Healthy lunch ideas: 30 recipes with calories and protein per serving

What makes a lunch healthy on this list?

On this list, a lunch is healthy when one serving passes the IZeat healthy check: at least 20 g of protein and at least 80 g of vegetables, fruit or legumes, both computed from its grams, and the page checks every recipe against it. The ranking lists of healthy lunches, such as Love and Lemons' 41 recipes or Food Network's 64, give no number for "healthy". Health sources describe a plate instead: Harvard Health puts roughly half of it as vegetables or fruit, a quarter lean protein and a quarter whole grains; BistroMD uses the same split, and Brown Health names fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. All checked October 28, 2026.

The check turns that plate into two numbers you can verify. 80 g is what the NHS counts as one portion of fruit and vegetables; the NHS counts sweet potatoes but not potatoes, and the check follows it. In the check, beans, chickpeas, lentils and edamame count as legumes, and tofu is not counted. 20 g of protein is the floor the high protein meals list uses. By weight, 18 of the 30 lunches are at least half vegetables, fruit or legumes; weight is not the plate's area, so this is a guide, not Harvard's measure. Sodium, saturated fat and added sugar are not computed, so their limits are not checked.

Each recipe is for one serving: the ingredients in grams, then a few steps under its name below each table. Calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat are added up from those grams with the values per 100 g of USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, for the generic food, not a brand. Each ingredient names its state, raw, cooked or canned, because the figures differ. Cooking oil is counted where a recipe uses it; salt, herbs and spices are not. Vegetarian here means no meat or fish; parmesan and some other cheeses are made with animal rennet, so check the label if that matters to you.

IZeat wrote these recipes and computed their figures from USDA values; creators' tested versions will replace them as they are published.

Which healthy salads work for lunch?

These 8 salads put a protein food, chicken, tuna, salmon, shrimp, turkey, eggs, chickpeas or lentils, on a base of greens, beans or grains, and dress it with weighed oil and citrus. The salmon, avocado and cucumber salad has the fewest calories of the group, 274 kcal.

Salmon, avocado and cucumber salad (no cooking)

1. Chop the lettuce and cucumber and slice the avocado.
2. Top with the drained, flaked salmon and dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Shrimp, black bean and avocado salad

1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the shrimp until pink and opaque all the way through, then let them cool.
2. Toss the lettuce, the rinsed black beans, the chopped tomatoes and the diced avocado with the lime juice.
3. Top with the shrimp.

Chicken and cabbage salad with peanut dressing (no cooking)

1. Whisk the peanut butter with the soy sauce, the lime juice and a spoon of water.
2. Toss the shredded cabbage, the grated carrot, the edamame and the sliced scallions with the dressing.
3. Top with the sliced chicken.

Turkey, egg and avocado cobb salad

1. Cook the turkey in a dry non-stick pan until cooked through, then cool and dice it.
2. Lay the chopped lettuce in a bowl and arrange the turkey, the chopped egg, tomatoes and avocado in rows.
3. Grate the cheddar over and dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Tuna Niçoise-style salad

1. Boil the potato, cut into pieces, and the green beans until tender, then cool them in cold water.
2. Arrange them with the drained tuna, the quartered tomatoes and the halved egg.
3. Dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Chicken, quinoa and kale salad (no cooking)

1. Strip the kale from its stems, chop it and rub it with the lemon juice and olive oil until it softens.
2. Add the quinoa, the diced pepper and the sliced chicken.
3. Crumble the feta over.

Lentil, spinach and walnut salad with feta (vegetarian) (no cooking)

1. Mix the cooked lentils with the spinach and the chopped tomatoes.
2. Dress with the olive oil and lemon juice, then add the crumbled feta and the chopped walnuts.

Chickpea, cucumber and feta salad with egg (vegetarian) (no cooking)

1. Rinse the chickpeas and mix them with the chopped cucumber and tomatoes.
2. Crumble the feta over, add the quartered egg and dress with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Which healthy wraps and sandwiches work for lunch?

These 7 wraps and sandwiches pack well: a tortilla or bread around chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon, eggs or beans, with Greek yogurt, hummus or avocado in place of mayonnaise, and vegetables inside or on the side.

Salmon and cucumber open sandwich (no cooking)

1. Mash the drained salmon with the Greek yogurt, the lemon juice and the sliced scallions.
2. Spread it over the bread, top with the sliced cucumber and eat the tomatoes on the side.

