19 Heart-Healthy Vegetarian Lunch Recipes

By

Published on March 9, 2024

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

a recipe photo of the Curried Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches — Photo:
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco

You won’t want to miss out on these lunch recipes. Each dish is brimming with nutritious, vegetarian foods like beans and legumes, whole grains and leafy greens. Plus, they earn our heart-healthy nutrition tag for having low amounts of sodium and saturated fats. Make our Veggie & Hummus Sandwich for those days when you’re crunched for time. Or, try our Curried Sweet Potato & Peanut Soup as a convenient and flavorful make-ahead option for busy weeks.

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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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Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

A smoothie with strawberries, blueberries and banana is delicately sweet and entirely kid-friendly, even with a boost of protein from hemp seeds. Freeze the fruits ahead of time for an extra frosty texture once blended.

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Curried Sweet Potato & Peanut Soup

curried sweet potato soup with peanuts

In this flavorful soup recipe, sweet potatoes simmer in a quick coconut curry, resulting in a creamy, thick broth punctuated by notes of garlic and ginger. We love peanuts for their inexpensive price and versatile flavor. They're also a great source of protein--1 ounce has 7 grams.

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Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens

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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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

overhead shot of vegan grain bowl filled with beets, edamame and avocado — Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

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.

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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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Curried Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches

a recipe photo of the Curried Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches — Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco

The creamy cauliflower mixture in this vegetarian sandwich was inspired by the flavors of Indian raita. A combination of yogurt, cashews and mustard round out the spices in the curry powder, with pomegranate arils adding a juicy pop of sweetness. Buy cauliflower florets in a bag instead of the whole head and look for containers of pomegranate arils to keep prep simple.

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Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

A bold, smoky marinade elevates roasted cauliflower in this meal-prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos by Carolyn Malcoun. To cut down on prep time for these healthy taco bowls, look for precut cauliflower in the produce department. You can also save time by using microwaveable quinoa pouches (you'll need one 8-ounce pouch for this recipe) instead of cooking quinoa.

09 of 19

Chickpea & Quinoa Grain Bowl

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!

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Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos

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.

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Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup

Side view photo of 3 jars of Anti-Inflammatory Eat-the-Rainbow soup after broth is added with lid on top. — 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, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers. Simply add the broth and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water.

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Vegetable and Tofu Soup

Tofu has a reputation for being bland, but when marinated in Italian seasoning for up to four hours, it's anything but in this veggie-packed soup.

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Green Goddess Wrap

a recipe photo of the Green Goddess Wrap — Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

A soft and silky green goddess dressing blends with crunchy fresh cucumber and tender greens in this easy wrap. If you prefer, you can ditch the wrap and enjoy the filling as a salad instead.

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Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas — Greg DuPree

A crisp, citrusy slaw contrasts nicely with the enchiladas' creamy squash filling.

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Meal-Prep Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Pesto

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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High-Fiber Matcha Green Smoothie Bowl

a recipe photo of Almond-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.

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Root Vegetable & Greens Salad with Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Root Vegetable & Greens Salad with Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette — Greg DuPree

Red pepper jelly is the key ingredient in this piquant yet sweet salad dressing. If you prefer more heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

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Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls

Lemon-Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowls

Brimming with colorful roasted vegetables, these plant-based meal-prep lunch bowls are high in fiber to keep you full through the afternoon. The easy roasted veggies are based on a popular recipe from our sister magazine (see Associated Recipes). Feel free to use your favorite store-bought hummus to cut down on prep time, or make a batch of your own (see Tip). You can also sub in an 8-ounce microwaveable quinoa pouch to minimize cooking.

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Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

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.

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