Food Recipe Collections & Favorites 10 Healthy Lunch Ideas That You Can Easily Make at Home And the last one lets the slow cooker do all the work. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 6, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch We're willing to bet you've been a victim of a #saddesklunch. We've all been there—at the office or when working from home. We know how unfortunate it can be to sit at your desk faced with a bowl of cereal for lunch (string cheese on the side, amirite?), or worse: a soggy spinach salad you should have tossed last Wednesday. Let's live a little and kick your noontime nosh up a notch. How? By getting these 10 better-for-you recipes into the rotation any time you need a little healthy lunch pick-me-up (read: immediately). 18 Easy, Healthy Dinner Ideas Your Whole Family Will Love 01 of 10 Caesar Salad With Yogurt-Parmesan Dressing Alison Miksch This Caesar salad's dressing is made with yogurt, which packs probiotics for a healthy gut. It's cheesy, delicious, and doubles as a dip for cut up veggies or chips. Get the recipe: Caesar Salad With Yogurt-Parmesan Dressing 02 of 10 Chickpea Salad Sandwich Alison Miksch Here, chickpeas roll in for a vegetarian version of a chicken salad sandwich (read: not your grandmother's). If you want to lighten it up, swap yogurt for the mayo. Once you try it you'll be brown-bagging one daily—and it's so quick, you'll have no excuse not to make it. Get the recipe: Chickpea Salad Sandwich 03 of 10 Sweet Potato-and-Kale Tortilla Soup Alison Miksch This comforting bowl of tortilla soup is made righteous (and anti-inflammatory) with heart-healthy sweet potatoes and kale. Have it with or without the shredded rotisserie chicken. The softened corn tortillas plump up in the broth and go deliciously with the crispy ones on top. Avocado, radishes, and cilantro freshen it up, but are totally optional. Get the recipe: Sweet Potato-and-Kale Tortilla Soup 04 of 10 Celery and Apple Salad With Toasted Buckwheat Alison Miksch Celery, apple, and toasted buckwheat pack a variety of tasty textures that make this healthy lunch idea extremely satisfying. Toasted buckwheat is a fun and nutritious add-on that fits into a gluten-free diet. Bonus: this healthy pick doesn't wilt like other salads by the time the clock hits lunchtime. Get the recipe: Celery and Apple Salad With Toasted Buckwheat 05 of 10 Cauliflower Tartine With Romesco Sauce Caitlin Bensel This delicious open-faced sandwich may look fancy, but we promise it's super easy to make. You'll start with the delicious combination of Romesco and cauliflower, then add golden raisins and fresh parsley to the mix for a bright—and subtly sweet—kick. Don't love one (or both)? No problem: you can use cilantro and chopped dates instead. Get the recipe: Roasted and Pickled Cauliflower Sandwiches With Romesco 06 of 10 Classic Chicken and Dumplings Manny Rodriguez/Getty Images We can all agree that there are few lunches more comforting than classic chicken and dumplings. The magic in this recipe starts with chicken thighs that get browned then simmered to make a homemade chicken stock that serves as the base of the soup. Just a few ingredients go into the dumplings, which get dropped right into the soup and cooked. Garnish with parsley and serve with fresh sourdough or challah bread. Get the recipe: Classic Chicken and Dumplings 07 of 10 Green Chilaquiles Brie Passano Complete with homemade oven-baked tortilla chips and a green enchilada sauce, this recipe for chilaquiles is about to become your new go-to for lunch leftovers. The sauce adds moisture back to the turkey meat, and thinly sliced radishes bring all the fresh crunch. Add a fried egg on top to give it an extra kick. Get the recipe: Green Chilaquiles 08 of 10 Slow-Roasted Citrus Salmon Caitlin Bensel A gorgeous side of salmon deserves a worthy preparation, like this recipe, in which you'll slow-roast a side of salmon sandwiched between layers of lemon and orange slices, topped with sprigs of dill and oil. Get the recipe: Slow-Roasted Citrus Salmon 09 of 10 Eggplant-Mushroom Meatball Sub Caitlin Bensel These Eggplant Mushroom Meatball Subs are so satisfying, we guarantee you'll wonder why you ever bothered with meatball sandwiches that actually contain meat. The eggplant and mushrooms each pack plenty of delicious savory flavor and serve as a solid source of protein, too. Get the recipe: Eggplant-Mushroom Meatball Sub 10 of 10 Slow-Cooker Bean and Spinach Enchiladas Marcus Nilsson We found a method of making this delicious dish without the extra work of cooking the filling, then rolling, then baking: the slow cooker. If you're feeling a bit tired of eating leftover tacos for lunch, these easy enchiladas are the perfect swap. Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Bean and Spinach Enchiladas Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit