Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Healthy Lunch Recipes 15 Cold Lunch Recipes Ready in 10 Minute or Less By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 8, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Whether you want to avoid the office microwave or need something easy for lunch, these meals are just the solution. In 10 minutes or less, you can have one of these delicious salads, wraps, smoothie bowls and more ready to throw in the refrigerator for later or eat right away. Recipes like our Chickpea Salad Sandwich and Green Goddess Tuna Salad ensure lunchtime is a quick, healthy and refreshing experience. 01 of 15 Tomato Sandwich Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman This classic tomato sandwich features a lovely combination of sweet juicy tomatoes and herby cream cheese. You can make a big batch of the cream cheese mixture and have it on hand to spread on bagels or crackers. For a boost of protein, add smoked salmon or sliced turkey or chicken. View Recipe 02 of 15 Cucumber-Chicken Green Goddess Wrap Brie Passano This quick and easy wrap rolls up and is ready for a casual, stationary lunch or a meal on the go, with protein from chicken to keep you going. The green goddess dressing is creamy with cheese and avocado and bright from lemon and herbs. Cucumber and carrots add color and crunch to this healthy, robust whole-wheat wrap. View Recipe 03 of 15 Chia Smoothie Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This fiber-rich chia smoothie is sweet and tangy, with a velvety texture thanks to nutritious chia seeds that expand as they combine with liquid. View Recipe 04 of 15 Green Goddess Tuna Salad Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Canned tuna makes this recipe convenient and pantry-friendly while also offering an impressive punch of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sardines or mackerel would work just as well in this quick recipe. Use the remaining herb sauce as a dressing for salads or grain bowls, as a spread on sandwiches or as a dip for vegetables. This recipe is easily doubled to make a big batch to meal-prep for the week. Serve on bread or in a wrap, over a bed of greens or scooped up with your favorite chips, crackers or cucumber slices. View Recipe 05 of 15 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. View Recipe 06 of 15 Chickpea Salad Sandwich Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It's got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch. View Recipe 07 of 15 Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman This easy vegetarian cucumber sandwich draws flavor inspiration from elote, the Mexican street corn dish. Instead of corn, we flavor cucumber slices with cotija cheese, lime and cilantro for a tasty filling. Cotija cheese, a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese, is similar in flavor and texture to feta cheese, which can be used as a substitute. Arugula adds a peppery flavor, but any tender greens will work well here. View Recipe 08 of 15 Cream Cheese & Veggie Roll-Up Jacob Fox With sliced vegetables, a whole-wheat tortilla and baby spinach, these roll-ups make the perfect healthy lunch for your kids to take to school. View Recipe 09 of 15 Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie This creamy, rich strawberry-chocolate smoothie will satisfy any chocolate cravings. It's so decadent you might want it as a dessert, too. View Recipe 10 of 15 Black Bean-Avocado Wrap Sara Haas Plain yogurt is a great base for dressing. Pairing it with prepared salsa is an easy way to add flavor to canned black beans, which can be a bit bland. An added boost of herby cilantro and slightly spicy pepper Jack cheese ensures this healthy, five-minute lunch idea packs plenty of flavor. View Recipe 11 of 15 Antioxidant-Packed Black Forest Smoothie Bowl Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Celebrate the classic combo of chocolate and cherries with this spoonable smoothie bowl. Tangy dark cherries provide a tart blunt to sweet bananas and creamy whole-milk yogurt. Unsweetened cocoa provides all the earthy goodness of chocolate without any additional sugar. Plus, cocoa and cherries are both rich with antioxidants, which may improve heart health and support healthy aging, respectively. Top with dark chocolate curls for a beautiful topping, or sprinkle on cocoa nibs for a faster finish. View Recipe 12 of 15 Fig & Goat Cheese Salad The sweet-and-savory combination of the figs and earthy goat cheese will surely satisfy the palate. If you can't find dried figs, try swapping in dried apricots. View Recipe 13 of 15 Shrimp Niçoise Meal-Prep Bowls This low-carb meal-prep version of the classic composed salad comes together in about 10 minutes thanks to a handful of shortcut ingredients, like pretrimmed green beans and prepared olive tapenade. With a whopping 41 grams of protein per serving, these bowls will keep hunger at bay all afternoon. To switch things up, feel free to swap in canned tuna or leftover roasted salmon for the shrimp. We love going to Trader Joe's for fast shortcut ingredients--see Tip (below) for our product recommendations. View Recipe 14 of 15 Low-Carb Chicken & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps Jennifer Causey 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). The hardest part of this 10-minute recipe is rolling the sandwich, but our parchment paper trick makes it infinitely simpler. View Recipe 15 of 15 High-Fiber Matcha Green Smoothie Bowl EatingWell Matcha powder and spinach give this healthy smoothie bowl a beautiful green hue. If you don't have spinach on hand, try swapping in another dark leafy green like kale. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit