Look for roasted chickpea snacks with the healthy snacks or nuts at your grocery store. These hearty kale salads hold up well for 4 days, making them perfect for meal-prep lunches.

To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, dress this salad and top it with peanuts just before serving. For a delicious vegan option, swap in roasted tofu for the chicken breast. Pasta salad is a classic summer side dish, but adding protein leftover grilled chicken is perfect here and extra greens makes it a super-satisfying lunch.

We use baby spinach, but arugula or baby kale works too. Top with a bright and tangy basil vinaigrette just before serving. The great news is that these easy meal-prep lunches take just 20 minutes to prepare--that's 4 days of lunches in less than 30 minutes.

Save money and sodium when you make a batch of homemade frozen burritos. Mashing the beans and mixing them with tomatoes, cheese and jalapeños before filling the healthy burritos means you get all the ingredients in each bite. Serve with your favorite toppings--we like sour cream, salsa and hot sauce.

Meal-prep a week's worth of delicious and satisfying high-fiber lunches with just 5 simple ingredients and 20 minutes. In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving.

Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad--shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store--this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for. The time-honored Italian pairing of canned tuna and cannellini beans makes a super-simple, satisfying lunch.

Serve over salad greens, on grilled whole-wheat country bread or tucked in a whole-wheat pita pocket. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.

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Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. This simple vegetable soup is surprisingly sustaining. With beans and broccolini, tomato and quinoa, it'll make a belly-filling bowl that can power you through an afternoon, or quench a serious dinner hunger.

Get the recipe for Vegetable Soup. Nothing beats mac and cheese for filling bellies! What makes this extra easy is that the macaroni cooks right in the sauce. So you don't have to boil it ahead of time!

Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese. Puff pastry makes this extra-yummy pot pie both simple and delicious! Get the recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. Serve this staple-filled soup with good, crusty bread for a simple, effective, and delicious meal. Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Potato Soup.

Perhaps the only thing more warming and delicious than chicken soup on a cold day is chicken and dumplings. Get the recipe for Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings. This fast stovetop recipe skips roasting, but is steeped in flavor.

And with just a few ingredients mostly squash , it's easy on the wallet! You can skip the brandy and use a little more cider to save some cost.

Get the recipe for One-Pot Butternut Squash Soup. Some chicken cutlets and pantry staples — and plenty of Parmesan, of course — can quickly turn into this family favorite.

Get the recipe for Chicken Parmesan. The underrated tuna melt, that staple of diners and lunch plates everywhere, deserves to be making a big time comeback.

You probably have most of the ingredients in your fridge right now. What are you waiting for? Get the recipe for Tuna Melt. If you're looking for a way to use ground beef in a spicy, simple dinner that'll make the whole family happy, then you've just found your recipe for tonight!

Get the recipe for Tamale Pie. This ground beef enchilada dinner is especially a winner. A little taco seasoning, some corn tortillas, a can of enchilada sauce, cover it with cheese and boom!

You've got a powerhouse meal for four or for two, with leftovers ready to go. Get the recipe for Beef Enchiladas. Want to make your whole family feel taken care of? Treat them to a baked pasta dish.

It's easy, it's cheap, and it's super filling. Get the recipe for Classic Stuffed Shells. Who's in the mood for a minute dinner? Besides gnocchi and frozen spinach, all you need for this meal is some cream, some cheese, and a few pantry spices. Get the recipe for Gnocchi with Creamed Spinach.

Tuna salad has been the centerpiece of a number of cheap and easy snack dinners in our household. Add some crackers, some cheese, a little fresh fruit, and you've got a meal! Get the recipe for Tuna Salad. Broken noodles simmer in a tomato broth with sausage and spinach, capped off with a big dollop of blended cheese.

Freezer Bean & Cheese Burritos Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

Pocket-friendly lunch choices - Tuna, White Bean & Dill Salad. View Recipe Freezer Bean & Cheese Burritos Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

Here protein-rich, budget-friendly eggs pair with other pantry staples for a cheap and easy recipe under calories per serving. Save even more money when you substitute dried herbs you have on hand for the fresh herbs.

Start planning your next chili night now. This low-cost slow cooker chili recipe can be prepped in 25 minutes.

