Healthy Recipes Healthy Lifestyle Diets Low-Carb Recipes Low-Carb Lunch Recipes 20 Low-Carb Lunch Ideas for Work That Will Actually Fill You Up By Penelope Wall Penelope Wall Penelope Wall oversees the digital editorial vision of EatingWell—drawing on both her passion for food, wellness and storytelling and over 20 years experience in digital content strategy and editorial. Penelope has a bachelor's degree in English and studio art and a minor in French from Middlebury College. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 23, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Elizabeth Ward, M.S., RDN Reviewed by Dietitian Elizabeth Ward, M.S., RDN Elizabeth Ward is a registered dietitian and award-winning nutrition communicator and writer. She has authored or co-authored 10 books for consumers about nutrition at all stages of life. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Carbohydrate foods are essential to our diets—they provide fiber, vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates are necessary for energy production and to fuel your brain. However, if you sometimes feel better on fewer carbs and more protein and healthy fats, these low-carb lunch ideas will help reduce your carb intake while not going too low and still providing the nutrients you need. Make one of these recipes as your next to-go meal or workday lunch. From stuffed avocados to quick salads, these lunches are lower in carbs but provide enough to keep your energy levels up. Plus, each recipe has 14 grams of carbohydrates or fewer per serving, so you can meet your nutritional goals. 01 of 20 Avocado Egg Salad View Recipe This quick recipe takes classic egg salad to the next level with the addition of creamy avocado. Serve it on a piece of toasted whole-grain bread or inside a tender lettuce leaf. Avocados brown quickly, so plan on making it no more than two hours before you plan to serve it. 02 of 20 Loaded Broccoli Salad View Recipe Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst, Prop Stylist / Holly Raibikis This is the broccoli salad you will get special requests for. The combination of bacon, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions and Cheddar is hard to resist. And the addition of rice vinegar or cider vinegar sharpens all the flavors. 03 of 20 Salmon-Stuffed Avocados View Recipe 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. 04 of 20 Tuna Salad with Egg View Recipe Photography / Jennifer Causey, Styling / Ali Ramee / Audrey Davis This simple tuna salad with egg has a clean and balanced flavor. The capers and lemon bring acidity to help everything come together, and the chopped arugula adds a peppery kick. Enjoy it with greens or on a slice of your favorite whole-grain bread. 05 of 20 Spinach & Artichoke-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms View Recipe Stuffed mushrooms and spinach-artichoke dip come together in this quick vegetarian recipe. Serve these cheesy stuffed mushrooms with a big salad for a satisfying and healthy lunch. 06 of 20 Chopped Power Salad with Chicken View Recipe 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. 07 of 20 Avocado Tuna Salad View Recipe Photography / Greg DuPree, Styling / Ruth BlackBurn / Julia Bayless Jazz up a can of tuna with this easy avocado tuna salad recipe. Silky avocado adds a creaminess that's cut with a hit of acidity from lemon and a briny punch from feta cheese. Romaine hearts and cucumber offer a refreshing crunch. 08 of 20 Chicken Salad-Stuffed Avocados View Recipe Looking for a clean, packable lunch for work? This healthy homemade chicken salad served inside an avocado instead of with bread is just the ticket. Plus, this recipe makes enough for ready-made lunches for the week! 09 of 20 Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata View Recipe This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Serve it with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette. 10 of 20 Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps View Recipe Crispy green lettuce leaves hold the filling inside this low-carb turkey wrap. It's perfect for lunch or a quick, easy dinner on the go. 11 of 20 Arugula, Chicken & Melon Salad with Sumac Dressing View Recipe Jason Donnelly Sweet and savory find harmony in this salad dotted with ripe melon and tossed in a lemony dressing. Melon balls are so adorable, but making them leaves some fruit behind—whir up those leftovers into a smoothie. 12 of 20 Eat-the-Rainbow Chopped Salad with Basil & Mozzarella View Recipe Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf This fresh and colorful salad has all of the delicious flavors you love from the classic caprese salad plus even more healthy veggies. Double this and top each portion with 3 ounces of grilled or roasted chicken to take it from a simple side to a quick main dish. 13 of 20 Meal-Prep Turkey Cobb Salad View Recipe Cubed deli turkey takes the place of chicken, while Cheddar replaces blue cheese in this easy Cobb-inspired salad. The protein-rich turkey and cheese, plus eggs and bacon, gives the salad staying power, to get you through the rest of your afternoon. 14 of 20 Creamy Pesto Chicken Salad with Greens View Recipe For a healthy variation on creamy chicken salad, we've replaced half the mayonnaise with basil pesto. Serve over greens or make it into a sandwich for a healthy lunch. 15 of 20 Taco Lettuce Wraps View Recipe Don't limit yourself to lettuce for this low-carb, gluten-free taco lettuce wrap recipe—any fresh green sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works. 16 of 20 Pickle Sub Sandwiches with Turkey & Cheddar View Recipe Cut down on carbs by swapping out the bread for slices of pickle to make these fun turkey and Cheddar sandwiches. Roma tomatoes are the perfect oblong shape for these mini sandwiches, but feel free to use regular tomatoes—simply cut the slices in half so they fit nicely on the pickle sandwich. 17 of 20 Spinach & Mushroom Quiche View Recipe Photographer: Jen Causey This healthy vegetarian quiche recipe is as simple as it gets. It's a quiche without the fussy crust! It's filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Serve it with a light salad for lunch. 18 of 20 Green Goddess Salad with Chicken View Recipe For this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chicken salad, a healthy green goddess salad dressing gets its creaminess from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. Any extra dressing is delicious served over grilled chicken or flaky white fish, such as cod or flounder. 19 of 20 Barbecue Chicken Kale Wraps View Recipe Smooth, lacinato kale (aka dinosaur kale) is topped with barbecue chicken, carrots and cabbage in this healthy, gluten-free lettuce wrap recipe. 20 of 20 Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing View Recipe We've replaced chicken with shrimp in this delicious and easy spin on the classic Cobb salad. This satisfying salad takes just 20 minutes to make. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit