15+ Easy Three-Step Lunch Recipes

Enjoy one of these delicious and nutritious lunches any day of the week. No matter what you’re craving, from wraps and sandwiches to bowls and salads, you can make any of these dishes in just three steps or less. Make our fan-favorite Chopped Power Salad with Chicken for something both satisfying and flavorful. Or, make the tuna salad ahead of time for our refreshing Tuna Salad & Tomato Sandwich to enjoy on a quick lunch break.

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.

Best Chicken Salad Recipe

What’s the key to the best chicken salad? Use punchy, flavorful ingredients that pack in the flavor, like zesty herbs, acidic lemon juice, sharp onion or shallots. This herbaceous chicken salad recipe is perfect sandwiched between two slices of whole-wheat country bread, but don’t stop there! Enjoy it with crackers, in a wrap or serve it on top of greens.

Cucumber Sandwich

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 hold everything together.

Tuna Salad & Tomato Sandwich

This classic deli-style tuna sandwich is packed with protein and topped with a juicy slice of fresh tomato. This recipe makes one sandwich, but you can easily double or quadruple the recipe to make more. Sweet pickle relish adds a contrast of flavors to the mix, but if you prefer something less sweet, dill pickle relish can be used in its place.

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one!

Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps

This chicken, spinach and feta wrap recipe is elevated by the convenience of rotisserie chicken and the scrumptious flavor of sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk together the easy dressing, toss with the chicken, add spinach and wrap it all together for a delicious lunch or dinner. Using rotisserie chicken speeds up the process, but you can also reach for this recipe if you have leftover cooked chicken on hand.

Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

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.

High-Protein Tuna & Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This zesty tuna sandwich gets an extra boost of protein from chickpeas. Smashing some of the chickpeas into the tuna enhances the texture and helps hold the filling together. The combo of garlic and Sriracha adds a delightful kick, but feel free to opt for an alternative hot sauce of your preference or skip it altogether for a milder flavor.

Chickpea, Artichoke & Avocado Salad with Apple-Cider Dressing

This delicious 400-calorie salad is a helpful tool for weight loss because it provides a good balance of fiber, protein and healthy fats from loads of veggies and beans, all tossed in a tangy apple-cider vinaigrette. To meal-prep these for lunch throughout the week, pack the dressing and the salad separately and make sure your veggies are thoroughly dried before packing them together.

5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese

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.

Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl

The ingredients in this vegan grain bowl recipe can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch to pack for work. The tangy citrus dressing is a refreshing flavor with the sweet caramel of the roasted sheet-pan veggies.

Green Goddess Tuna Salad

Canned tuna makes this recipe convenient and pantry-friendly while also offering an impressive punch of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sardines or mackerel would work just as well in this quick recipe. Use the remaining herb sauce as a dressing for salads or grain bowls, as a spread on sandwiches or as a dip for vegetables. This recipe is easily doubled to make a big batch to meal-prep for the week. Serve on bread or in a wrap, over a bed of greens or scooped up with your favorite chips, crackers or cucumber slices.

Cucumber–Tuna Salad Sandwich

Cucumber adds a refreshing crunch to the creamy tuna salad in this easy sandwich. We opted for Greek-style yogurt to reduce fat and calories and add some tanginess to the dressing. Add some relish, chopped celery or pickled peppers to the tuna mixture to boost the flavor even more. Serve with potato chips, chopped fresh veggies or with bagel chips on the side.

Chicken & Spinach Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

The creamy feta dressing steals the show in this protein-rich salad that makes a perfect lunch or quick and easy dinner. While you can buy feta cheese already crumbled, we like crumbling our own fresh from the block for this salad. While we prefer the slightly sharper flavor of sheep’s-milk feta, cow’s-milk feta works just as well.

Tomato & Burrata Sandwich

This easy sandwich is a harmony of flavors that you can toss together for a quick lunch or dinner. Fresh heirloom tomato pairs well with the slightly salty, creamy burrata and tangy balsamic vinegar. Be sure to toast the ciabatta, as it adds a welcome crunch and keeps the bread from getting soggy. If you’re looking to add more protein to the sandwich, sliced deli meat like chicken or turkey would be delicious.

Rainbow Veggie Wraps

There’s definitely a sushi vibe to these kid-friendly wraps, which are stuffed with vegetables, cheese and hummus and then rolled and sliced. Serve them with store-bought green goddess, a creamy herb-filled dressing, to take it up a notch with ease. They look impressive but they’re easy enough for kids to assemble themselves for an easy lunch or dinner.

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