Stir everything together in the slow cooker early in the day and come home to a healthy dinner loaded with veggies and 14 grams of protein. Sticking to healthy meals on a budget often means driving past your favorite eatery and straight home.

But with nutritious restaurant remakes like this, you can don't have to miss out on take-out flavor while saving money, sodium, and calories. Not only does this well-balanced pasta recipe clock in at under calories per serving, but it also takes only 20 minutes to prepare. Comforting chili flavors, pasta, and cheese make this meal a family favorite.

Oh yes, and it all comes together in one pan. Grilling vegetables brings out their natural sweetness; in this recipe, they're spiced and seasoned to give the fajitas extra flavor. Bonus: If you grill no matter the season , this dish belongs in your regular rotation of budget-friendly healthy dinner recipes because you can find these veggies any time of year.

Burger night just earned itself a healthy vegetarian upgrade. Here we blend fiber- and protein-rich chickpeas with warm spices, sear them to crisp perfection, then serve with crunchy, good-for-you veggies. Whole wheat noodles, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, and shrimp make this delicious meal surprisingly low-cal and nutritious.

Use frozen shrimp instead of fresh to cut the cost of the seafood. Just don't skip the pinch of crushed red pepper flakes—they give this healthy meal on a budget just enough kick.

How many cheap, healthy meals can you make without chopping anything? This is one of the rare few. It's a no-knife-needed, "dump and done" slow cooker recipe for when you have no more than 10 minutes of hands-on prep time to spare. This slow cooker dump dinner might be the easiest of all: It requires no chopping or measuring.

How easy is that? Six ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and great flavor combine to make this a cheap, healthy dinner idea for any night of the week.

Since they're often loaded with affordable rice, canned veggies, and ground meat, stuffed peppers are one of the best dinner ideas to keep your wallet stuffed too. Thanks to Cuban elements like briny olives, earthy almonds, and sweet raisins, this recipe is wildly flavorful.

We know that combo might sound different from what you'd usually pair with beef and brown rice, but we bet you and your dinner companions will be blown away.

Easy, cheap, healthy meals don't get fresher or more flavorful than this. The minute recipe features favorites from the Mediterranean diet, including chicken , feta cheese, olives , and tomatoes, for a meal bursting with flavor that still feels light.

We'll never say no to pasta dinners , but sometimes, we're more in the mood for potatoes. On those nights, we turn to gnocchi, a traditional potato-based Italian dumpling. This healthy dinner brings together sweet corn , arugula, and a plethora of seasonings to make one delicious dinner that you'd never guess is budget-friendly.

The veggies amp up the nutrients, too. It's a great choice when you're looking for low-sodium recipes too. Turn a classic pork chop into a tangy, tropical meal. Orange marmalade creates a simple yet mouthwatering glaze and becomes a refreshing topping when mixed with yogurt.

Grilled pineapple slices on the side lend their bold sweetness to this new grill-season favorite. When you need a cheap, easy, healthy meal, it's time for a stir-fry. The pre-chopped packaged frozen vegetables save time in the kitchen and keep you below your grocery budget without sacrificing nutrition.

Lighten the meal more by opting for low-cal bottled plum sauce and low-sodium soy sauce. No matter how wiped out you are at the end of a busy day, you can still cook an egg.

Here we scramble only the whites for a cheap, healthy breakfast-for-dinner option that's salad-y but packed with protein to help you feel satisfied. Mac and cheese probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of nutritious dinner ideas.

You probably associate it more with an indulgent childhood lunch. But when you use whole-grain pasta, broccoli, carrots , and reduced-fat cheese, it transforms into a healthy dinner recipe on a budget.

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We lean on affordable ingredients like canned tuna, ramen noodles and hard-boiled eggs to make these lunches filling and budget-friendly. You're sure to find something to pique your interest, whether you prefer a fresh salad, cup of noodles or a quick burrito.

For these meal-prep-friendly lettuce wraps, we swap the traditional warm filling for a cold plant-based bean salad filling loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the lettuce from getting soggy.

Your co-workers will be jealous when you pull out this healthy lunch of roasted veggies and brown rice. Put together 4 lunches when you have time and you will have packable lunches or ready-to-eat dinners for several days--just grab a container on your way out the door in the morning.

Inspired by the classic warm party dip, this simple salad can be served up right away or divided into small lidded containers for a week of delicious lunches.

To keep the hard-boiled eggs tasting fresh, we suggest adding them to your salad just before serving or in the morning before packing your lunch to go. 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.

Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights. We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad. Make your own cup of instant soup at home with this vegetarian ramen recipe.

Pack several jars at once to take to work for easy lunches throughout the week. Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.

This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.

This healthy high-fiber salad comes together in just 10 minutes. Serve it right away or pack it in individual servings for four super-satisfying high-fiber lunches for the week ahead. To cut down on prep time, we're using preshredded Brussels sprouts from the produce department and store-bought roasted chickpeas.

Related: Casserole Freezer Cooking Plan. Pack a snacky lunch for a frugal meal. You can pack fruit, nuts, cheese, vegetables with dip, rolled up lunch meat, crackers, hummus, or anything you have on hand. This would be a great super quick lunch to throw together if you have snacks already portioned and divided out to grab.

These are great divided containers for snacky lunches. Look for marked down pita bread, and make a yummy sandwich with your favorite fillings. Add some chips and fruit. Make a batch of tuna salad at the beginning of the week, and divide it into lunch portions. Quickly pack your lunch by grabbing some tuna salad, a bag of crackers, and some fruit.

You can eat tuna salad with crackers one day, on toasted bread another day, on a croissant keep these in the freezer , or alone to switch it up. You can have the chicken salad by itself one day, on toasted bread another day, with crackers, and on a croissant to switch things up.

Keep croissants in your freezer for easy sandwiches. Look for markdowns or a great bulk buy you can split up.

Pasta heats up well the next day. So, make pasta for dinner and set some aside for lunches for the next day. Make a big batch of slow cooker soup and divide into portions for the fridge or freezer.

Whatever you make for dinner, make a little extra or pack up the leftovers for lunch the next day. These containers are great for leftover style lunches.

Make a big batch of slow cooker chili one day, and divide it into portions for the fridge or freezer. Hint: you can serve chili the night you cook it, and put the rest away in the freezer for lunches. Quickly make a filling lunch of ready rice, grilled chicken, and steamed vegetables leftover from dinner would make this super easy for a great lunch.

Cut the steak up, and pack with a salad for a yummy steak salad — without spending a fortune at a restaurant. Breakfast food can be a great easy and cheap lunch. Keep sausage patties and muffins in the freezer for easy breakfasts or lunches.

Related Post: 5 Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas. Get creative and use what you have in the fridge to make your lunch. Pack any leftovers that need to be eaten, fruit or vegetables, and add some snacks for a great lunch. Grab the FREE Easy Dinner Ideas List right here!

To get started, make a lunch meal plan for the week and plan ahead for a day to eat out if you are used to eating out often. Make sure you have all of the groceries needed for your lunches.

Video

Pocket-friendly lunch choices - Tuna, White Bean & Dill Salad. View Recipe Freezer Bean & Cheese Burritos Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

A saucy, warming casserole with Cumberland sausages, chilli gravy and kidney beans. It's budget-friendly and ready in less than 30 minutes too. A hearty budget meal of spiced red lentils with butternut and tomatoes.

Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and a dollop of mango chutney. Put mushroom soup to clever use in this Scandinavian-style beef meatball dish with dill sauce. Make crowd-pleasing fajitas the easy way with this one-tray recipe that's full of nutrients and low in fat and calories.

It makes a speedy midweek meal. Search, save and sort your favourite recipes and view them offline. Join the BBC Good Food Wine Club. Join our Subscriber Club Download our app Good Food Shows Wine Club Recipe boxes Videos.

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Can I substitute ingredients from other stores? Yes, you can adapt the recipes with ingredients from other stores. How can I store these lunches for freshness?

You can use airtight containers and refrigerate the lunches for freshness. Are these lunch ideas suitable for meal prepping? These lunch ideas are perfect for meal prepping for the week. Can I make these lunches in advance? Yes, you can prepare these lunches in advance and store them for later consumption.

Are these lunch options suitable for school lunches? Yes, these lunch ideas are great for packing school lunches. Can I freeze these lunches for future use?

Yes, you can freeze these lunches for future convenience. Do these lunch ideas cater to vegetarian preferences? You can adapt the recipes to include vegetarian options.