Tuna and Greek yogurt sandwich with cucumber (no cooking)

1. Mix the drained tuna with the Greek yogurt and the finely chopped celery.
2. Fill the bread with the tuna, the lettuce and the sliced tomato, and eat the cucumber on the side.

Egg and cottage cheese salad sandwich (vegetarian) (no cooking)

1. Chop the eggs and mix them with the cottage cheese.
2. Fill the bread with the egg salad, the lettuce and the sliced tomato and cucumber.

Turkey, hummus and vegetable wrap

1. Cook the turkey in a dry non-stick pan until cooked through, then slice it.
2. Spread the hummus over the tortilla, add the spinach, the turkey and the vegetables cut into strips, and roll it up.

Chicken Caesar wrap with a yogurt dressing (no cooking)

1. Stir the Greek yogurt with the lemon juice and the grated parmesan.
2. Toss the chopped lettuce and tomatoes in the dressing, add the sliced chicken and roll it all in the tortilla.

Chicken, avocado and black bean wrap (no cooking)

1. Mash the avocado with the Greek yogurt and spread it over the tortilla.
2. Add the lettuce, the sliced chicken, the black beans and the chopped tomatoes, then roll it up.

Black bean and sweet potato quesadilla (vegetarian)

1. Dice the sweet potato and boil or steam it until tender, then mash it lightly with the black beans.
2. Spread the mixture over half the tortilla, add the spinach and the grated cheddar, fold and cook in a dry pan until golden on both sides.
3. Serve with the Greek yogurt.

Which healthy bowls work for lunch?

These 8 bowls layer a grain or cauliflower rice, a protein food, vegetables and a sauce. They keep in the fridge for a lunch the next day, with the sauce packed apart.

Shrimp and black bean cauliflower rice bowl

1. Grate the cauliflower into small grains and cook it in a covered pan with a splash of water until tender.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the shrimp until pink and opaque all the way through.
3. Serve the shrimp over the cauliflower rice with the warmed black beans, the chopped tomatoes, the avocado and the lime juice.

Sweet potato, lentil and kale bowl with yogurt (vegetarian)

1. Dice the sweet potato, toss it with the oil and roast until tender.
2. Wilt the chopped kale in a pan with a splash of water and warm the cooked lentils.
3. Serve them together with the Greek yogurt, seasoned with the lemon juice.

Turkey taco bowl

1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the finely chopped turkey with taco spices until cooked through.
2. Fill a bowl with the warmed rice, the shredded lettuce and the chopped tomatoes.
3. Top with the turkey, the grated cheddar and the Greek yogurt.

Egg, edamame and avocado rice bowl (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry or soft-scramble the eggs until set.
2. Cook the edamame from frozen and wilt the spinach in the same water, then drain them.
3. Serve everything over the warmed rice with the sliced avocado and the soy sauce.

Chicken fajita rice bowl

1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the sliced chicken, pepper and onion with fajita spices until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Warm the rice and the black beans.
3. Fill a bowl with the rice, the beans, the chicken and vegetables and the chopped tomatoes, and squeeze the lime juice over.

Mediterranean chickpea quinoa bowl (vegetarian) (no cooking)

1. Grate a little of the cucumber into the Greek yogurt with the lemon juice to make a quick tzatziki.
2. Fill a bowl with the quinoa, the rinsed chickpeas and the rest of the cucumber and the tomatoes, chopped.
3. Top with the tzatziki and the crumbled feta, and drizzle the oil over.

Peanut tofu and vegetable bowl (vegan)

1. Cube the tofu and brown it in a non-stick pan, then steam the broccoli.
2. Whisk the peanut butter with the soy sauce, the lime juice and a spoon of water.
3. Serve the tofu and broccoli over the warmed rice with the grated carrot and the sauce.

Teriyaki-style salmon and broccoli bowl

1. Stir the soy sauce, honey and grated ginger together and brush half of it over the salmon.
2. Roast or pan-fry the salmon until it flakes and is cooked through, and steam the broccoli and edamame.
3. Serve over the warmed rice with the rest of the sauce.

Which healthy soups and stews work for lunch?

These 7 soups and stews are cooked once and reheated: chicken, turkey, cod, tofu, lentils, chickpeas or beans with vegetables in a broth or a tomato base. Beans and lentils add both protein and legumes, so they help a soup pass both parts of the check.

