37 Vegetarian Lunch Ideas That’ll Keep You Full Until Dinner
Prepping lunch ahead of time has a huge payoff—and every single one of these vegetarian lunch ideas is going to be more satisfying than a sad (and pricey) salad bar visit. Below you’ll find creamy homemade dips that are great with pita or crudités, a ton of ways to transform canned beans into a delicious meal, and all of our favorite vegetarian sandwiches. This list of vegetarian lunch recipes has meal-prep ideas like make-ahead marinated lentils, a creamy tofu dressing that goes with everything, and flavorful grain dishes that taste even better after a night in the fridge. Scroll down and get your lunch box ready.
Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi1/37Classic Tomato Toast with Mayonnaise and Chives
In summer, vegetarian lunch ideas can be as simple as rainbow-hued tomatoes, sliced, seasoned, and layered on toast with a swipe of mayo.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch2/37Vegetarian Muffulettas With Pickled Iceberg
For vegetarian sandwiches with extra-tangy crunch, tuck some pickled iceberg in along with aged provolone cheese, fresh mozzarella, jarred roasted red peppers, and a muffaletta-inspired olive mix.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton3/37Easy Pasta Salad
Start your week with a big container of this easy pasta salad in the fridge, and lunch is solved for days. Add a can of chickpeas for heartier meal.
Photo by Chris Terry4/37Butter Beans, Paprika, and Piquillo Peppers
This quick lunch brings big flavor to canned beans—easily the MVP of many of our favorite vegetarian recipes. There's tang from sherry vinegar and sweetness from piquillo peppers, plus a bit of savory smoke from smoked paprika.
Photo by Jennifer Davick5/37Crunchy Quinoa Salad
Think of this as a flexible formula for a hearty vegetarian grain salad. When you have this in your lunch box, you'll be so happy that you didn't have to shell out for a sad salad bar situation.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton7/37Egg Salad With Grilled Broccoli and Chili Crisp
Smoky, subtly sweet grilled broccoli feels luxurious served on a bed of creamy egg salad. Epi contributor Hetty McKinnon loves to serve this dish when friends come over for a leisurely lunch. You can prep the various elements in advance and just assemble the whole thing when everyone's ready to eat.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton8/37Chickpea Salad Sandwich With Creamy Carrot-Radish Slaw
This vegetarian play on the classic chicken salad sandwich swaps in creamy, high-protein chickpeas for the meat. Crunchy carrot slaw makes a great accompaniment (but feel free to skip it to keep things easy.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell11/37Five-Bean Salad with Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova12/37Caprese Salad
Don't assemble this one in advance. Just slice fresh mozzarella and the ripest fresh tomato you've got, add fresh basil and olive oil, and devour, imagining that you're on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Mariana Velasquez14/37Topped Sweet Potato
You don't really need a recipe for this lunch—just microwave (or steam or bake) a sweet potato, then pile on any of the vegetarian options from this list of 26 topping ideas. Hint: You can't go wrong with a Mexican-inspired sweet potato with black beans, guacamole, cilantro, and queso fresco.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog16/37Butternut Squash Sandwich With Cheddar Cheese and Pickled Red Onion
This meatless sandwich was inspired by one of the greats, as served at Court Street Grocers in Brooklyn. Combine of hearty, thyme-roasted butternut squash, rich white cheddar cheese, tangy pickled red onions, and zesty Djionnaise for the most satisfying lunch around. Serve with an apple on the side—think of it as the lunch to beat all school lunches.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano17/37Mutabbal Silik
This creamy Swiss chard and tahini dip is great with flatbread or crunchy raw veg.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell18/37Winter Salad Hummus Bowls
The secret to this multi-textured meal is to make a batch of the crunchy gluten-free topper in advance.
Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki21/37Maui Kale Salad With Sweet Onion Dressing
You might think that you have enough kale salad recipes, but this one, with its sweet onion dressing, spicy-sweet roasted peanuts, and crunchy potato chips, is really a game-changer.
Photo and Food Styling by Anna Stockwell22/37Big-Batch Marinated Lentils
Making a big batch of seasoned lentils prepares you for whatever the week has in store. Add to a salad, combine with grains and crumbled goat cheese, or stir into this brothy vegetable bowl or any soup you like for a rib-sticking vegetarian meal.
Photo by Elena Heatherwick23/37Confit Tandoori Chickpeas
Cook these confit chickpeas on the weekend—they'll take a little while, but it's an easy, hands-off project—and you'll have the best comforting lunches on hand. It's one of our executive editor's very favorite easy vegetarian recipes.
Photo by David Loftus24/37Pressed Broccoli Rabe and Mozzarella Sandwiches
If you love the bitter bite of broccoli rabe, you'll adore these pressed sandwiches. Capers and olives add briny tang, while mozzarella contributes richness.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson25/37White Bean Salad With Lemon and Cumin
Photo by Candice Kumai27/37Miso Kale Caesar Salad
With tahini, miso, a touch of sweetness, and rice vinegar, this vegetarian Caesar is an umami-lover’s dream.
Christina Holmes28/37Chickpea, Barley, and Feta Salad
Wilty lettuce is no one's idea of a good lunch. Instead, give yourself the gift of hearty, flavorful chickpea and grain bowls. If you don't have barley in your pantry, you can make this with farro, quinoa, or brown rice instead.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Alison Attenborough32/37Spinach and Artichoke Melts
Cold dips may be standard, easy-to-pack lunch fare. But this cozy lunch transforms everyone's favorite hot dip into a hearty meal.
Christopher Testani34/37Barley, Fennel, and Beet Salad
Not sure what to do with the beets that came in your farm box? Skip the roasting and slice them thinly for this easy, crunchy salad.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell36/37Chakalaka and Cheddar Braaibroodjies
If you're working from home or looking for weekend lunch ideas, a grilled cheese sandwich is a quick fix. But for truly flavorful grilled cheese, keep batch of spicy chakalaka in your fridge.
