Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Healthy Lunch Recipes 21 Anti-Inflammatory Lunches for Fall By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 26, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Photo: Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling If you deal with chronic inflammation like joint pain and digestive issues, making some adjustments to your diet can help. These lunches meet our parameters for an anti-inflammatory diet, as they’re packed with foods like leafy greens, legumes, berries, dark-colored produce, omega-3-rich foods and more, so they’re worth adding to your rotation. Plus they’re made with delicious seasonal produce like sweet potatoes, beets, cauliflower and kale. Try options like our Anti-Inflammatory Sweet Potato Salad or Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Beans for a flavorful anti-inflammatory lunch that is perfect for fall. 01 of 21 Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos These hearty vegan tacos are quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights. They are so tasty no one will miss the meat or dairy. View Recipe 02 of 21 Anti-Inflammatory Sweet Potato Salad Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling This sweet potato salad is packed with anti-inflammatory foods like cherries, kale, avocado and, of course, sweet potatoes, which are packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals to help keep inflammation at bay. Don’t skip the step of massaging the dressing into the kale! It helps soften it and also helps the greens absorb more of the flavor from the sweet-tart dressing. View Recipe 03 of 21 Chickpea, Beet & Feta Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans This chickpea, beet & feta salad is a vibrant blend of flavors and textures, marrying the earthy sweetness of beets with the creamy richness of feta cheese, all tied together with a zesty lemon-garlic dressing. View Recipe 04 of 21 Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Beans Jacob Fox Loaded with roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, black beans, quinoa, feta and pepitas, this salad makes for a satisfying meatless meal. Not only does massaging the kale tenderize it, it also helps the greens absorb more of the bright dressing. View Recipe 05 of 21 Anti-Inflammatory Cherry, Beet & Kale Smoothie Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Kale, cherries and beets team up in this powerful anti-inflammatory smoothie. All three of these fruits and veggies contain unique anti-inflammatory compounds that may help stave off diseases associated with chronic inflammation, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Using packaged steamed beets is a great shortcut here. If you have cooked beets on hand, use those! The cherries help sweeten the smoothie and add a fruity flavor. If you opt for tart cherries, you can balance the tanginess with a small drizzle of honey or maple syrup. View Recipe 06 of 21 Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil Roasted sweet potatoes are paired with spinach, cabbage and white beans and tossed together with a bright basil dressing in this healthy main dish salad. View Recipe 07 of 21 Fish Taco Bowls with Green Cabbage Slaw Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Fresh salsa verde, green cabbage and avocado all contribute to the vibrant green color of this light and bright fish taco bowl. We garnish this flavorful taco bowl with cilantro, but if you want to take it a step further, try toppings like sprouts or watermelon radishes for even more bright green color. View Recipe 08 of 21 Roasted Root Veggies & Greens over Spiced Lentils This earthy bowl of lentils is topped with leftover roasted root veggies from a large batch for an easy weeknight dinner. Keep it vegan or add a drizzle of plain yogurt for extra richness. View Recipe 09 of 21 Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Rice Bowl In this riff on a healthy grain bowl recipe, we use cauliflower rice instead of another whole grain like brown rice to cut back on carbs and load up on veggie servings. A simple citrusy drizzle, inspired by Cuban mojo sauce, finishes these vegan rice bowls, perfect for lunch or dinner. View Recipe 10 of 21 Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Spicy baby arugula pairs with crisp Persian cucumbers and celery in this refreshing salad. Italian Castelvetrano olives offer a mild, buttery flavor that doesn't compete with the flavor of the tuna. If you want more punch from your olives, Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives work well too. View Recipe 11 of 21 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. View Recipe 12 of 21 Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame Bursting with nutrient-rich produce, this California-inspired salad is a delicious and satisfying way to get your vitamins. We love the unique combination of blueberries, edamame and goat cheese. View Recipe 13 of 21 Crispy Chickpea Grain Bowl with Lemon Vinaigrette Our favorite part of these vegetarian grain bowls is the tangy lemon vinaigrette, which ties together a satisfying combo of quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds and roasted chickpeas and kale. Whip them up for easy meal-prep lunches or a healthy and satisfying dinner. View Recipe 14 of 21 Anti-Inflammatory Beet & Avocado Wrap Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Packed with fiber and monounsaturated fats, avocados are one of the best foods to eat to fight inflammation. Combined with beets, which contain their own inflammation-fighting phytochemicals, you'll get a lunch that packs a healthy punch. The tahini-lemon mixture adds brightness and a nutty flavor to the wrap. To julienne beets, cut them into thin rounds, then slice the rounds into matchsticks. Or to save time, simply grate the beets on the largest holes of a box grater. View Recipe 15 of 21 Veggie & Hummus Sandwich Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey 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. View Recipe 16 of 21 Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf The kale, hemp seeds and green tea in this bright, lemony smoothie all contain antioxidants that can help fight inflammation. If you can’t find baby kale, baby spinach will work well in its place. Banana adds natural sweetness. If you want it a little sweeter, just a touch of honey will do the trick. View Recipe 17 of 21 Vegan Grain Bowl This easy grain bowl has so much to love—sweet potatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, creamy avocado and homemade tahini dressing. Make the full recipe on the weekend and pack into individual serving containers for ready-to-go lunches for work all week. View Recipe 18 of 21 Meal-Prep Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Pesto Your co-workers will be jealous when you pull out this healthy lunch of roasted veggies and brown rice. Put together 4 lunches when you have time and you will have packable lunches (or ready-to-eat dinners) for several days—just grab a container on your way out the door in the morning. View Recipe 19 of 21 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. View Recipe 20 of 21 Chhole (Chickpea Curry) Andrew Scrivani This healthy Indian recipe is a flavorful chickpea curry that you can make in just 20 minutes. Also called chana masala, this dish is a comforting and delicious meal. View Recipe 21 of 21 Anti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet Salad Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Tart cherry juice concentrate adds flavor and helps fight inflammation when teamed up with other anti-inflammatory foods like beets and walnuts in this quick salad. Buying packaged cooked beets cuts down on time (and mess!). Look for them in the produce section where other prepared vegetables are sold. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit