Our 20+ Best High-Protein Lunch Recipes In 3 Steps

These high-protein lunches are some of our favorites, boasting 4- and 5-star ratings from EatingWell readers! In just three easy steps, you’ll have a tasty dish for your midday meal. Plus each serving is packed with at least 15 grams of protein which will give you a healthy boost to help you feel full and energized until dinner time. With delicious options like our Chopped Power Salad with Chicken and Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing, these flavor-packed lunches won’t disappoint.

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

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.

Tofu & Vegetable Scramble

Feel free to customize this speedy tofu and vegetable scramble with your favorite combination of vegetables and spice. Try to use veggies that will all cook at the same rate, like peppers, green beans and sugar snap peas.

Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls

Skip takeout and whip up these equally delicious and easy-to-make burrito bowls at home. They’re great for a fast and easy dinner or a healthy meal to pack for work throughout the week.

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.

BBQ Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

This zippy, creamy slaw is so good you might find yourself making it for other sandwiches. Still, it pairs beautifully with the tangy pulled chicken for an incredibly quick dinner you can make even on your busiest nights. To save even more time, use a preshredded coleslaw blend.

Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches

Lighten up classic egg salad by swapping in creamy avocado instead of using mayonnaise. Sandwich it between toasted whole-wheat bread and you’ve got an easy, packable lunch ready for work or school.

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.

Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

Photography: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco

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.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn

This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It’s got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch.

Avocado Toast with Burrata

Burrata (cream-filled fresh mozzarella cheese) takes this avocado toast recipe to the next level for a weekday-friendly breakfast.

Green Goddess Salad

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

This gorgeous green goddess salad combines fresh shrimp, cucumber, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes with homemade dressing.

Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal.

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chicken & Fresh Berries

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickeyt, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

If you’re packing this grain bowl for work, combine the dressing ingredients in a small container. When you’re ready to eat, shake the dressing well, add it to the salad and toss. Keep prep time short by using rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken) and a pouch of microwavable quinoa.

Vegan Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

These meal-prep vegan burrito bowls are healthy and flavorful. Make them early in the week for grab-and-go meals when days are busy. We use frozen cauliflower rice, a low-carb substitute for white or brown rice, to cut down on prep time.

Caprese Sandwich

Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely

This caprese sandwich is fresh from the basil and hearty from thick, crusty ciabatta. The sun-dried tomatoes deepen the flavor. Topping the bread with a layer of basil leaves and using toasted bread helps to keep the sandwich from getting soggy if you need to make it a few hours ahead.

Turmeric Rice Bowl with Garam Masala Root Vegetables & Chickpeas

This fragrant turmeric rice bowl topped with leftover spiced roasted root vegetables and chickpeas is inspired by flavors from India for an easy, vegetarian dinner.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

This taco recipe is a great choice for midweek dinners, even if it’s not Taco Tuesday! Instead of beef, we use moist, boneless chicken thighs and to make things easier for you, the taco filling is cooked in a slow cooker, so you can prepare it in the morning and come home to a delicious meal.

Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich

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

Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad

Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied.

Southwest Chopped Salad with Tomatillo Dressing

Leigh Beisch

Jicama is the crunchy, sweet tuberous root of a legume native to Central America. If you love it in this salad, try including sticks of it with your next crudités spread.

Salmon Sushi Grain Bowl

Get all the delicious flavors of sushi without the time-consuming rolling with this quick grain bowl recipe. All you need is 15 minutes to get this healthy dinner on the table or to pack it up for lunch at work.

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