Ginger tofu and mushroom soup (vegan)

1. Bring two cups of water to a simmer with the grated ginger, the soy sauce and the sliced carrot.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms and the cubed tofu and simmer until the mushrooms are soft.
3. Stir in the spinach until it wilts and serve with the sliced scallions.

Cod, white bean and tomato stew

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion and garlic.
2. Add the canned tomatoes, the white beans and the diced zucchini and simmer until the zucchini is tender.
3. Lay the cod in the stew, cover and simmer until the fish flakes and is cooked through.

Chicken, white bean and kale soup

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion, carrot and celery.
2. Add the diced chicken and two cups of water and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Add the white beans and the chopped kale and simmer until the kale is tender.

Chicken tortilla soup

1. Simmer the diced chicken, the canned tomatoes, the chopped onion and pepper and two cups of water until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Add the black beans and warm them through.
3. Cut the tortilla into strips and toast them in a dry pan, then serve them on the soup with the diced avocado and the lime juice.

Turkey and black bean chili

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion and pepper.
2. Add the finely chopped turkey with chili spices and cook until it is cooked through.
3. Add the canned tomatoes and the black beans and simmer until thick.

Lentil and tomato soup with Greek yogurt (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the chopped onion and carrot.
2. Add the canned tomatoes, the cooked lentils and a cup of water and simmer until the carrot is tender, then blend if you like it smooth.
3. Serve with the Greek yogurt on top.

Chickpea minestrone with parmesan (vegetarian)

1. Heat the oil in a pot and soften the diced carrot.
2. Add the canned tomatoes, the chickpeas and two cups of water, bring to a simmer, then add the pasta and the diced zucchini.
3. Simmer until the pasta is tender, stir in the spinach and serve with the parmesan grated over.

How do you build a healthy lunch of your own?

Start from the protein food and the vegetables, then add the starch and the fat by weight. The same method made every lunch above.

1. Pick a protein food and weigh it: 100 g of roast chicken breast (31 g of protein), canned tuna (25.5 g) or turkey breast weighed raw (23.7 g) reaches 20 g on its own; two eggs (12.6 g) or 150 g of cooked lentils (13.5 g) need a second protein food, such as Greek yogurt, cheese or more beans.
2. Add at least 80 g of vegetables, fruit or legumes: a handful of greens is light, so weigh it, and add tomatoes, cucumber, peppers or beans to reach the figure.
3. Choose the starch and its portion: rice, quinoa, bread, a tortilla or pasta, or none when beans or lentils are already there.
4. Weigh the fat: 10 g of olive oil adds 88 kcal and no protein, and cheese, avocado, nuts and peanut butter add many calories per gram.

To take a lunch to work, pack the dressing or sauce apart and keep cooked foods in the fridge until you eat them. The cooking fat guide explains how to count the oil, and the raw-or-cooked guide which weight to use.

How does a healthy lunch fit into your day?

A lunch is one part of a day. The 30 lunches here range from 274 to 539 kcal per serving; how many calories and how much protein suit you depends on your age, size and activity, and the calorie calculator gives a reference. This page sets no target.

IZeat is the five-star chef calorie tracker that suggests satisfying, great-tasting meals, so you enjoy every calorie you have left. It works inside ChatGPT, Claude or any other assistant: IZeat knows your numbers for the day, which foods fill you up and what you like.

After you connect your assistant, say what you ate for lunch in one sentence. IZeat logs the meal and returns calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat for the day, with the source of each figure; with a target you chose, it shows what remains for dinner.

Where are the lunch lists for a specific need?

Recipes with at least 20 g of protein for every meal of the day are on the high protein meals list, meals of 500 kcal or less on the low calorie meals list, and snacks from 10 g of protein on the high protein snacks list. Breakfasts that pass the same check are on the healthy breakfast ideas list, and dinners on the healthy dinner ideas list. Recipes to cook once and keep in the fridge for several days are on the meal prep ideas list, and the weekly meal plan guide shows how to plan a week with them. Everyday lunches of every kind, healthy or not, each with its figures, are on the lunch ideas list. Other lunch lists by need each get their own page in the Recipes section as they are published:

• Easy lunch ideas for work are lunches that pack, travel and keep until noon: no-cook, cold meal prep and microwave lunches.
• High protein lunch ideas push the protein of each lunch higher.