23 5-Ingredient Lunches to Make Forever
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
Daydreaming about your lunch break? These tasty lunches will have you counting down the minutes until you can enjoy them. Each dish has no more than five ingredients, so it’s nearly effortless to whip one up for an easy meal. They’ve also made a great impression on EatingWell readers, earning four and five stars in reviews. You’ll want to try delicious options like our 5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese or Spinach & Egg Sweet Potato Toast for a quick, flavorful midday bite!
5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
This irresistible sandwich pairs creamy Brie cheese with a sweet-and-savory blackberry jam spread for the perfect ultra-quick lunch or dinner option. You can easily double the recipe using a medium pan, or use a sandwich press if you have one on hand.
Cucumber & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Wrap
This easy vegetarian wrap makes a great grab-and-go lunch for work or school. Roasted red pepper hummus adds color and a little extra flavor, but any flavor hummus will work well here. Cucumber, sprouts, salad greens or spinach all add a refreshing crunch. For a peppery kick, try using arugula.
Spinach & Egg Sweet Potato Toast
Skip the gluten and get some vitamin C with this healthy sweet potato toast recipe. Topped with spinach, egg and a dash of hot sauce, it's a delicious alternative to eggs Benedict.
3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad
We put a flavor twist on the classic chicken salad by using a lemon-herb mayonnaise. Try other mayo varieties, like roasted garlic or chipotle lime, in this fast, no-cook lunch recipe. Serve this rotisserie chicken salad recipe with whole-grain crackers.
3-Ingredient Brie & Jam Wrap
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel GrecoGrab your favorite-flavor jam and pair it with melted Brie cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla for a sweet and savory lunch. Reheating the wrap once it’s fully assembled can get messy, so we recommend enjoying the wrap cold if you’re taking it on the go.
English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives
This pizza-inspired English muffin topped with tomato, cheese, olives and oregano does triple duty—it's great as a snack or as part of a delicious breakfast or lunch.
Spicy Slaw Bowls with Shrimp & Edamame
The quick 10-minute Spicy Cabbage Slaw serves as the low-carb base in this veggie-packed lunch recipe. Topped with high-protein edamame and shrimp, this satisfying lunch will help you power through the afternoon.
Pork Wrap with Lime-Jalape?o Slaw
A leftover cooked pork cutlet and coleslaw from earlier meals make this lunch a breeze to put together.
Zucchini Noodles with Quick Turkey Bolognese
Forgo regular pasta (and most of the carbs) for spiralized zucchini "noodles" in these make-ahead meals. The zoodles quickly turn tender-crisp as the veggie-packed Bolognese warms in the microwave.
Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie
This creamy, rich strawberry-chocolate smoothie will satisfy any chocolate cravings. It's so delicious you might want it as a dessert, too.
Falafel Tabbouleh Bowls with Tzatziki
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.
Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Almond Topped Toast
Drizzled with honey, this goat cheese and berry toast is so delicious!
Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls
In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad—shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store—this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for.
Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls
With a handful of shortcut ingredients from your grocery store, including precooked rice packets and seasoned baked tofu, you can prepare several high-fiber, high-protein meals in about 15 minutes.
Mascarpone & Berries Toast
Creamy mascarpone is delightful when topped with mixed berries and mint for this bright-tasting, easy and healthy breakfast toast.
Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette
Inspired by the classic warm party dip, this simple salad can be served up right away or divided into small lidded containers for a week of delicious lunches. To keep the hard-boiled eggs tasting fresh, we suggest adding them to your salad just before serving or in the morning before packing your lunch to go.
Couscous & Chickpea Salad
Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.
Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie
Blend almond milk, strawberry and pineapple for a smoothie that's so easy you can make it on busy mornings. A bit of almond butter adds richness and filling protein. Freeze some of the almond milk for an extra-icy texture.
Peanut Butter-Banana English Muffin
Peanut butter and banana are the original power couple. Top a simple toasted English muffin with the duo, then sprinkle everything with a hit of ground cinnamon for a healthy breakfast of champions.
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.
Apple & Peanut Butter Toast
A pinch of ground cardamom punches up the flavor in this classic combo of apples and peanut butter on toast.
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.
Cheese Quesadillas with Peppers & Onions
These 15-minute quesadillas are a notch above basic with the addition of sautéed peppers and onions. Let the kiddos load them up with the toppings at the table.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
