Recipes

55 Healthy Lunch Recipes and Only Some Are Salad

You could eat these lunches al desko, but they really deserve your full attention.
Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Lentil Bean and Meal
Photo by Chelsie Craig, FOOD STYLING BY KAT BOYTSOVA

Great healthy lunch recipes strike a delicate balance: They're light enough to keep you from napping but filling enough to power you through the rest of the day. It's a fine line to walk, but we've mastered the art. These 55 healthy lunch recipes are great, because most of them hit the lunch trifecta: transportable, with flexible ingredients, and easy to make ahead. Lunchtime can't come soon enough.

  • Image may contain Burger Food and Sandwich
    Photo by TED+CHELSEA CAVANAUGH, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    1/55

    Greens-and-Beans Sandwiches

    Sassed-up canned beans become a creamy layer in this vegetarian sandwich, while thick-cut feta provides something to sink your teeth into.

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  • This image may contain Food Dish Meal Salad Plant and Platter
    Photo by Alex Lau
    2/55

    Tropi-Cobb Salad

    A refreshingly fruity twist on a traditional Cobb salad.

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  • A big kale and lentil salad in a serving bowl with torn olives and strips of lemon peel.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro
    5/55

    Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad

    Here’s the answer to your question: “What can I make on Sunday night that will taste great for my desk lunch on Wednesday?”

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  • Image may contain Food Egg Plant Dish and Meal
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    6/55

    Rice Bowls with Flaky Cod

    Kedgeree often calls for smoked fish, but for a light weeknight meal, we prefer steaming fresh fish right on top of the rice.

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  • Image may contain Burger Food and Sandwich
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle
    7/55

    Kale Reuben

    Skipping the corned beef in a cooked greens-packed Reuben shouldn’t feel (or taste) like a bummer. Happy to say this one doesn’t.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable and Bean
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Chris Morocco, Prop Styling by Bea Chastka
    8/55

    Grain Salad With Pickled Onions and Herbs

    Freekeh is green wheat with a slightly smoky flavor we love, but any whole grain you have on hand will work.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant and Platter
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li
    9/55

    Vegetarian Taco Bowls

    We took inspiration from picadillo, a saucy spiced ground meat dish packed with flavor, and thought, Why not give tofu a similar treatment?

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  • Desk dip with eggs and sweet potatoes curried peanut dip
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova
    10/55

    Curried Peanut Dip

    This creamy, spicy-sweet dip pairs with leftover rotisserie chicken, jammy eggs, cucumber spears, and roasted sweet potatoes for the perfect desk-friendly lunch.

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