15 Low-Carb, High-Protein Lunches in 3 Steps or Less

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Updated on November 30, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken — Photo: Jason Donnelly

Elevate your lunch game with these delicious and nutrient-dense dishes that help you fuel your body even when you’re at your busiest. With no more than 14 grams of carbohydrates and at least 15 grams of protein per serving, these satisfying lunch recipes are great options for a well-balanced midday meal. Plus, they only take three steps or less to prepare, so they can be made with ease. Recipes like our Chopped Power Salad with Chicken and our Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro Spaghetti Squash are packed with flavor, surprisingly simple and can help you meet your nutrition goals.

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Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

salad

Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.

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5-Spice Chicken Noodle Soup

This Asian-inspired chicken soup recipe has soy, five-spice powder and ginger, which add a flavor punch without adding lots of calories or fat.

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Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro Spaghetti Squash

Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro Spaghetti Squash

Garlicky shrimp are served on top of buttery, cilantro-flecked spaghetti squash in this quick, healthy dinner recipe inspired by shrimp scampi. Pair with a side of sautéed greens, such as kale, collards or spinach.

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Creamy Pesto Chicken Salad with Greens

For a healthy variation on creamy chicken salad, we've replaced half the mayonnaise with basil pesto. Serve over greens or make it into a sandwich for a healthy lunch.

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Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing

We've replaced chicken with shrimp in this delicious and easy spin on the classic Cobb salad. This satisfying salad takes just 20 minutes to make, so it's perfect for weeknight dinners, but it's elegant enough to serve to guests.

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Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables

Here's a healthy twist on shrimp scampi. We left out the butter and loaded the dish up with red peppers and asparagus for a refreshing spring meal. Serve with quinoa.

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Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna

Arugula Celery Cucumber Salad with Tuna and Olives in a yellow bowl with a fork and napkin — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Spicy baby arugula pairs with crisp Persian cucumbers and celery in this refreshing salad. Italian Castelvetrano olives offer a mild, buttery flavor that doesn't compete with the flavor of the tuna. If you want more punch from your olives, Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives work well too.

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Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad

Avocado makes an exceptionally creamy and healthful dressing for this chicken salad. A bit of ranch dressing with pickled jalapeño adds a tangy spin to the lunchtime classic. Serve it on a slice of whole-wheat toast for an open-face sandwich or in a lettuce cup for a low-carb lunch.

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Nonny's Tuna Salad

a recipe photo of the Nonny's Tuna Salad served on bread — From Y'ALL EAT YET? by Miranda Lambert with Holly Gleason. Copyright Â© 2023 by Miranda Lambert. Reprinted by permission of Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

This simple tuna salad recipe gets its great crunch from a combination of celery and apple. From Y'all Eat Yet? by Miranda Lambert with Holly Gleason. Copyright © 2023 by Miranda Lambert. Reprinted by permission of Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

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Low-Carb Chicken & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps

Low-Carb Chicken and Cheddar Lettuce Wraps on a cutting board — Jennifer Causey

This fresh, crunchy wrap sandwich is brimming with vegetables, yet still delivers a satisfying amount of protein thanks to the chicken and cheese. Crisp iceberg lettuce is what keeps this wrap sandwich ultra low in carbs (just 4 grams per serving). The hardest part of this 10-minute recipe is rolling the sandwich, but our parchment paper trick makes it infinitely simpler.

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Shrimp & Vegetable Soup with Garlic & Ginger

This colorful, savory soup combines a blend of crunchy vegetables and shiitake mushrooms with shrimp. It's an easy, low-calorie lunch that comes together in minutes and will leave you satisfied all afternoon.

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Crab Salad

Crab Salad — Photographer / Jen Causey, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Chelsea Zimmer

This fresh and clean crab salad sits on top of crunchy romaine lettuce with extra crunch coming from bell pepper and celery. The sweet crab is laced with a creamy dressing (thanks to Greek-style yogurt and mayo) with just a hint of Old Bay seasoning. Lemon and herbs bring it all together and brighten everything up.

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Chicken, Pepper & Tomato Balsamic Salad

chicken pepper tomato salad — Andrea Mathis, M.A., R.D.N., L.D.

The classic tomato-balsamic salad gets an upgrade with the addition of satisfying chicken and crunchy bell peppers. This fresh salad recipe is perfect for lunch or dinner.

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Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This chicken salad is made with a blend of light mayonnaise and fat-free Greek yogurt. Served on butterhead lettuce leaves instead of bread, and topped with sweet cherries and crunchy almonds, this recipe is a great choice for a light lunch.

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Tangy Chicken Salad with Grapes

Tangy Chicken Salad With Grapes in a bowl — Antonis Achilleos

Sweet red grapes and crunchy celery make this chicken salad sing, and also balance out the slight tang from the yogurt and lemon. But go ahead and customize the mix-ins with whatever you desire (perhaps some chopped nuts or dried fruit) because this chicken salad recipe is easily adaptable. We use rotisserie chicken (look for unseasoned to keep sodium in check!) to simplify things, but any leftover cooked chicken will work.

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