This month, make lunch easy with these recipes. With five ingredients or less, these lunches are simple to make and are flavorful, healthy choices for a midday meal. Recipes like our Cacio e Pepe Kale Salad or our 5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese are satisfying options you’ll look forward to all month long.
Cacio e Pepe Kale Salad
Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley
If you love the peppery, cheesy flavors of cacio e pepe, then you’ll enjoy this Cacio e Pepe Kale Salad. We give the dish a spin by using those same flavors with kale, a nutrient-rich vegetable that can help fend off chronic inflammation.
3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad
We put a flavor twist on the classic chicken salad by using a lemon-herb mayonnaise. Try other mayo varieties, like roasted garlic or chipotle lime, in this fast, no-cook lunch recipe. Serve this rotisserie chicken salad recipe with whole-grain crackers.
5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
This irresistible sandwich pairs creamy Brie cheese with a sweet-and-savory blackberry jam spread for the perfect ultra-quick lunch. You can easily double the recipe using a medium pan, or use a sandwich press if you have one on hand.
Mascarpone & Berries Toast
Creamy mascarpone is delightful when topped with mixed berries and mint for this bright-tasting, easy and healthy toast.
Berry-Green Tea Smoothie
Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley
This vibrant smoothie combines antioxidant-rich berries, green tea and omega-3-rich chia seeds with the natural sweetness of dates, blending into a delicious, healthy drink.
Cottage Cheese Toast
Ali Redmond
Say hello to our delicious and nutritious cottage cheese toast! This toast, made with whole-grain bread and topped with creamy cottage cheese, is just the beginning. We’ve added six variations, both sweet and savory, perfect for kick-starting your morning or powering through the afternoon.
Cucumber & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Wrap
This easy vegetarian wrap makes a great grab-and-go lunch for work or school. Roasted red pepper hummus adds color and a little extra flavor, but any flavor hummus will work well here. Cucumber, sprouts, salad greens or spinach all add a refreshing crunch. For a peppery kick, try using arugula.
Orange-Mango Smoothie
Ali Redmond
The vitamin C from the oranges helps support immune health, making this smoothie a great staple during cold and flu season. Plus, it tastes just like a creamsicle. If you don’t have almond milk, any other dairy or nondairy milk will work.
English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives
This pizza-inspired English muffin topped with tomato, cheese, olives and oregano does triple duty—it’s great as part of a delicious lunch.
Salsa-Topped Avocado Toast
Photography: Carson Downing, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabe Greco
Spin leftovers from taco night into this easy salsa-topped avocado toast for a quick snack or use it as a jumping-off point for breakfast by adding an egg on top. Single-serve packages of mashed avocado or guacamole can stand in for the fresh avocado.
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. 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.
Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Asparagus & Chicken Sausage
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.
3-Ingredient Brie & Jam Wrap
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Grab your favorite-flavor jam and pair it with melted Brie cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla for a sweet and savory lunch. Reheating the wrap once it’s fully assembled can get messy, so we recommend enjoying the wrap cold if you’re taking it on the go.
Berry-Mint Kefir Smoothies
Kefir is similar to yogurt, full of gut-friendly probiotics. But it has fewer carbs and a more drinkable consistency–perfect for smoothies.
Creamy Tomato Soup
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This easy soup is made with just three ingredients—perfect for a quick afternoon snack or a healthy lunch. Plus, this soup has over 20% of the daily value of vitamins A and C, two nutrients that are needed for the immune system to function properly.
Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie
Blend almond milk, strawberry and pineapple for a smoothie that’s so easy and delicious. A bit of almond butter adds richness and filling protein. Freeze some of the almond milk for an extra-icy texture.
Apple & Peanut Butter Toast
A pinch of ground cardamom punches up the flavor in this classic combo of apples and peanut butter on toast.
Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl
With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours.
Roasted Veggie Mason Jar Salad
This vegan mason jar salad is easy to pack up and take for lunch. Layering the creamy cashew sauce into the bottom of the jar ensures that your big, bold power salad won’t become wilted by the time you’re ready to eat.
Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls
In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we’re using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad, this meal-prep lunch is one you’ll get excited for.
Everything Bagel Avocado Toast
Get all the flavor of an everything bagel married with the creaminess of avocado toast in one healthy breakfast. Just toast, top, sprinkle and go for this quick morning meal when you need to get out the door fast. Want to take it up a notch? Top with a poached or fried egg.
Couscous & Chickpea Salad
Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.
Peanut Butter-Banana English Muffin
Peanut butter and banana are the original power couple. Top a simple toasted English muffin with the duo, then sprinkle everything with a hit of ground cinnamon.
Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich
Avocado is mashed to create a creamy spread and combined with tender chicken and juicy tomato slices in this tasty sandwich.
3-Ingredient Chickpeas with Kale & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes pull double duty in this chickpeas and kale recipe. Use the oil from the jar to cook the kale, then stir in the sun-dried tomatoes to add flavor and texture to the dish.
Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie
This strawberry-chocolate smoothie is so creamy and rich, you might want it as a dessert, too.
Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna
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.
Cucumber Sandwich
The English cucumber sandwich gets a healthy fiber bump with sprouted whole-grain bread. This easy open-face sandwich recipe is a great healthy snack or packable lunch idea.
Sesame Instant Ramen Noodles with Broccoli & Soft-Boiled Egg
Jazz up basic ramen noodles with toasted sesame oil, quick-cooked broccoli and a jammy soft-boiled egg. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.
Roasted Veggie & Hummus Pita Pockets
These satisfying and tasty pita-pocket sandwiches are packed with roasted veggies and greens. A spread of hummus adds creaminess and keeps everything from falling out.
