dressing would also work well in its place.
Chicken & Cabbage Bowls with Sesame Dressing
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Prop stylist: Holly Dreesman, Food stylist: Gabriel Greco
Four convenience products are all you need to prepare these tasty bowls. A bag of shredded coleslaw serves as the base that’s topped with seasoned chicken strips, crunchy flavored almonds and a drizzle of sesame dressing. Leftover chicken can easily stand in for the chicken strips. Traditional cabbage coleslaw works well, as does broccoli slaw for a slightly different look and flavor.
Braised Lentils & Kale with Fried Eggs
These braised lentils are cooked with tender kale and bathed in a fire-roasted tomato broth with an egg on top to pack in the protein. Microwaveable lentils need just a short time in the pan to finish cooking. If you have cooked or canned lentils on hand, you can use them in their place, but you may have to shave a few minutes off the cooking time so they don’t get too soft. We like how the soft, runny yolk coats the dish. If you want a harder yolk, cover the pan and add 2 or 3 minutes to the cooking time.
High-Protein Tex-Mex Chicken Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Make this grab-and-go Tex-Mex–inspired soup when you have leftover chicken, or use rotisserie chicken for this easy meal-prep soup. The frozen pepper-onion mix adds flavor and saves time in the kitchen, while the black beans add fiber and protein. Combine everything but the broth ahead of time, then add it and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with liquid broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water.
White Bean & Avocado Sandwich
White beans mash seamlessly into a creamy protein-packed spread for a satisfying healthy sandwich that makes for an easy lunch or dinner. Mix it up by trying it with canned chickpeas or black beans. This vegetarian sandwich recipe is also a fiber superstar: avocado, beans, greens and whole-wheat bread team up to give it 15 grams of fiber, more than half of what most women should aim for in a day.
Fiber-Packed Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad
In this light and refreshing salad, we season white beans with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend which features cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cardamom and ground black and red pepper. If you prefer a creamier texture, gently mash some of the beans as you stir everything together. The bean salad is served on a bed of lightly dressed spinach that pairs well with the beans, but also grilled chicken or steak kebabs on another night.
Tomato & Burrata Sandwich
This easy sandwich is a harmony of flavors that you can toss together for a quick lunch or dinner. Fresh heirloom tomato pairs well with the slightly salty, creamy burrata and tangy balsamic vinegar. Be sure to toast the ciabatta, as it adds a welcome crunch and keeps the bread from getting soggy. If you’re looking to add more protein to the sandwich, sliced deli meat like chicken or turkey would be delicious.
High-Protein Tuna & Chickpea Salad Sandwich Is Lunchtime Perfection
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
This zesty tuna sandwich gets an extra boost of protein from chickpeas. Smashing some of the chickpeas into the tuna enhances the texture and helps hold the filling together. The combo of garlic and Sriracha adds a delightful kick, but feel free to opt for an alternative hot sauce of your preference or skip it altogether for a milder flavor.
Cucumber Salad, Hummus & Pita Bento Box Lunch
Enjoy this refreshing bento box idea on your lunch break. It combines cucumber salad, hummus, pita and more for a satisfying work lunch.
Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Feta & Lemon
This cucumber chickpea salad with feta and lemon is tangy and refreshing. You can enjoy it on its own or toss it with greens for an easy lunch or dinner. We love the grassy flavor of dill, but another fresh herb like oregano, parsley or chives will work well in its place.
Spinach-Tortellini Soup
When you need a quick and flavorful dinner, turn to this easy tortellini soup with spinach. Refrigerated cheese tortellini bulk up the soup and cook in just minutes. The tortellini can be delicate, so be careful when stirring the soup to avoid them falling apart.
Tuna & Olive Spinach Salad
This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.
Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Radish-Apple Slaw
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
We coat slices of tofu with sesame seeds for a delightfully crunchy crust and serve them with a tangy, refreshing slaw. We love the look of black and white sesame seeds combined, but if you have only one variety on hand, that will work well too. Serve this ultra-quick recipe with brown rice or soba noodles on the side.
Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps
These chicken Caesar salad wraps make for a quick, easy lunch or dinner. We like a mix of romaine and kale for texture and color, but you can use one or the other if you prefer. Romaine will not hold well once dressed, so we recommend making this wrap up to 1 day in advance or the leaves will get soggy. Parmesan crisps act as another crouton-like element—use store-bought crisps or make your own with our .
Gut-Healthy Miso Cup Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This miso soup is packed with gut-healthy ingredients like miso, a fermented paste that may improve digestion plus reduce gas and bloating. The base of the soup is prepared in advance and stored in separate containers. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply add the broth and heat it in the microwave. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water. Cover and let the soup stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Tangy Chicken Salad with Grapes
Sweet red grapes and crunchy celery make this chicken salad sing, and also balance out the slight tang from the yogurt and lemon. But go ahead and customize the mix-ins with whatever you desire (perhaps some chopped nuts or dried fruit) because this chicken salad recipe is easily adaptable. We use rotisserie chicken (look for unseasoned to keep sodium in check!) to simplify things, but any leftover cooked chicken will work.
Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas
In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.
3-Ingredient Salmon & Veggie Sandwich
Photographer: Carson Downing, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
This 3-ingredient salmon sandwich recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked veggies and salmon (you can also use canned salmon). Pulling out the insides of the bread makes a nice pocket for the filling. Use those bread pieces to make breadcrumbs or croutons.
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich
A classic grilled cheese sandwich is dressed up with slices of fresh tomato. Lunch was never so quick and easy.
The Best Egg Salad Recipe for Sandwiches
Creamy, crunchy and satisfying, this healthy egg salad recipe is the perfect choice for sandwiches, wraps and more. The filling spread can be made ahead of time, which makes this recipe great for meal prep.
Garlic-Ginger Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
These super-savory lettuce wraps feature a mix of mushrooms and plenty of peanuts for crunch. Refrigerated garlic and ginger pastes help keep prep to a minimum. If you want a boost of vegetarian protein, stir in a scrambled egg or crumbled tofu after the mushrooms are done cooking and before you add the sauce.
Anti-Inflammatory Beet & Avocado Wrap
Packed with fiber and monounsaturated fats, avocados are . Combined with beets, which contain their own inflammation-fighting phytochemicals, you’ll get a lunch that packs a healthy punch. The tahini-lemon mixture adds brightness and a nutty flavor to the wrap. To julienne beets, cut them into thin rounds, then slice the rounds into matchsticks. Or to save time, simply grate the beets on the largest holes of a box grater.
Bell Pepper & Feta Chickpea Salad
This easy no-cook chickpea salad comes together quickly, making it the perfect choice on busy days. Red-wine vinegar brightens the dish, while feta adds a tangy, slightly salty flavor.
Cucumber Salad Sandwich
Who said you couldn’t put a salad on a sandwich? Flavor this creamy cucumber filling with your favorite fresh herbs, tangy feta cheese and lemon. Salting the cucumber then patting it dry removes some of the moisture from the cucumber so the filling doesn’t make the bread too soggy. If you like crispy bread, toast it first for extra crunch.