30 Days of Healthy, 5-Ingredient Lunches By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 8, 2025 SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: See More Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco This month, make lunch easy with these recipes. With five ingredients or less, these lunches are simple to make and are flavorful, healthy choices for a midday meal. Recipes like our Cacio e Pepe Kale Salad or our 5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese are satisfying options you'll look forward to all month long. Love any of these recipes? Tap "Save" to add them to MyRecipes, your new, free recipe box for EatingWell. 01 of 30 Cacio e Pepe Kale Salad Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley If you love the peppery, cheesy flavors of cacio e pepe, then you’ll enjoy this Cacio e Pepe Kale Salad. We give the dish a spin by using those same flavors with kale, a nutrient-rich vegetable that can help fend off chronic inflammation. View Recipe Save 02 of 30 3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad Carolyn Hodges 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. View Recipe Save 03 of 30 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. You can easily double the recipe using a medium pan, or use a sandwich press if you have one on hand. View Recipe Save 04 of 30 Mascarpone & Berries Toast Creamy mascarpone is delightful when topped with mixed berries and mint for this bright-tasting, easy and healthy toast. View Recipe Save 05 of 30 Berry-Green Tea Smoothie Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley This vibrant smoothie combines antioxidant-rich berries, green tea and omega-3-rich chia seeds with the natural sweetness of dates, blending into a delicious, healthy drink. View Recipe Save 06 of 30 Cottage Cheese Toast Ali Redmond Say hello to our delicious and nutritious cottage cheese toast! This toast, made with whole-grain bread and topped with creamy cottage cheese, is just the beginning. We’ve added six variations, both sweet and savory, perfect for kick-starting your morning or powering through the afternoon. View Recipe Save 07 of 30 Cucumber & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Wrap Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Skyler Myers, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco 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. View Recipe Save 08 of 30 Orange-Mango Smoothie Ali Redmond The vitamin C from the oranges helps support immune health, making this smoothie a great staple during cold and flu season. Plus, it tastes just like a creamsicle. If you don’t have almond milk, any other dairy or nondairy milk will work. View Recipe Save 09 of 30 English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh This pizza-inspired English muffin topped with tomato, cheese, olives and oregano makes a quick and delicious lunch. View Recipe Save 10 of 30 Salsa-Topped Avocado Toast Photography: Carson Downing, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabe Greco Spin leftovers from taco night into this easy salsa-topped avocado toast for a quick snack or use it as a jumping-off point for breakfast by adding an egg on top. Single-serve packages of mashed avocado or guacamole can stand in for the fresh avocado. View Recipe Save 11 of 30 Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette Ali Redmond 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. View Recipe Save 12 of 30 Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Asparagus & Chicken Sausage To save on carbs, we’re swapping in riced cauliflower for regular rice and adding pre-grilled asparagus, which bulks up these bowls and adds fiber. At lunchtime, just reheat to steaming then top with a bit of pesto. View Recipe Save 13 of 30 3-Ingredient Brie & Jam Wrap Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Grab 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. View Recipe Save 14 of 30 Berry-Mint Kefir Smoothies Kefir is similar to yogurt, full of gut-friendly probiotics. But it has fewer carbs and a more drinkable consistency—perfect for smoothies. View Recipe Save 15 of 30 Creamy Tomato Soup Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This easy soup is made with just three ingredients—perfect for a quick afternoon snack or a healthy lunch. Plus, this soup has over 20% of the Daily Value of vitamins A and C, two nutrients that are needed for the immune system to function properly. View Recipe Save 16 of 30 Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie Blend almond milk, strawberry and pineapple for a smoothie that’s so easy and delicious. A bit of almond butter adds richness and filling protein. Freeze some of the almond milk for an extra-icy texture. View Recipe Save 17 of 30 Apple & Peanut Butter Toast A pinch of ground cardamom punches up the flavor in this classic combo of apples and peanut butter on toast. View Recipe Save 18 of 30 Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours. View Recipe Save 19 of 30 Roasted Veggie Mason Jar Salad 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. View Recipe Save 20 of 30 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, this meal-prep lunch is one you’ll get excited for. View Recipe Save 21 of 30 Everything Bagel Avocado Toast Get all the flavor of an everything bagel married with the creaminess of avocado toast in one healthy breakfast. Just toast, top, sprinkle and go for this quick morning meal when you need to get out the door fast. Want to take it up a notch? Top with a poached or fried egg. View Recipe Save 22 of 30 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. View Recipe Save 23 of 30 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. View Recipe Save 24 of 30 Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich Avocado is mashed to create a creamy spread and combined with tender chicken and juicy tomato slices in this tasty sandwich. View Recipe Save 25 of 30 3-Ingredient Chickpeas with Kale & Sun-Dried Tomatoes Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D. Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes pull double duty in this chickpeas and kale recipe. Use the oil from the jar to cook the kale, then stir in the sun-dried tomatoes to add flavor and texture to the dish. View Recipe Save 26 of 30 Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie This strawberry-chocolate smoothie is so creamy and rich, you might want it as a dessert, too. View Recipe Save 27 of 30 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 Save 28 of 30 Cucumber Sandwich The English cucumber sandwich gets a healthy fiber bump with sprouted whole-grain bread. This easy open-face sandwich recipe is a great healthy snack or packable lunch idea. View Recipe Save 29 of 30 Sesame Instant Ramen Noodles with Broccoli & Soft-Boiled Egg Jazz up basic ramen noodles with toasted sesame oil, quick-cooked broccoli and a jammy soft-boiled egg. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet. View Recipe Save 30 of 30 Roasted Veggie & Hummus Pita Pockets These satisfying and tasty pita-pocket sandwiches are packed with roasted veggies and greens. A spread of hummus adds creaminess and keeps everything from falling out. View Recipe Save Explore more: Healthy Recipes Cooking Methods Quick & Easy Quick Lunch Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit