22 Healthy Lunch Ideas That Serve One Person (2024)

Eating for one means you can tailor your midday meal according to your favorite flavors. Salads, pastas, toasts and soups are all up for grabs, so get ready for the quick and easy lunch of your dreams. Recipes like our Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad and Pesto & White Bean Stuffed Tomato are delicious and simple to pull together. These lunch recipes for one person feel special, but are easy enough to make any day of the week!

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Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad

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This simple lunch comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days.

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Black Bean-Cauliflower "Rice" Bowl

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This aromatic cauliflower rice bowl comes together in minutes and is a simple meal for one. Using frozen riced cauliflower instead of rice keeps the carbs in check--and makes for quicker prep.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

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You might not think to use hummus as a pasta sauce, but the creamy dip makes the perfect backdrop to the bold flavors of this healthy Mediterranean-inspired pasta salad.

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Chocolate-Banana Protein Smoothie

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Red lentils give this smoothie a plant-based protein boost. To make this smoothie vegan, try using unsweetened coconut beverage or almond milk in place of the dairy milk.

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English Muffin Pizza with Tomato & Olives

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This pizza-inspired English muffin topped with tomato, cheese, olives and oregano does triple duty—it's great as a snack or as part of a delicious breakfast or lunch.

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Pesto & White Bean Stuffed Tomato

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This simple 3-ingredient recipe is perfect for a light lunch or snack. Showcasing the midsummer flavors of fresh tomatoes and pesto, this recipe is delicious, nutritious and ready in just five minutes.

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Stovetop Veggie Frittata

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Eggs are one of the cheapest sources of protein. And they offer a delicious and easy avenue for getting veggies, like in this frittata. Using frozen vegetables saves prep time, too.

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Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich

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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.

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Quick Greek Chopped Salad with Chicken

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Make lunch in a pinch with this healthy Greek salad recipe, ready in just 10 minutes. It's packed with protein and fiber, to help keep you full for longer.

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Shrimp Salad with Peanut Dressing

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Using applesauce in the peanut dressing lends a sweet, tart flavor that pairs wonderfully with shrimp.

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Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios

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Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup!

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Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado & Walnuts

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Serve this summery strawberry spinach salad alongside soup or a half sandwich, or top with grilled chicken or roasted salmon for a complete and easy healthy meal.

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Spicy Garlic Instant Noodles with Edamame & Red Peppers

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Spice up a package of instant noodles with fresh garlic and red pepper flakes for heat, plus edamame for added protein. This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 2 and use the whole package of noodles. To cut back on sodium, look for noodle varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.

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Roasted Red Pepper & Sardine Toast

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Sardines are healthy, cheap and delicious--try this simple toast recipe to work more of these tasty little fish into your diet.

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Quinoa Deli Salad

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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 as dinner and doubles as a delicious lunch the next day.

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Egg Drop Soup with Instant Noodles, Spinach & Scallions

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Whisking a beaten egg into simmering broth is a quick and easy way to add creaminess and protein to noodle soup mix. Add freshness with a handful of baby spinach at the end. This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 2 and use the whole package of noodles. To cut back on sodium, look for noodle varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.

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Roasted Veggies & Hummus Sandwich

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Spruce up your sandwich game with a medley of roasted veggies. For extra vegetables throughout the week, roast a whole sheet pan in Step 1, then add the cooked veggies to salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes, or serve them as a side dish.

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Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken

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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.

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Sesame Instant Ramen Noodles with Broccoli & Soft-Boiled Egg

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Jazz up basic ramen noodles with toasted sesame oil, quick-cooked broccoli and a jammy soft-boiled egg. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.

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Chicken & Veggie Quesadilla

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This easy quesadilla recipe uses canned cooked chicken to save time. You can also use leftover cooked chicken or turkey if you have it. Dice the vegetables up to 1 day ahead for even speedier prep.

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Greek Salmon Salad

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If mixed salads fail to fill you up, try this hearty Greek salmon salad recipe, which calls for bulking up a traditional bed of mixed greens with roasted vegetables and protein-rich salmon. Leftovers make it a breeze to put together this delicious Mediterranean salad. Here we suggest two recipes you could meal-prep ahead of time--Lemon-Roasted Mixed Vegetables and Sweet & Spicy Roasted Salmon--but you can use whatever roasted veggies you have on hand and pick up a precooked salmon fillet from the deli counter at your grocery store. This healthy salad would also be good with chicken. Serve it for an easy dinner or pack it up for lunch.

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Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

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A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavors.