Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Healthy Lunch Recipes Healthy No-Cook Lunch Recipes 19 Diabetes-Friendly No-Cook Lunches to Make Forever 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 August 7, 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 No cooking is required for these tasty lunches! Each dish is mindful of calories, carbs, saturated fat and sodium to align with our parameters for a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. This can help support healthy blood sugar levels and lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease. These meals are also packed with heart-healthy ingredients like whole grains, leafy greens, legumes and vegetables for something nourishing and delicious. You’ll want to make 4- and 5-star recipes like our Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad and Green Goddess Wrap on repeat. 01 of 19 Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad This simple lunch comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days. View Recipe 02 of 19 Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco 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. View Recipe 03 of 19 Green Goddess Wrap Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf A soft and silky green goddess dressing blends with crunchy fresh cucumber and tender greens in this easy wrap. If you prefer, you can ditch the wrap and enjoy the filling as a salad instead. View Recipe 04 of 19 Tuna Salad & Tomato Sandwich Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser 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. View Recipe 05 of 19 Big Beautiful Summer Salad This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner. View Recipe 06 of 19 Cucumber & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Wrap Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Skyler Myers, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco This easy vegetarian wrap makes a great grab-and-go lunch for work or school. Roasted red pepper hummus adds color and a little extra flavor, but any flavor hummus will work well here. Cucumber, sprouts, salad greens or spinach all add a refreshing crunch. For a peppery kick, try using arugula. View Recipe 07 of 19 Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup! View Recipe 08 of 19 Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary. View Recipe 09 of 19 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. View Recipe 10 of 19 Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman This easy vegetarian cucumber sandwich draws flavor inspiration from elote, the Mexican street corn dish. Instead of corn, we flavor cucumber slices with cotija cheese, lime and cilantro for a tasty filling. Cotija cheese, a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese, is similar in flavor and texture to feta cheese, which can be used as a substitute. Arugula adds a peppery flavor, but any tender greens will work well here. View Recipe 11 of 19 Crunchy Chicken & Mango Salad This Asian-inspired dinner salad has terrific crunch, thanks to sugar snap peas and napa cabbage. Give the dressing a kick of heat by adding a bit of sambal oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce that you can find in most large supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. View Recipe 12 of 19 Chicken Avocado BLT Wrap Who doesn't love a BLT? In this Mexican-inspired version, we've added chicken and avocado and wrapped it in a tortilla, making it easy to eat. View Recipe 13 of 19 Quinoa Deli Salad This healthy version of a deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with small amounts of ham and mozzarella, so you get all of the flavor without overdoing it on the sodium. This healthy quinoa salad is great as dinner and doubles as a delicious lunch the next day. View Recipe 14 of 19 Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad This easy salad recipe allows for a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can't find it, you can use romaine instead. View Recipe 15 of 19 No-Cook Black Bean Salad The dressing for this vegan black bean salad gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick. View Recipe 16 of 19 Vegetarian Niçoise Salad This vegetarian take on a traditional Niçoise salad omits the fish and piles on plenty of vegetables. View Recipe 17 of 19 Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly. View Recipe 18 of 19 Green Goddess Tuna Salad Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco Canned tuna makes this recipe convenient and pantry-friendly while also offering an impressive punch of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Use the remaining herb sauce as a dressing for salads or grain bowls, as a spread on sandwiches or as a dip for vegetables. Serve on bread or in a wrap, over a bed of greens or scooped up with your favorite chips, crackers or cucumber slices. View Recipe 19 of 19 Cabbage, Tofu & Edamame Salad Craving crunch? Bite into this salad loaded with crisp red cabbage, edamame, bamboo shoots and chow mein noodles. This salad is slightly sweetened with baked tofu, mandarin oranges and sesame vinaigrette. View Recipe Medically reviewed by Jessica Ball, M.S., RD 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 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit