Healthy Recipes Cooking Methods Quick & Easy Healthy, Quick & Easy Lunch Recipes 23 Easy High-Protein Anti-Inflammatory Lunches in 15 Minutes By Sadie Schulte Sadie Schulte Sadie Schulte is EatingWell's editorial apprentice. She attends Iowa State University, where she is a senior studying advertising and fashion communications. During her time at college, she has worked as a reporter at the campus newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, where she writes about culture and lifestyle. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 14, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Refresh your lunchtime routine with these quick and easy lunches that are ready in just 15 minutes. Plus, these meals have at least 15 grams of protein per serving and are loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients like dark leafy greens, fish, deep orange vegetables and legumes. These foods are great for combating inflammation-related symptoms like aches and pains, digestive discomfort and higher cholesterol levels, to name a few. Recipes like our Spicy Ramen Noodle Cup Soup and our Shrimp, Avocado & Feta Wrap are a convenient and satisfying way to fuel your body and meet your nutrition goals. 01 of 23 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 02 of 23 Tomato-&-Avocado Cheese Sandwich Parmesan cheese is such a bold flavor, you only need 1/4 cup to add a big punch to this vegetarian toaster-oven sandwich. Get a serving of fruit too, when you enjoy the sandwich with a fresh pear. View Recipe 03 of 23 Chicken-Quinoa Bowl with Strawberries & Pecans Charlotte & Johnny Autry This simple chicken grain bowl makes a perfect family dinner. Let everyone customize their meal by portioning the greens and grains into bowls, then serving the remaining ingredients buffet-style so eaters can pick and choose what they want to top theirs with. View Recipe 04 of 23 Spicy Ramen Noodle Cup Soup Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster In just 15 minutes, you can make three jars of vegetarian ramen cup soup that you can bring to work or school. These cup soups are not only a time saver, but are also packed with protein from hard-boiled eggs, which will help keep you satisfied until your next meal. View Recipe 05 of 23 Cabbage, Tofu & Edamame Salad Craving crunch? Bite into this salad loaded with crisp red cabbage, edamame, bamboo shoots, and chow mein noodles. This salad is slightly sweetened with baked tofu, mandarin oranges and sesame vinaigrette. View Recipe 06 of 23 Shrimp, Avocado & Feta Wrap This easy wrap makes a great healthy lunch to pack for work. Buy cooked shrimp in the seafood department at most supermarkets and grocery stores, or check the freezer section for tailed and deveined shrimp that are easy to thaw and steam. Salty feta and chopped fresh vegetables keep this easy lunchtime wrap flavorful and satisfying. View Recipe 07 of 23 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. View Recipe 08 of 23 Chicken & Apple Kale Wraps Using kale leaves instead of bread to wrap your filling makes this healthy chicken lunch recipe low-calorie (and lower in carbs!). If you can't find lacinato (aka Tuscan) kale, try cabbage for your wrap. View Recipe 09 of 23 Quick Shrimp Puttanesca Because refrigerated fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, this Italian-inspired pasta dish will be on the table lickety-split! Puttanesca, traditionally made with tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and garlic, gets shrimp for extra protein and artichoke hearts to boost the vegetable servings (and the fiber!). If you can't find frozen artichoke hearts, sub in drained canned artichoke hearts. View Recipe 10 of 23 Butternut Squash Soup with Avocado & Chickpeas Jazz up a can of soup by adding protein with chickpeas and flavor with curry powder. Stir in a little Greek yogurt to make it creamy. View Recipe 11 of 23 3-Ingredient Salmon & Veggie Sandwich Photographer: Carson Downing, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek This 3-ingredient salmon sandwich recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked veggies and salmon (you can also use canned salmon). Pulling out the insides of the bread makes a nice pocket for the filling. Use those bread pieces to make breadcrumbs or croutons. View Recipe 12 of 23 Chickpea Salad Sandwich Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn 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 13 of 23 Zucchini Noodle Bowls with Chicken Sausage & Pesto Cut down on prep time for this meal-prep zoodle recipe by using premade zucchini noodles from the produce section. Canned beans and precooked chicken sausage heat in about 5 minutes and add protein, while store-bought refrigerated pesto serves as a fast and flavorful topping. View Recipe 14 of 23 Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu & Peanut Dressing Prep four days' worth of high-protein vegan lunches using just four easy ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, including a veggie-heavy salad mix as a base. Because this salad mix is hearty, you can dress these bowls up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors in this healthy chopped salad to marry. If you can't find a hearty mix, go with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts. View Recipe 15 of 23 Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers. View Recipe 16 of 23 Kale Turkey Wraps Using kale leaves instead of bread to wrap your filling makes this healthy turkey lunch recipe low-calorie. If you can't find lacinato, also known as Tuscan kale, try cabbage for your wrap. View Recipe 17 of 23 Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl This black bean and quinoa bowl has many of the usual hallmarks of a taco salad, minus the fried bowl. We've loaded it up with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and avocado plus an easy hummus dressing to drizzle on top. View Recipe 18 of 23 Avocado Chicken Salad Caitlin Bensel This avocado chicken salad is herbaceous, bright and creamy. The blend of cilantro, dill and chives pairs nicely with fresh avocado. Enjoy this easy chicken salad over lettuce, on crackers or in a wrap. View Recipe 19 of 23 Citrus Lime Tofu Salad This veggie-packed salad has plenty of protein and fiber, so you'll feel full and satisfied. Prep the ingredients ahead of time for an easy vegan lunch idea to pack for work. View Recipe 20 of 23 Salmon-Stuffed Avocados Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal. View Recipe 21 of 23 Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Salad Shaving the vegetables for this easy salad recipe makes them deliciously tender-crisp without having to cook anything and helps them stand up to the bright homemade vinaigrette and salty Parmesan cheese. View Recipe 22 of 23 The Best Tuna Salad Recipe for Sandwiches Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle The tuna salad in this easy recipe has crunch from the celery and apple, which also delivers a hint of sweetness. We use Greek-style yogurt in place of mayonnaise to bind everything together and to add a tangy, creamy finish. You could take this up a notch and make it a "Waldorf tuna salad" by adding 2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts, 3 tablespoons quartered small grapes and 1 tablespoon additional Greek yogurt. Serve over a bed of greens or between two slices of whole-grain bread. View Recipe 23 of 23 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. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit