19 10-Minute High-Protein Lunches to Pack for Work

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Updated on July 8, 2024

Reviewed by Dietitian

Christa Brown, M.S., RDN, LD

Caprese Sandwich — Photo: Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely

These totable midday meals are sure to help you power through an afternoon at work. Each serving of these simple, 10-minute lunches has at least 15 grams of protein, which can help support healthy digestion, strong bones and muscle growth. Plus, protein can keep you feeling full for a longer period of time, so you won't spend your day distracted by a growling stomach. Recipes like our Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu & Peanut Dressing and Caprese Sandwich are simple but tasty ways to shake up your break room routine.

01 of 19

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.

02 of 19

Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu & Peanut Dressing

Prep four days' worth of high-protein vegan lunches using just four easy ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, including a veggie-heavy salad mix as a base. Because this salad mix is hearty, you can dress these bowls up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors in this healthy chopped salad to marry. If you can't find a hearty mix, go with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts.

03 of 19

Caprese Sandwich

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.

04 of 19

Tuna Salad with Egg

Tuna Salad with Egg — Photography / Jennifer Causey, Styling / Ali Ramee / Audrey Davis

This simple tuna salad with egg has a clean and balanced flavor. The capers and lemon bring acidity to help everything come together and chopped arugula adds a peppery kick. Enjoy it with greens or on a slice of your favorite whole-grain bread.

05 of 19

Avocado Tuna Spinach Salad

Avocado Tuna Spinach Salad — Greg DuPree

Avocado adds creaminess while sunflower seeds provide texture and crunch in this easy tuna-spinach salad.

06 of 19

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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.

07 of 19

Black Bean & Slaw Bagel

Black Bean & Slaw Bagel — Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh

This easy open-faced sandwich recipe uses a jalapeño-Cheddar bagel, but a plain bagel would work just as well. Top each bagel half with black beans and fresh slaw for a satisfying bite.

08 of 19

3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad

3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad — Carolyn Hodges

We put a flavor twist on the classic chicken salad by using a lemon-herb mayonnaise. Try other mayo varieties, like roasted garlic or chipotle lime, in this fast, no-cook lunch recipe. Serve this rotisserie chicken salad recipe with whole-grain crackers.

09 of 19

3-Ingredient Farro Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken

3-Ingredient Mediterranean Farro Bowl — Carolyn Hodges

To make this hearty grain bowl, grab a salad kit from the grocery store. Then, top the kit with farro and chicken for a high-protein lunch or dinner that's ready in minutes.

10 of 19

3-Ingredient Chicken Tabbouleh Bowls

3-ingredient chicken tabbouleh bowls — Photo by: Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

This almost-instant grain bowl makes the most of the prepared foods section at your grocery store. Toss together a ready-made salad with proteins for a healthy, quick dinner.

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Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich

Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich — Brie Passano

When you boil eggs ahead of time, it's easy to create a lickety-split and delightful lunchtime egg salad. And using the flavorful leafy carrot tops in it is like getting herbs for free.

12 of 19

Chicken & Cabbage Salad Bowls with Sesame Dressing

Everything you need (just four ingredients!) to prepare a week's worth of healthy, low-carb lunches can be found at your neighborhood grocery store. A bag of prechopped red and green cabbage serves as the crunchy low-carb base in these chicken salad bowls, which only require 10 minutes to assemble. Top with sesame-flavored almonds and a sesame dressing and you have one irresistible lunch you'll look forward to all week.

13 of 19

Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken

This healthy chopped salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. You can reserve the remaining hard-boiled egg half for a snack.

14 of 19

Quinoa Deli Salad

This healthy version of a deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with small amounts of ham and mozzarella, so you get all of the flavor without overdoing it on the sodium. This healthy quinoa salad is great for dinner and doubles as a delicious lunch the next day.

15 of 19

Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate

Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate

This healthy fruit, veggie and cheese plate is easy and affordable to pull together for a fun snack-style dinner at home or can be packed up and enjoyed as an outdoor picnic.

16 of 19

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.

17 of 19

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.

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Pasta Salad with Vinaigrette Lunchbox

Pasta Salad with Vinaigrette Lunch Box — Diana Chistruga

Pasta salad is a great take-along lunch with tons of opportunities to make it your own. Want to make it vegetarian? Pack olives in place of salami. Don't love peppers? Try tomatoes instead! Be sure that you pack at least one container big enough to hold everything together once it's mixed (about 1 1/2 cups).

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Shrimp Niçoise Meal-Prep Bowls

This low-carb meal-prep version of the classic composed salad comes together in about 10 minutes thanks to a handful of shortcut ingredients, like pretrimmed green beans and prepared olive tapenade. With a whopping 41 g of protein per serving, these bowls will keep hunger at bay all afternoon. To switch things up, feel free to swap in canned tuna or leftover roasted salmon for the shrimp.

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