Lunch gets a bad rap: Breakfast holds the title for “most important” meal of the day, and if we’re going to pull out all the stops, it’s going to be for dinner. But what about lunch? It’s time we stop dismissing lunch as an afterthought and start treating it with the respect it deserves — it’s the meal that gives us the midday boost we need to keep going. That said, you don’t have to spend your Sunday meal-prepping to have healthy and satisfying lunches throughout the week. These quick and easy lunches are ready in 20 minutes or less and aren’t accompanied by lengthy ingredient lists. So stop with the sad PB&Js already, you deserve something tastier.
Mexi-Chicken Avocado Cups
“This buttery avocado bowl came together with the chicken, cilantro, chili powder, and lime to make the perfect nutritional meal,” says reviewer bd.weld. “Be sure to keep the chicken moist so you don’t have dry tasting chicken. This would work as well with leftover turkey, or by adding diced onions.”
Cheesy-Crust Skillet Pizza
No pizza dough? No problem. This pizza is made entirely in a skillet using mozzarella cheese as crust. Reviewer Theresa Ann Berry-Wilson says, “It is quick and easy to make, great for quick lunch…”
Easy Chorizo Street Tacos
Get street-style tacos without ever leaving your house. Mexican chorizo brings the heat here. “I made this for Sunday family lunch and everyone loved them,” says reviewer NoTimeMom. “Plus this was so easy and quick.”
Easy Mini Bagel Pizzas
Recipe creator LEANANSIDHE describes this as, “A homemade take on a frozen favorite.” Simply arrange bagels on a baking sheet, add pizza toppings, and bake!
Simple Egg Salad
Allrecipes/Julia Hartbeck
Chopped cucumber gives an added crunch to this five-ingredient egg salad. Reviewer Christina says, “This was tasty, and couldn’t have been easier!”
Summer Cucumber Jícama Salad
This light and refreshing cucumber salad makes for a light lunch or side dish that will keep well in the fridge for days. Reviewer Katzmagick in the Kitchen says, “I bought jícama for the first time, always thought it was a strange thing. But if you haven’t tried it, this is a good recipe. The lemon tones down the jícama’s sweetness. Nice balance of flavors.”
Pizza Lava Toast
Sara Haas
This quick lunch is an irresistible combination of grilled cheese and pizza toast. What’s not to love?
Orange, Fig, and Gorgonzola Salad
If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh figs during their short season, what better way to put them on display than this colorful salad? Reviewer Christina says, “I’ve been eyeing my dad’s fig tree waiting to get the perfect fig to make this salad…delicious! I didn’t have any fresh oranges, so I used mandarin oranges, and they worked out fine.”
Tuna Tostadas
This fast and vibrant recipe is a great way to put that can of tuna kicking around in your pantry to delicious use. Better still, it’s ready to eat in 10 minutes.
Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
This meat-free alternative to chicken salad is an easy and inexpensive option to add to your lunch rotation. Lemon and dill give the mix a delightfully bright and fresh flavor, but feel free to incorporate any favorite herbs or seasonings to make it your own.
Easy Quesadillas
Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling: Gabriel Greco
This speedy quesadilla recipe offers the perfect template for customization. Add whatever ingredients you love and have on hand; for example, shredded leftover chicken. “This was a perfect quesadilla. My first with avocado but certainly not my last. Delicious with fresh pico de gallo,” says home cook gapch1026.
Cucumber Sandwich
Pack in your veggie servings with this fresh and nutritious vegetable sammie. It’s easy to pack to-go and makes for a lunch worth looking forward to.
Turkey-Pesto Toasterdilla
You’re only four ingredients away from a toasty, cheesy, utterly satisfying mid-day meal. Feel free to swap the turkey for sliced ham, chicken, or roast beef.
Shrimp and Peanut Butter Noodles
This satisfying noodle bowl can be whipped up in a matter of minutes the night before and enjoyed chilled the next day, or made and eaten fresh!
The Best Chicken Salad Ever
Yoly
Put leftover, grilled, or rotisserie chicken to work in this crave-worthy chicken salad recipe. Use your favorite creamy bottled salad dressing to bind the chicken, celery, and onion.
Tuna Panini Melt
You can’t beat the classics and this cozy tuna melt proves it. You can definitely toast your sandwich in a skillet if you don’t have a panini press (or don’t feel like pulling it out).
Busy Day Lunch Salad
The name says it all. This easy, throw-together salad delivers just the right kind of fuel and flavor to help you power through a hectic afternoon.
Pita Pizza
fabeveryday
Pita bread makes the perfect foundation for a quick and easy lunch pizza, featuring your favorite toppings. Some Allrecipes users suggest toasting the pita a bit on its own before adding the toppings to create a stronger base.
California Club Chicken Wraps
If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, sliced turkey lunchmeat would also work great in this tasty wrap. To prep bacon quickly, try cooking it in the microwave.
Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado, and Goat Cheese
To make throwing together your lunch salads even easier the day of, consider prepping a large batch of vinaigrette at the start of the week. You can also reach for your favorite bottled dressing if you prefer!
Baja-Style Chicken Bowl
“This made a quick and easy lunch. I cooked white rice fresh while the chicken was cooking, and added the salsa in with the corn and chicken,” says Allrecipes community member McEmmy. “I ended up having extra corn and chicken mix leftover that made a great toasted sandwich the next day.”
Best Ever Tuna Salad
This community-favorite tuna salad features a surprise ingredient that puts it over the top: canned crab meat. Of course, if you don’t happen to have a can on hand, you can replace with more tuna or omit. But it might be worth picking up on the week’s grocery run for next time!
Skillet Burrito Bowl
Skipping the tortilla makes for a burrito lunch that’s easy to pack and easy to enjoy anywhere. Add in cubed avocado, shredded lettuce, and whatever other fresh touches you might have on hand.
BLT
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
The humble BLT is here to remind you that lunch doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated in order to be fantastic.
Sesame Noodle Salad
This simple noodle is a huge hit with reviewers. It’s a great place to incorporate whatever veggies you have hanging around in your fridge — from raw bell pepper to leftover steamed broccoli.
Turkey Wraps
Allrecipes / Diana Chistruga
“Delicious wrap sandwich! Perfect for lunch on the go!” says reviewer Jillian. “I cut the recipe in half so I’d have one and my husband could take the rest to work.”
Avocado Toast with Egg
France C
No need to limit avocado toast to the breakfast table. This quick, nutritious option makes for a satisfying meal any time of day.
