If you need something quick and nourishing for a midday meal, these simple lunches will provide just that! These tasty dishes meet our anti-inflammatory nutrition parameters by including foods like leafy greens, berries, dark-colored vegetables and legumes. An anti-inflammatory diet can help relieve pesky symptoms of inflammation like joint stiffness, mental fog and high blood pressure. Recipes like our Chickpea, Beet & Feta Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette and No-Cook White Bean & Spinach Caprese Salad only require three steps to make and are easy packable options for the work week.
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. Serve this between two pieces of whole-wheat bread as a sandwich or by itself with tender Bibb lettuce or crunchy celery sticks.
Chickpea, Beet & Feta Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
This chickpea, beet and feta salad is a vibrant blend of flavors and textures, marrying the earthy sweetness of beets with the creamy richness of feta cheese, all tied together with a zesty lemon-garlic dressing.
No-Cook White Bean & Spinach Caprese Salad
This easy white bean and spinach caprese salad features the classic combination of juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil and tangy balsamic vinegar, but adds tender white beans and fresh baby spinach to the mix. If you can’t find mozzarella pearls, cut or tear a fresh ball of mozzarella into bite-size pieces instead.
One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body.
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.
Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Beans
Loaded with roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, black beans, quinoa, feta and pepitas, this salad makes for a satisfying meatless meal. Not only does massaging the kale tenderize it, it also helps the greens absorb more of the bright dressing.
Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Spicy baby arugula pairs with crisp Persian cucumbers and celery in this refreshing salad. Italian Castelvetrano olives offer a mild, buttery flavor that doesn’t compete with the flavor of the tuna. If you want more punch from your olives, Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives work well too.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night.
Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil
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.
Vegetarian Protein Bowl
This vegetarian protein bowl has everything you need for a complete meal in one bowl. Beans not only boost protein but also add creaminess to the farro mixture. Chimichurri sauce brightens the dish.
Green Goddess Sandwich
This green goddess sandwich is a fresh and satisfying sandwich. The dressing packs a flavorful punch with capers and lemon juice. The cucumber and sprouts add nice crunch, and the seasoned avocado brings in the creaminess.
Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios
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!
Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad
This easy salad recipe allows for a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can’t find it, you can use romaine instead.
Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing
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.
Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing
This kale-quinoa salad pops with different flavors and textures. Massaging the kale helps break down its fibrous nature, while add-ins like toasted almonds, feta and cucumber add crunch and saltiness.
Power Greens Salad with Baked Tofu & Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette
This plant-based main-dish salad packs a powerful punch of greens, nutrients and flavor. Add healthy protein with convenient baked tofu slices, which have a firm texture that is well suited to salads and sandwiches. Sprinkle on a little crunch with slivered almonds, and just a hint of tropical sweetness with unsweetened coconut. The vinaigrette rounds out the dish with tangy-sweet kick.
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