34 Anti-Inflammatory Lunch Recipes That Are High in Fiber

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Published on June 29, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls with Herb Dressing

Say goodbye to inflammation and hello to a flavorful lunch that will help keep hunger at bay until your next meal. These delectable lunch recipes are packed with a medley of anti-inflammatory ingredients like avocado, beans and dark leafy greens to help combat pesky symptoms of chronic inflammation like mental fog, joint pain and impaired immune function. Plus, these dishes have at least 8 grams of fiber per serving to help you stay satisfied all afternoon. Recipes like our Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls with Herb Dressing and Black Bean Wraps with Greens & Cilantro Vinaigrette are nutritious and filling lunch options that you'll want to make again and again.

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Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Rice Bowl

Cuban Cauliflower Rice Bowl

In this riff on a healthy grain bowl recipe, we use cauliflower rice instead of another whole grain like brown rice to cut back on carbs and load up on veggie servings. A simple citrusy drizzle, inspired by Cuban mojo sauce, finishes these vegan rice bowls, perfect for lunch or dinner.

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Crispy Chickpea Grain Bowl with Lemon Vinaigrette

Our favorite part of these vegetarian grain bowls is the tangy lemon vinaigrette, which ties together a satisfying combo of quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, and roasted chickpeas and kale. Whip them up for easy meal-prep lunches or a healthy and satisfying dinner.

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Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls with Herb Dressing

Arrange the toppings individually on these protein-packed grain bowls so each bite has a contrasting taste and texture. Make big batches of the salad dressing, quinoa and roasted chicken thighs and you'll have healthy meal-prep lunches or dinners for days. Though the chicken thighs take just 15 minutes to prep, you can also make the salads with leftover chicken or store-bought cooked chicken to make prep even faster.

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Black Bean Wraps with Greens & Cilantro Vinaigrette

Black Bean Wraps with Greens & Cilantro Vinaigrette — Jason Donnelly

A simple salad tossed with a tangy vinaigrette packs these no-cook wraps with tons of bright cilantro flavor. The mix pairs well with mashed beans and avocado, which hold everything together.

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Veggie & Hummus Sandwich

Veggie & Hummus Sandwich

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.

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Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls

With a handful of shortcut ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, you can prepare an entire week's worth of high-fiber meals in about 15 minutes. Look for precooked wild rice packets to cut down on prep time. Plus, wild rice is a good source of fiber. Topping these bowls with prebaked tofu also cuts down on the time it takes to make this quick meal-prep lunch.

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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.

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Vegan Grain Bowl

This easy grain bowl has so much to love--sweet potatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, creamy avocado and homemade tahini dressing. Make the full recipe on the weekend and pack into individual serving containers for ready-to-go lunches for work all week.

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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.

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Meal-Prep Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Pesto

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.

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White Bean & Avocado Sandwich

White beans mash seamlessly into a creamy protein-packed spread for a satisfying healthy sandwich that makes for an easy lunch or dinner. Mix it up by trying it with canned chickpeas or black beans. This vegetarian sandwich recipe is also a fiber superstar: avocado, beans, greens and whole-wheat bread team up to give it 15 grams of fiber, more than half of what most women should aim for in a day.

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Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens

Protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas add staying power to this zesty and healthy salad recipe.

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Avocado Toast with Burrata

Avocado Toast with Burrata

Burrata (cream-filled fresh mozzarella cheese) takes this avocado toast recipe to the next level for a decadent, yet weekday-friendly breakfast.

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Green Goddess Salad

This gorgeous green goddess salad combines fresh shrimp, cucumber, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes with homemade dressing.

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Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one!

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Orzo Salad with Chickpeas & Artichoke Hearts

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas & Artichoke Hearts — Photography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Kady Wohlfarth / Kay Clarke

This hearty orzo salad features feta, lemon and dill, three ingredients often found in Greek cuisine. Enjoy for lunch or dinner.

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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.

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White Bean & Veggie Salad

White Bean & Veggie Salad

This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.

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Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

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.

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Lemony Lentil Salad with Feta

Lemony Lentil Salad — Jason Donnelly

This delicious and healthy lentil salad comes together in just 30 minutes and makes a wonderful hot-weather meal. Serve with whole-wheat pitas, if desired.

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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.

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Quick Lentil Salmon Salad

In this budget-friendly salmon recipe, canned salmon tops lentils, carrots and celery--ingredients you probably have on hand already. Fiber-rich lentils come in a variety of colors and they typically cook faster than dried beans, so they're a great choice for a fast weeknight dinner.

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Guacamole Chopped Salad

Guacamole Chopped Salad

All of the delicious guacamole flavors you love in a healthy veggie-packed salad. Want to pump up the protein? Add leftover roast chicken or sautéed shrimp. Serve with tortilla chips on the side (or crumbled over the top) to take it up a notch.

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Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl

The ingredients in this vegan grain bowl recipe can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch to pack for work. The tangy citrus dressing is a refreshing flavor with the sweet caramel of the roasted sheet-pan veggies.

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Meal-Prep Vegan Lettuce Wraps

For this healthy lunch idea, we swap the traditional warm filling with a cold plant-based bean salad loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the wrap from getting soggy.

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Loaded Cucumber & Avocado Sandwich

loaded cucumber and avocado sandwich — Jacob Fox

This loaded cucumber-and-avocado sandwich is filled with creamy avocado and crispy cucumbers. Ricotta cheese mixed with extra-sharp Cheddar adds flavor while sliced red peppers offer a splash of color.

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Chopped Veggie Grain Bowls with Turmeric Dressing

veggie grain bowl in a glass to-go container

In about 10 minutes, you can prep a week's worth of lunches using 4 simple ingredients from your local specialty grocery store. To minimize prep, we're taking advantage of prechopped fresh veggie mix and frozen quinoa (which heats in the microwave in under 5 minutes). These crunchy chopped salad bowls are high in fiber but lower in calories, making them perfect for those following a reduced-calorie diet.

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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.

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Salad Primavera with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette

Salad Primavera with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette — Eva Kolenko

This is a salad where the vegetables really shine and the lettuce plays a supporting role. It requires a bit of work up front to blanch all the veg, but the results are impressive.

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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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Roasted Veggie & Tofu Brown Rice Bowl

A healthy and satisfying vegan lunch for one, featuring roasted butternut squash, broccoli, peppers and onions with simple brown rice, lime-marinated tofu and creamy cashew tahini sauce.

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Salmon Salad-Stuffed Avocado

Good-quality canned salmon is high in protein and brain-loving omega-3 fatty acids. Mix it with pesto-spiked yogurt and pile it old-school style into a halved avocado for a quick healthy lunch.

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Kale, Quinoa & Apple Salad

Kale, Quinoa & Apple Salad — Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

This kale, quinoa and apple salad is perfect for fall. Fresh apples bring crisp autumn flavor, and the kale breaks down when it's massaged with the dressing. Nuts, fennel and quinoa add more layers of texture, while blue cheese lends a savory note.

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Cucumber Salad, Hummus & Pita Bento Box Lunch

Enjoy this refreshing bento box idea on your lunch break. It combines cucumber salad, hummus, pita and more for a satisfying work lunch.

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