20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (2024)

With these quick lunches, a hearty grain bowl, fresh salad, filling sandwich or delicious wrap is only 10 minutes (or less) away. Not to mention, EatingWell readers have left these dishes four- and five-star reviews to let you know just how good they are. Recipes like our Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl and Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad can make lunchtime the best and tastiest time of the day.

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Cucumber Sandwich

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (1)

This creamy, crunchy cucumber sandwich recipe strikes a lovely balance between decadent and light. The cream cheese-yogurt spread complements the crisp refreshing cucumber while the hearty flavor and texture of the whole-wheat bread holds everything together.

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Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (2)

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.

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Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (3)

This simple lunch comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days.

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Roasted Veggie Mason Jar Salad

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (4)

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.

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Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime

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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.

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Zucchini Noodle Salad with Chicken

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (6)

Load up on vegetables, but not on calories, with this healthy zoodle salad. Look for zucchini noodles with other prepared vegetables in the produce section or make your own with a spiralizer.

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Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

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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.

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Buffalo Chicken Grain Bowl

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (8)

Get the flavors of spicy Buffalo chicken wings, without frying, in this nutritious couscous bowl loaded with protein and crisp veggies.

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10-Minute Tuna Melt

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This variation of a classic sandwich uses mayonnaise, but not where you think! Mayo is brushed on the outside of the sandwich in place of butter to make the sandwich golden and crispy as it heats in a skillet. Plain Greek yogurt takes mayo's place in the salad—along with crunchy celery, roasted red bell peppers and scallions—for a satisfying lunch with less saturated fat.

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Cabbage, Tofu & Edamame Salad

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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.

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Chicken Avocado BLT Wrap

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Who doesn't love a BLT? In this Mexican-inspired version, we've added chicken and avocado and wrapped it in a tortilla, making it easy to eat.

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Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (12)

A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly.

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Easy Brown Rice & Veggie Wrap

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (13)

Use leftover brown rice and roasted veggies for this easy vegan lunch idea to pack for work. To serve this wrap warm, simply pop in the microwave for about a minute to warm through.

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Chopped Cobb Salad

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This single-serving recipe for Cobb salad swaps chicken in for bacon, which makes it a great source of protein for lunch. If you prefer another salad dressing, feel free to use that instead of our honey-mustard vinaigrette.

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Caprese Avocado Toast

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Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil—the building blocks of caprese salad--lend a creative twist to a standard avocado toast recipe.

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Falafel Tabbouleh Bowls with Tzatziki

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Meal-prepping a week's worth of lunches doesn't need to take hours in the kitchen. These Greek-inspired meal-prep bowls can be prepared in just 10 minutes and only require 4 ingredients--greens, falafel, tabbouleh and tzatziki. We love going to our local specialty grocery store for fast shortcut ingredients like these. The high-fiber falafel and tabbouleh will help to keep you feeling satisfied all afternoon.

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Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Salad

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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.

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Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

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With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keeping you feeling full and satisfied for hours.

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Avocado Tuna Spinach Salad

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Avocado adds creaminess while sunflower seeds provide texture and crunch in this easy tuna-spinach salad.

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Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad

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20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (20)

Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.

20 10-Minute Lunch Recipes You'll Want to Make Forever (2024)

FAQs

What to make for lunch for picky eaters? ›

These lunch box ideas will get the thumbs up from your kids.
  • 1Ham, pineapple and pesto Turkish pizzas. ...
  • 2Easy tuna bento balls. ...
  • 3Dim sim sausage rolls. ...
  • 4Muffin pan mac 'n' cheese cups. ...
  • 5Ham and corn pasta salad. ...
  • 6Cheese and bacon milk bun tray bake. ...
  • 7Mini carbonara quiches. ...
  • 8Tuna, corn and parsley fritters.

How can I make my lunch in 5 minutes? ›

5-minute meals recipes
  1. Storecupboard pasta salad. A star rating of 4.4 out of 5. ...
  2. Pan-fried camembert sandwich. A star rating of 4.6 out of 5. ...
  3. Prawn & coconut soup. ...
  4. Classic French omelette. ...
  5. Chicken wrap with sticky sweet potato, salad leaves & tomatoes. ...
  6. Creamy tomato courgetti. ...
  7. Speedy tuna pasta salad. ...
  8. Easy pea & mint soup.

What is the healthiest lunch to eat everyday? ›

Healthy People Usually Eat These 7 Things for Lunch
  1. Avocado and egg sandwich. ...
  2. Summer rolls with peanut sauce. ...
  3. Quinoa pear salad with spinach, cranberries and pecans. ...
  4. Protein Salad. ...
  5. Loaded Vegetable Sandwich. ...
  6. Lentil vegetable soup. ...
  7. Chicken burrito bowl with rice and beans.
Aug 30, 2023

What is a picky eaters favorite food? ›

What Do They Eat? For the most part, picky eaters stick to bland comfort foods like french fries, grilled cheese, toast, and crackers. They usually do OK with salty and sweet foods.

What to serve 12 people for lunch? ›

19 Ideas For Easy Meals For Large Groups
  • Taco Bar.
  • Meatballs.
  • Butter Chicken.
  • Lasagna.
  • Chili.
  • Homemade Pizza.
  • Baked Pasta.
  • Skewers.
Apr 4, 2023

What foods do picky kids eat? ›

Our Favorite Meals for Picky Eaters
  • Baked Potato Bar. With a serve-yourself baked potato bar, your little ones can assemble their own dinner creations! ...
  • Pizza Bagels. ...
  • Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower. ...
  • Chicken Fajitas. ...
  • White Bean Burgers. ...
  • Peas & Cheese Tortellini. ...
  • Veggie Wraps. ...
  • Chicken Bites, Mashed Yams & Green Beans.
Sep 14, 2018

Is 20 minutes enough for lunch? ›

However, Cohen and other lunch researchers have found that, for students to actually have 20 minutes to eat, they need more than a half-hour in their lunch periods.

What can you cook in 8 minutes? ›

8-minute recipes (91)
  • 8 minute Spanish rice. ...
  • 8 minute spicy Ramen. ...
  • 8 Minute Fudge. ...
  • 3 Minute Bread Pudding (for breakfast and snacktime) ...
  • Easy Egg Sandwiches in 5 Minutes! ...
  • California Farm Panfried Halibut with Asparagus. ...
  • SHRIMP FETTUCCINE ALFREDO 😋❤️😘💋💋💋 ...
  • Glossy!

What is the five minute rule eating? ›

The five minute rule is this: If you're in the middle of eating and you're no longer sure if you're hungry, you must physically leave and do something pleasurable for five minutes.

What is a late lunch meal eaten instead of lunch and dinner? ›

brunch) - a small meal between lunch and dinner in the late afternoon or early evening (about 3- 5 pm.). This is a more appropriate word for an intermediate meal than the once suggested "linner." Dunch is a lighter meal, more similar to lunch than to dinner.

What are 7 healthy lunches? ›

The 10 Best Healthy Lunch Foods to Eat
  • Canned Tuna. "Seafood is packed with protein, helping you feel full and satisfied. ...
  • Mini Sweet Peppers. ...
  • Farro. ...
  • Veggie Burgers. ...
  • Ricotta Cheese. ...
  • Black Beans. ...
  • Avocado. ...
  • Hummus.
Aug 9, 2022

What are the 5 food groups for lunch? ›

Kids today learn about the food groups from MyPlate. Now that the back-to-school season is settling down, the nutritionists at MyPlate are offering a back-to-basics refresher lesson on the food groups. As the MyPlate icon shows, the five food groups are Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein Foods, and Dairy.

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