24 Easy Lunches for Better Heart Health
When you need a quick and delicious lunch, these recipes are worth checking out! Each of these easy lunches takes no more than 20 minutes to make, so they’re perfect for busier days. Since they’re lower in sodium and saturated fat, these lunches can also help support cardiovascular health. From salads and grain bowls to sandwiches and wraps, options like our Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps and Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime are satisfying midday meals you’ll love.
Green Goddess Tuna Salad
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
Canned tuna makes this herby salad convenient and pantry-friendly. Serve on bread or in a wrap, over a bed of greens or scooped up with your favorite chips, crackers or cucumber slices.
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.
Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This vibrant and wholesome soup recipe helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers.
Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime
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.
High-Fiber Matcha Green Smoothie Bowl
EatingWell
Matcha powder and spinach give this healthy smoothie bowl a beautiful green hue. If you don’t have spinach on hand, try swapping in another dark leafy green like kale.
Get Your Greens Wrap
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.
Lemon Shrimp & Orzo Salad
Consider making a double batch of this easy pasta salad—it’s delicious the next day. The orzo will absorb the dressing as it sits, so add a little more olive oil and lemon juice if you’d like.
Spicy Tuna Salad English Muffin Sandwich
This quick lunch idea has a delicious balance of flavors. A slightly spicy Sriracha-mayonnaise mixture adds heat to the tuna salad, while the quick-pickled cucumbers provide brightness. Be sure to toast the English muffin so the sandwich doesn’t get soggy.
Chickpea & Quinoa Grain Bowl
Robby Lozano
It seems grain bowls have as many variations as there are stars in the sky, and there is no wrong way to build one! But we prefer to keep things classic and simple with hummus, quinoa, avocado and loads of veggies!
Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing
Ali Redmond
Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one.
Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie
Blend almond milk, strawberry and pineapple for a smoothie that’s so easy you can make it on busy mornings. A bit of almond butter adds richness and filling protein. Freeze some of the almond milk for an extra-icy texture.
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.
Couscous & Chickpea Salad
Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.
Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos
These hearty vegan tacos are quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights. They are so tasty no one will miss the meat or dairy.
Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas
In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.
Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple
This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils–just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.
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.
Strawberry-Chocolate Smoothie
This creamy strawberry-chocolate smoothie is so rich, it’s almost like a dreamy dessert.
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.
Peanut Butter-Banana English Muffin
Peanut butter and banana are the original power couple. Top a simple toasted English muffin with the duo, then sprinkle everything with a hit of ground cinnamon for a healthy breakfast of champions.
Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Smoothie
A smoothie with strawberries, blueberries and banana is delicately sweet and has a boost of protein from hemp seeds. Freeze the fruits ahead of time for an extra frosty texture once blended.
Sprouted-Grain Toast with Peanut Butter & Banana
Jelly is delicious, but nothing beats the natural sweetness of a nutritious banana. It’s the perfect addition to creamy peanut butter and a crisp slice of fiber-rich toast.
Rainbow Grain Bowl with Cashew Sauce
This vibrant bowl is packed with nutrients to keep you full for hours. Look for precooked lentils in the refrigerated section of the produce department.
Black Bean-Queso Wraps
These easy wraps are filled with black beans, corn, red pepper and creamy queso. They cook up quickly in a panini press.
