Our 15+ All-Time Favorite Vegetarian Lunch Recipes

Add some delicious veggies to your day by making some of these vegetarian lunches! Whether you follow a vegetarian eating pattern or just want to round out your menu with some meatless options, these highly rated dishes are sure to do the trick. They’re also some of our most popular, gaining tons of traffic from our readers this year. You’ll want to try options like our Spinach & Mushroom Quiche and our Creamy White Bean Soup for a tasty midday meal.

Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

Photographer: Grant Webster,  Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek,


Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and tomato, this healthy cabbage soup packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunches all week.

Cucumber Sandwich

Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell


This creamy, crunchy cucumber sandwich strikes a lovely balance between decadent and light. The cream cheese-yogurt spread complements the crisp refreshing cucumber, while the hearty flavor and texture of the whole-wheat bread pull everything together.

Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

Photographer: Jen Causey


This healthy vegetarian quiche is as simple as it gets. It’s a quiche without the fussy crust! It’s filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Serve it with a light salad for lunch.

Creamy White Bean Soup

Photography: Caitlin bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Styling: Julia Bayless


This light, creamy white bean soup recipe is richly flavored thanks to plenty of beans, veggies and Parmesan cheese.

Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

Photography: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco


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.

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. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers.

Avocado-Egg Toast

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey


Try it once and we think you’ll agree: Topping avocado toast with an egg makes a near-perfect lunch.

Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato & Cucumber Sandwich

Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Lauren Odum


This protein-packed hummus sandwich features a topping of crisp veggies, feta cheese and sweet, tangy sun-dried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil have a soft texture perfect for sandwiches. You can use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes in their place, but you may have to rehydrate them in water to soften them before using.

Crustless Caprese Quiche

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell


This light and fluffy crustless quiche is dotted with tomatoes, little bites of melty mozzarella and savory pesto. And the best part—it’s mixed, assembled and baked in a pie plate for easy cleanup. A green salad on the side is all you need for the perfect lunch.

Lemony Lentil Salad with Feta

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.

Cucumber & Tomato Sandwich

Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf


This herby cucumber and tomato sandwich is crisp and refreshing, making the most of these vegetables. Chives add a delicate onion flavor to the cream cheese, but dill or basil can be used in their place.

Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Maura Timmerman


In this healthy cauliflower soup recipe, roasting the cauliflower first adds depth and prevents the florets from turning to mush. A little tomato sauce and coconut milk give the broth a rich, silky texture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

Eat-the-Rainbow Chopped Salad with Basil & Mozzarella

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf


This fresh and colorful chopped salad has all the delicious flavors you love from a classic caprese salad, plus even more healthy veggies. Add grilled or roasted chicken for a quick main dish.

Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Feta & Lemon

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Annie Probst


This cucumber chickpea salad with feta and lemon is tangy and refreshing. You can enjoy it on its own or toss it with greens for an easy lunch. We love the grassy flavor of dill, but another fresh herb like oregano, parsley or chives will work well in its place.

The Creamiest Egg Salad Sandwich

Photographer: Hannah Hufham, Food Stylist: Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist: Tucker Vines


The egg salad in this sandwich gets its creamy texture from finely grating the eggs, which blends the whites and yolks together so you get a bit of both in each bite. A microplane grater is the best tool to use to get that perfect, uniform texture, but a fine-mesh sieve will work well too. We top the egg salad with a little bit of Parmesan cheese and toast the sandwiches in a skillet with a little butter to make this creamy sandwich extra special.

Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

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. 

Veggie & Hummus Sandwich

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey


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.

Vegetarian Chopped Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Brie Passano

This healthy vegetarian salad recipe features chickpeas and quinoa for a boost of protein. Cilantro adds color and flavor when blended to make a creamy dressing. Serve this cold salad for lunch.

The Best Vegetable & Noodle Soup

Jen Causey (Photographer), Chelsea Zimmer (Food Stylist), Julia Bayless (Prop Stylist)


This brothy vegetable noodle soup is perfect for a crisp fall evening. It’s hearty, satisfying and an easy way to get your daily dose of veggies. We call for dark-green lacinato kale, but curly kale will work just as well. We love how the tiny pieces of orzo sop up the broth, but any small whole-wheat noodle gets the green light in this versatile soup.

No-Cook White Bean & Spinach Caprese Salad

This easy white bean and spinach caprese salad features the classic combination of juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil and tangy balsamic vinegar but adds tender white beans and fresh baby spinach to the mix.

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