For busy weekdays, preparing meals ahead of time can really make life easier. These lunch recipes are high in protein and lower in carbs to keep you fueled until dinner time. Plus, they’re perfect for making ahead of time, so you’ll have one less thing to worry about during busier weeks. Options like our Everything Bagel Tuna Salad and our Crustless Spinach & Asparagus Quiche with Gruyère will make it easy and delicious to have healthy meals for lunch.
Everything Bagel Tuna Salad
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
The classic lunchtime favorite gets a flavorful upgrade. A mix of mayonnaise and strained (Greek-style) yogurt keeps it creamy, while Dijon mustard and lemon juice add brightness. Capers and everything bagel seasoning bring a salty, savory punch that pairs perfectly with flaky tuna. Enjoy it on toast, piled onto greens or tucked into a sandwich for an easy, protein-packed meal.
Crustless Spinach & Asparagus Quiche with Gruyère
This light but filling crustless spinach-and-asparagus quiche features plenty of spring vegetables baked with richly flavored Gruyère cheese.
Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps
Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley
These tuna salad lettuce wraps are a fun, anti-inflammatory-friendly lunch idea. Tuna provides protein and omega-3 fatty acids, while the addition of strained (Greek-style) yogurt in the dressing helps amp up the protein. These wraps are packed with chopped apple, onion and celery to provide a welcome crunch.
Chicken Salad–Stuffed Avocados
This healthy homemade chicken salad served inside an avocado instead of bread makes enough for easy lunches throughout the week!
Ham & Spinach Quiche
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser
This quiche skips the crust, making it incredibly easy to pull together even on short notice. Swap out the Cheddar cheese for Gruyère or use Swiss chard in place of the spinach for a slightly different spin.
Lemon-Dill Tuna Salad
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower
This lemon-dill tuna salad packs plenty of protein and gets a boost of flavor from sumac—a spice used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African cooking that adds a citrusy touch, enhancing the lemon flavor without overshadowing the other ingredients.
Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This recipe produces a large batch of sweet-and-spicy ground chicken studded with crunchy cashews and celery—making it great for easy weeknight entertaining or meal prepping.
Crustless Caprese Quiche
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This light and fluffy crustless quiche is dotted with tomatoes, little bites of melty mozzarella and savory pesto. And the best part—it’s mixed, assembled and baked in a pie plate for easy cleanup.
Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette
Ali Redmond
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.
Spinach & Mushroom Quiche
Photographer: Jen Causey
This vegetarian quiche is as simple as it gets, filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Enjoy it for breakfast or brunch, or serve it with a light salad for lunch.
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.
Chicken Curry Cup of Noodles
This cup soup is packed with flavor, thanks to a spoonful of Thai red curry paste. Zucchini noodles have a tender versatile flavor that makes them not only versatile in soup recipes but also add in some veggies.
Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Asparagus & Chicken Sausage
Here, we’ve swapped in riced cauliflower for regular rice and added pre-grilled asparagus, which bulks up these bowls and adds fiber. At lunchtime, just reheat to steaming, then top with a bit of pesto.
Low-Carb Chicken & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps
This fresh, crunchy wrap sandwich is brimming with vegetables, yet still delivers a satisfying amount of protein thanks to the chicken and cheese. Crisp iceberg lettuce is what keeps this wrap sandwich ultra low in carbs (just 4 grams per serving).
Chicken & Cabbage Salad Bowls with Sesame Dressing
A bag of pre-chopped 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.
Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Crustless Quiche
This crustless quiche is loaded with tender roasted tomatoes and tender asparagus. Perfect for making ahead, it makes a delicious lunch for busy days.
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