Healthy Recipes Nutrient-Focused Diets High-Protein Recipes High-Protein Lunch Recipes Our 21 Best High-Protein Lunches in 3 Steps 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 August 16, 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: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek These high-protein lunches are some of our favorites, boasting 4- and 5-star ratings from EatingWell readers! In just three easy steps, you’ll have a tasty dish for your midday meal. Plus each serving is packed with at least 15 grams of protein which will give you a healthy boost to help you feel full and energized until dinnertime. With delicious options like our Chopped Power Salad with Chicken and Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing, these flavor-packed lunches won’t disappoint. 01 of 21 Chopped Power Salad with Chicken 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. View Recipe 02 of 21 Tofu & Vegetable Scramble Feel free to customize this speedy tofu and vegetable scramble with your favorite combination of vegetables and spices. Try to use veggies that will all cook at the same rate, like peppers, green beans and sugar snap peas. View Recipe 03 of 21 Meal-Prep Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls Skip takeout and whip up these equally delicious and easy-to-make burrito bowls at home. They're great for a fast and easy dinner or a healthy meal to pack for work throughout the week. View Recipe 04 of 21 Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers. View Recipe 05 of 21 BBQ Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw This zippy, creamy slaw is so good you might find yourself making it for other sandwiches. Still, it pairs beautifully with the tangy pulled chicken for an incredibly quick dinner you can make even on your busiest nights. To save even more time, use a preshredded coleslaw blend. View Recipe 06 of 21 Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches Lighten up classic egg salad by swapping in creamy avocado instead of using mayonnaise. Sandwich it between toasted whole-wheat bread and you've got an easy, packable lunch ready for work or school. View Recipe 07 of 21 Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad. View Recipe 08 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 09 of 21 Chickpea Salad Sandwich Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It's got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch. View Recipe 10 of 21 Avocado Toast with Burrata Burrata (cream-filled fresh mozzarella cheese) takes this avocado toast recipe to the next level for a weekday-friendly breakfast. View Recipe 11 of 21 Green Goddess Salad Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell This gorgeous green goddess salad combines fresh shrimp, cucumber, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes with homemade dressing. View Recipe 12 of 21 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 13 of 21 Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chicken & Fresh Berries Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickeyt, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless If you're packing this grain bowl for work, combine the dressing ingredients in a small container. When you're ready to eat, shake the dressing well, add it to the salad and toss. Keep prep time short by using rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken) and a pouch of microwaveable quinoa. View Recipe 14 of 21 Vegan Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice These meal-prep vegan burrito bowls are healthy and flavorful. Make them early in the week for grab-and-go meals when days are busy. We use frozen cauliflower rice, a low-carb substitute for white or brown rice, to cut down on prep time. View Recipe 15 of 21 Caprese Sandwich Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely This caprese sandwich is fresh from the basil and hearty from thick, crusty ciabatta. The sun-dried tomatoes deepen the flavor. Topping the bread with a layer of basil leaves and using toasted bread helps to keep the sandwich from getting soggy if you need to make it a few hours ahead. View Recipe 16 of 21 Turmeric Rice Bowl with Garam Masala Root Vegetables & Chickpeas This fragrant turmeric rice bowl topped with leftover spiced roasted root vegetables and chickpeas is inspired by flavors from India for an easy, vegetarian dinner. View Recipe 17 of 21 Shredded Chicken Tacos This taco recipe is a great choice for midweek dinners, even if it's not Taco Tuesday! Instead of beef, we use moist, boneless chicken thighs and to make things easier for you, the taco filling is cooked in a slow cooker, so you can prepare it in the morning and come home to a delicious meal. View Recipe 18 of 21 Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich In this healthy chicken sandwich recipe, the avocado is mashed to create a healthy creamy spread. View Recipe 19 of 21 Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied. View Recipe 20 of 21 Southwest Chopped Salad with Tomatillo Dressing Leigh Beisch Jicama is the crunchy, sweet tuberous root of a legume native to Central America. If you love it in this salad, try including sticks of it with your next crudités spread. View Recipe 21 of 21 Salmon Sushi Grain Bowl Get all the delicious flavors of sushi without the time-consuming rolling with this quick grain bowl recipe. All you need is 15 minutes to get this healthy dinner on the table or to pack it up for lunch at work. 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