Healthy Recipes Our 20 All-Time Favorite Vegetarian Lunches 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 October 4, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD Annie Nguyen is a Registered Dietitian who manages EatingWell's Pinterest page. Before EatingWell, she worked with other dietitians to write nutrition blog posts, develop recipes and create social media content. Annie went to the University of Oklahoma to complete her B.S. in Health and Exercise Science. She went on to get her M.A. in Dietetics and finish her dietetic internship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Photo: Photographer: Jen Causey Add some delicious veggies to your day by making some of these vegetarian lunches! Whether you follow a vegetarian eating pattern or just want to round out your menu with some meatless options, these highly rated dishes are sure to do the trick. They’re also some of our most popular, gaining tons of traffic from our readers this year. You’ll want to try options like our Spinach & Mushroom Quiche and our Creamy White Bean Soup for a tasty midday meal. 01 of 20 Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek, Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and tomato, this healthy cabbage soup packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunches all week. View Recipe 02 of 20 Cucumber Sandwich Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell This creamy, crunchy cucumber sandwich strikes a lovely balance between decadent and light. The cream cheese-yogurt spread complements the crisp refreshing cucumber, while the hearty flavor and texture of the whole-wheat bread pull everything together. View Recipe 03 of 20 Spinach & Mushroom Quiche Photographer: Jen Causey This healthy vegetarian quiche 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. View Recipe 04 of 20 Creamy White Bean Soup Photography: Caitlin bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Styling: Julia Bayless This light, creamy white bean soup recipe is richly flavored thanks to plenty of beans, veggies and Parmesan cheese. View Recipe 05 of 20 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 06 of 20 Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This vibrant and wholesome soup helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers. View Recipe 07 of 20 Avocado-Egg Toast Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey Try it once and we think you'll agree: Topping avocado toast with an egg makes a near-perfect lunch. View Recipe 08 of 20 Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato & Cucumber Sandwich Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Lauren Odum This protein-packed hummus sandwich features a topping of crisp veggies, feta cheese and sweet, tangy sun-dried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil have a soft texture perfect for sandwiches. You can use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes in their place, but you may have to rehydrate them in water to soften them before using. View Recipe 09 of 20 Crustless Caprese Quiche Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell This light and fluffy crustless quiche is dotted with tomatoes, little bites of melty mozzarella and savory pesto. And the best part—it’s mixed, assembled and baked in a pie plate for easy cleanup. A green salad on the side is all you need for the perfect lunch. View Recipe 10 of 20 Lemony Lentil Salad with Feta Jason Donnelly This delicious and healthy lentil salad comes together in just 30 minutes and makes a wonderful hot-weather meal. Serve with whole-wheat pitas, if desired. View Recipe 11 of 20 Cucumber & Tomato Sandwich Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf This herby cucumber and tomato sandwich is crisp and refreshing, making the most of these vegetables. Chives add a delicate onion flavor to the cream cheese, but dill or basil can be used in their place. View Recipe 12 of 20 Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Maura Timmerman In this healthy cauliflower soup recipe, roasting the cauliflower first adds depth and prevents the florets from turning to mush. A little tomato sauce and coconut milk give the broth a rich, silky texture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired. View Recipe 13 of 20 Eat-the-Rainbow Chopped Salad with Basil & Mozzarella Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf This fresh and colorful chopped salad has all the delicious flavors you love from a classic caprese salad, plus even more healthy veggies. Add grilled or roasted chicken for a quick main dish. View Recipe 14 of 20 Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Feta & Lemon Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Annie Probst This cucumber chickpea salad with feta and lemon is tangy and refreshing. You can enjoy it on its own or toss it with greens for an easy lunch. We love the grassy flavor of dill, but another fresh herb like oregano, parsley or chives will work well in its place. View Recipe 15 of 20 The Creamiest Egg Salad Sandwich Photographer: Hannah Hufham, Food Stylist: Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist: Tucker Vines The egg salad in this sandwich gets its creamy texture from finely grating the eggs, which blends the whites and yolks together so you get a bit of both in each bite. A microplane grater is the best tool to use to get that perfect, uniform texture, but a fine-mesh sieve will work well too. We top the egg salad with a little bit of Parmesan cheese and toast the sandwiches in a skillet with a little butter to make this creamy sandwich extra special. View Recipe 16 of 20 Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. View Recipe 17 of 20 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 18 of 20 Vegetarian Chopped Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing Brie Passano This healthy vegetarian salad recipe features chickpeas and quinoa for a boost of protein. Cilantro adds color and flavor when blended to make a creamy dressing. Serve this cold salad for lunch. View Recipe 19 of 20 The Best Vegetable & Noodle Soup Jen Causey (Photographer), Chelsea Zimmer (Food Stylist), Julia Bayless (Prop Stylist) This brothy vegetable noodle soup is perfect for a crisp fall evening. It’s hearty, satisfying and an easy way to get your daily dose of veggies. We call for dark-green lacinato kale, but curly kale will work just as well. We love how the tiny pieces of orzo sop up the broth, but any small whole-wheat noodle gets the green light in this versatile soup. View Recipe 20 of 20 No-Cook White Bean & Spinach Caprese Salad This easy white bean and spinach caprese salad features the classic combination of juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil and tangy balsamic vinegar but adds tender white beans and fresh baby spinach to the mix. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit