18 Low-Calorie Lunch Ideas You Can Make in 10 Minutes
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Lunchtime has never been simpler. These low-calorie lunch ideas are easy enough to make in 10 minutes or less and contain 575 calories or less per serving, so you can whip up a light, healthy lunch and get right back into the swing of things. With recipes like our Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps and Pickle Sub Sandwiches with Turkey & Cheddar on the menu, you can have a delicious low-calorie meal ready in no time.
Pickle Sub Sandwiches with Turkey & Cheddar
Cut down on carbs by swapping out the bread for slices of pickle to make these fun turkey and Cheddar sandwiches. Roma tomatoes are the perfect oblong shape for these mini sandwiches, but feel free to use regular tomatoes—simply cut the slices in half so they fit nicely on the pickle sandwich. These sandwiches are an easy lunch, but they're also great on a party tray for a casual get-together.
Lemon Chicken Pasta
In this easy lemon chicken pasta recipe, we love the combination of lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs. This healthy meal is made with rotisserie chicken, quick-cooking spiralized zucchini and baby zucchini, so you get a complete meal in just 10 minutes.
Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps
We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad.
Veggie & Hummus Sandwich
This mile-high vegetable and hummus sandwich makes the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch to go. Mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables, depending on your mood.
Cannellini Bean & Herbed Ricotta Toast
Herbed ricotta toast gets topped with cannellini beans and roasted red peppers for a colorful, tasty open-faced sandwich.
Egg Tartine
Bruschetta meets avocado toast in this simple breakfast upgrade.
Black Bean & Slaw Bagel
This easy open-faced sandwich recipe uses a jalapeño-Cheddar bagel, but a plain bagel would work just as well. Top each bagel half with black beans and fresh slaw for a satisfying bite.
Meal-Prep Vegan Lettuce Wraps
For this healthy lunch idea, we swap the traditional warm filling with a cold plant-based bean salad loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the wrap from getting soggy.
Chickpea & Kale Toast
This healthy toast recipe combines chickpeas, kale and feta for a savory bite.
Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing
This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.
Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna
This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 g 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.
Chopped Cobb Salad
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.
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.
Whole-Wheat Veggie Wrap
Use whichever veggies you have on hand to fill up this veggie wrap. The avocado and hummus help hold the wrap together—and provide heart-healthy fat and fiber.
Veggie Sandwich
There's no chance of getting the afternoon munchies when you fuel up with this vegan veggie sandwich filled with fiber and healthy fats, plus fruit on the side. It'll keep you energized until dinner. Feel free to swap in your other favorite sandwich vegetables, sprouts or greens.
Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple
This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils—just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.
Fig & Goat Cheese Salad
The sweet-and-savory combination of the figs and earthy goat cheese will surely satisfy the palate. If you can't find dried figs, try swapping in dried apricots.
Tuna & Olive Spinach Salad
This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
