Healthy Recipes Cooking Methods Healthy Meal Prep Recipes Healthy Meal Prep Lunch Recipes 14 Budget-Friendly Meal-Prep Lunch Ideas By Leah Goggins Leah Goggins Leah Goggins is a digital fellow for EatingWell. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, she is a devotee of old movies, farmers' markets and Ina Garten's tomato sandwich with basil mayo recipe. Leah has a degree in news media and English from The University of Alabama. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 19, 2022 Trending Videos Close this video player Keep costs down with these lunches that will have you set for the week. We lean on affordable ingredients like canned tuna, ramen noodles and hard-boiled eggs to make these lunches filling and budget-friendly. You're sure to find something to pique your interest, whether you prefer a fresh salad, cup of noodles or a quick burrito. Recipes like our Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette and Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps are easy to multiply, pack and store, so you can always have a healthy lunch within reach. 01 of 14 Meal-Prep Vegan Lettuce Wraps View Recipe For these meal-prep-friendly lettuce wraps, we swap the traditional warm filling for a cold plant-based bean salad filling loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the lettuce from getting soggy. 02 of 14 Meal-Prep Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Pesto View Recipe Your co-workers will be jealous when you pull out this healthy lunch of roasted veggies and brown rice. Put together 4 lunches when you have time and you will have packable lunches (or ready-to-eat dinners) for several days--just grab a container on your way out the door in the morning. 03 of 14 Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette View Recipe Inspired by the classic warm party dip, this simple salad can be served up right away or divided into small lidded containers for a week of delicious lunches. To keep the hard-boiled eggs tasting fresh, we suggest adding them to your salad just before serving or in the morning before packing your lunch to go. 04 of 14 Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls View Recipe 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. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights. 05 of 14 Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps View Recipe 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. 06 of 14 Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles View Recipe Make your own cup of instant soup at home with this vegetarian ramen recipe. Pack several jars at once to take to work for easy lunches throughout the week. 07 of 14 Couscous & Chickpea Salad View Recipe 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. 08 of 14 Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna View Recipe This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender. 09 of 14 Brussels Sprouts Salad with Crunchy Chickpeas View Recipe This healthy high-fiber salad comes together in just 10 minutes. Serve it right away or pack it in individual servings for four super-satisfying high-fiber lunches for the week ahead. To cut down on prep time, we're using preshredded Brussels sprouts from the produce department and store-bought roasted chickpeas. Look for roasted chickpea snacks with the healthy snacks or nuts at your grocery store. 10 of 14 Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing View Recipe These hearty kale salads hold up well for 4 days, making them perfect for meal-prep lunches. To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, dress this salad and top it with peanuts just before serving. For a delicious vegan option, swap in roasted tofu for the chicken breast. 11 of 14 Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls View Recipe Pasta salad is a classic summer side dish, but adding protein (leftover grilled chicken is perfect here) and extra greens makes it a super-satisfying lunch. We use baby spinach, but arugula or baby kale works too. Top with a bright and tangy basil vinaigrette just before serving. The great news is that these easy meal-prep lunches take just 20 minutes to prepare--that's 4 days of lunches in less than 30 minutes. 12 of 14 Rice & Bean Freezer Burritos View Recipe Save money and sodium when you make a batch of homemade frozen burritos. Mashing the beans and mixing them with tomatoes, cheese and jalapeños before filling the healthy burritos means you get all the ingredients in each bite. Serve with your favorite toppings--we like sour cream, salsa and hot sauce. 13 of 14 Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls View Recipe Meal-prep a week's worth of delicious and satisfying high-fiber lunches with just 5 simple ingredients and 20 minutes. In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad--shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store--this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for. 14 of 14 Tuna & White Bean Salad View Recipe The time-honored Italian pairing of canned tuna and cannellini beans makes a super-simple, satisfying lunch. Serve over salad greens, on grilled whole-wheat country bread or tucked in a whole-wheat pita pocket. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit