Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Healthy Lunch Recipes Healthy No-Cook Lunch Recipes 22 No-Cook Lunches for Better Blood Sugar 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 Published on July 10, 2024 Close Take a break from your stove and oven with these tasty no-cook lunch recipes! These meals are full of heart-healthy ingredients and complex carbs like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes to help you digest food more slowly and maintain stable blood sugar levels. They’re also lower in saturated fat and sodium, which makes them great options for those following a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. Switch up your lunch menu by trying delicious and nourishing recipes like our Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps or Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios. 01 of 22 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. 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 02 of 22 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. View Recipe 03 of 22 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. Arugula adds a peppery flavor, but any tender greens will work well here. View Recipe 04 of 22 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 05 of 22 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 06 of 22 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 07 of 22 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. View Recipe 08 of 22 Ceviche-Stuffed Avocados Rather than serving this easy mock shrimp ceviche with chips or tortillas, cut some carbs and pile the citrusy seafood in fresh avocado bowls for a fun and healthy presentation. View Recipe 09 of 22 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 10 of 22 Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad This simple open-face sandwich comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days. View Recipe 11 of 22 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 12 of 22 Shrimp Salad with Peanut Dressing Using applesauce in the peanut dressing lends a sweet, tart flavor that pairs wonderfully with shrimp. View Recipe 13 of 22 Tofu, Snow Pea & Carrot Wild Rice Salad Sesame oil and nori (dried seaweed) give this healthy grain salad a boost of delicious umami flavor. View Recipe 14 of 22 Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we use pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving, and it's paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad. View Recipe 15 of 22 Veggie Wrap with Cilantro Hummus These healthy multigrain wraps are filled with mixed greens, chopped cucumber, tomato and red onion, as well as feta cheese and a homemade cilantro hummus. As a time-saver, the hummus can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and chilled until you're ready to make the wraps. View Recipe 16 of 22 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 17 of 22 Pulled Chicken & Pickled Veggie Wraps These colorful chicken wraps are perfect for a crowd. Marinated radishes, onions and carrots add a salty crunch and a sneaky serving of vegetables! View Recipe 18 of 22 Turkey-Apple-Brie Sandwiches Hollowed-out baguettes hold a satisfying combo of tart apples, creamy Brie and protein-rich shredded turkey. View Recipe 19 of 22 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. View Recipe 20 of 22 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. View Recipe 21 of 22 Get Your Greens Wrap Sara Haas This healthy, quick wrap is packed with plenty of green vegetables—cucumber, sprouts and lettuce add crunch, avocado lends creaminess, and edamame provides some plant-based protein. View Recipe 22 of 22 Salmon Pita Sandwich This quick lunch recipe is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s thanks to the canned sockeye salmon. If you're bringing this sandwich for lunch, keep the salmon salad separate and stuff the pita just before eating. 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