15+ 3-Step Best Lunch Recipes For Better Blood Sugar

Lunch will be as easy as 1-2-3, thanks to these simple recipes! These highly-rated dishes take just three steps to make for a delicious, low-effort meal. Plus each serving is low in calories, saturated fat, sodium and carbs, which can help support healthy blood sugar levels. You’ll want to make options like our Lemon-Dill Tuna Salad or our Chicken & Cabbage Soup with Pesto for an easy and nourishing lunch.

Lemon-Dill Tuna Salad

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower

This brightly flavored tuna salad packs plenty of protein and gets a boost of flavor from sumac—a spice used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African cooking that adds a citrusy touch, enhancing the lemon flavor without overshadowing the other ingredients.

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.

Chicken & Cabbage Soup with Pesto

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

This simple soup is topped with flavor-boosting store-bought pesto. Big, fiber-rich butter beans add a creamy bite, but you can easily swap them out for cannellini beans or navy beans if you prefer. This soup works well with leftover chicken—simply shred or chop cooked chicken and add it to the soup to reheat once the cabbage is tender.

Tuna Salad & Tomato Sandwich

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser

This classic deli-style tuna sandwich is packed with protein and topped with a juicy slice of fresh tomato. Sweet pickle relish adds a contrast of flavors to the mix, but if you prefer something less sweet, dill pickle relish can be used in its place.

Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps

Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco

This tasty wrap is elevated by the convenience of rotisserie chicken and the scrumptious flavor of sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk together the easy dressing, toss with the chicken, add spinach and wrap it all together for a delicious lunch.

High-Protein Mason Jar Salad

Ali Redmond

Mason jar salads make for a convenient lunch that can easily be taken on the go or enjoyed at home. With just a few ingredients, you have a well-rounded lunch packed with fiber, protein and micronutrients that won’t spike your blood sugars.

Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This vibrant and wholesome soup 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.

Green Goddess Tuna Salad

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco

Canned tuna makes this dish convenient and pantry-friendly while also offering an impressive punch of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Serve on bread or in a wrap, over a bed of greens or scooped up with your favorite chips, crackers or cucumber slices.

Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman

This crunchy cucumber sandwich draws flavor inspiration from elote, the Mexican street corn dish. Instead of corn, we flavor cucumber slices with cotija cheese, lime and cilantro for a tasty filling. Cotija cheese, a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese, is similar in flavor and texture to feta cheese, which can be used as a substitute. Arugula adds a peppery flavor, but any tender greens will work well here.

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.

Salmon Rice Bowl

Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

This rice bowl makes for a tasty lunch or dinner. With healthy ingredients like instant brown rice, salmon and veggies, you’ll have a flavorful meal in just 25 minutes.

10-Minute Tuna Melt

Joy Howard

This variation of the diner classic uses mayonnaise, but not where you think! Mayo is brushed on the outside of the sandwich in place of butter to make the sandwich golden and crispy as it heats in a skillet. Plain Greek yogurt takes mayo’s place in the salad—along with crunchy celery, roasted red bell peppers and scallions—for a satisfying lunch.

Immune-Supporting Creamy Tomato Soup

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This easy soup is made with just three ingredients—perfect for a quick afternoon snack or a healthy lunch. Plus, this soup has over 20% of the daily value of vitamins A and C, two nutrients that are needed for the immune system to function properly.

Spicy Slaw Bowls with Shrimp & Edamame

A flavorful slaw serves as the low-carb base in this veggie-packed lunch. Topped with high-protein edamame and shrimp, this satisfying lunch will help you power through the afternoon.

Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

We’ve loaded this pasta salad with vegetables and bright flavors. Sun-dried tomatoes and a touch of lemon zest jazz up the dressing, while tender-crisp broccoli florets cook alongside the pasta, making assembly (and cleanup!) a breeze.

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.

Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad

This easy salad is a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can’t find it, you can use romaine instead.

Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal.

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