20+ 5-ingredient Lunch Recipes for Weight Loss

Looking for some simple yet flavorful lunches? These recipes have no more than five ingredients for an easy yet nourishing midday meal. They are all lower in calories and high in protein and/or fiber to help support weight loss and keep you satisfied longer. Try options like our English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives and Zucchini Noodles with Quick Turkey Bolognese for a delicious lunch that will help you reach your nutrition goals.

English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives

Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh

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.

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.

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.

Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich

In this healthy chicken sandwich recipe, the avocado is mashed to create a healthy creamy spread.

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.

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.

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.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Crunchy Chickpeas

This healthy high-fiber salad comes together in just 10 minutes. Serve it right away or pack it in individual servings for four super-satisfying high-fiber lunches for the week ahead. To cut down on prep time, we’re using preshredded Brussels sprouts from the produce department and store-bought roasted chickpeas. Look for roasted chickpea snacks with the healthy snacks or nuts at your grocery store.

Meal-Prep Curried Chicken Bowls

Curry doesn’t have to take hours to prepare. With the help of our sheet-pan meal-prep chicken (see associated recipe) and some cooked whole grains, you can make these meal-prep bowls in just a few minutes! Keep them in the fridge for an easy dinner on a busy weeknight or for healthy grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.

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.

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Ali Redmond

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

Build-Your-Own Chicken Tacos

This kid-friendly recipe keeps every element of tacos separate so your child can decide to eat them separately or have fun building their own mini tacos with their favorite toppings. Plus, it’s perfect for packing into a bento box for a healthy lunch for school.

Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie

This creamy, rich strawberry-chocolate smoothie will satisfy any chocolate cravings. It’s so decadent you might want it as a dessert, too.

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.

Marinara Meat Sauce Topped Baked Potato

Break out of your pasta routine by subbing in a baked potato in this simple and satisfying dinner for one.

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.

Banana-Cocoa Soy Smoothie

With plenty of protein from both tofu and soymilk, this banana-split-inspired breakfast smoothie will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.

Ham and Broccoli Topped Baked Potato

Jazz up your simple baked potato with a quickly microwaved topping.

Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours.

Power Greens Salad with Baked Tofu & Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

This plant-based main-dish salad packs a powerful punch of greens, nutrients and flavor. Add healthy protein with convenient baked tofu slices, which have a firm texture that is well suited to salads and sandwiches. Sprinkle on a little crunch with slivered almonds, and just a hint of tropical sweetness with unsweetened coconut. The vinaigrette rounds out the dish with tangy-sweet kick.

Bacon and Avocado Topped Baked Potato

A baked russet potato is topped with crumbled bacon, diced avocado, salsa, and shredded Colby Jack cheese– a meal in itself!

Turkey-Cranberry Wrap

Here we pair precooked turkey with cranberry sauce for a quick and delicious wrap.

Spring Green Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs

This salad capitalizes on fresh spring produce and gets a simple protein boost from hard-boiled eggs. Meal-prep this healthy lunch salad by mixing the salad base together and simmering a batch of hard-boiled eggs on the weekend. Then you’ll be ready to just add one or two eggs with a drizzle of tangy vinaigrette for the simplest spring salad-to-go.

Buffalo-Style Bistro Lunch Box

These tailgate-inspired lunch bowls can be assembled in about 15 minutes using just a handful of ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, like pregrilled chicken and spicy Buffalo-flavored hummus. We’re packing these up with crunchy veggie sticks and blue cheese so you can savor all the game-day flavors, but for a fraction of the calories.

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