With the insanity of keeping up with classes and the lack of ability to Martha Stewart-it-up in your dorm room, it can be easy to resort to bad eating habits like skipping meals or relying on junk food or energy bars to sustain you. Now there’s no excuse for studying on an empty stomach. We’ve compiled a list of quick and easy lunch recipes that you can whip together with six ingredients or fewer. They’re super tasty, healthy and doable for the cooking-challenged collegiette!
1. Cottage cheese parfait with a hard-boiled egg
By combining dairy, fruit and nuts, this lunch contains a good balance of protein, healthy fats and complex carbs to give you the energy you need. You’ll love the sweet-and-salty taste combo!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ¾ cup sliced fruit of your choice (peaches, apples, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, etc.)
- ¼ cup almonds or nuts of choice
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
Directions:
- Place half of the cottage cheese at the bottom of a bowl.
- Layer with half of the fruit and half of the nuts.
- Place the rest of the cottage cheese on top.
- Top with the rest of the fruit and nuts.
- Enjoy your hard-boiled eggs on the side.
2. Tuna Pita
Adapted from Shape
This protein-packed pita (with tuna and Greek yogurt) is not just healthy and filling—it’s also super easy to make. You can quickly put this together and pop it in your bag so you can eat it wherever and whenever. Throw in a side of veggies or a piece of fruit to round out the meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole wheat pita pocket
- 1 can tuna
- 3 tablespoons plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon horseradish mustard (or plain mustard)
- ¼ cup spinach
- ½ sliced tomato
Directions:
- Cut pita pocket in half and toast it.
- Mix tuna, Greek yogurt and mustard in a bowl.
- Stuff mixture into pita pocket and add spinach and tomato.
3. Chicken Caesar Wrap
Adapted from Kraft
Make this super quick yet delicious wrap for a satisfying lunch. The chicken breast is a good source of lean protein to power you through your day. And who doesn’t love a little bit of cheese and Caesar dressing?
Ingredients:
- 1 whole-wheat tortilla
- 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 tablespoon low-fat Caesar salad dressing
- ½ cup cooked chicken breast, chopped
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Mix the chicken breast, cheese and lettuce in a bowl.
- Add dressing; toss.
- Place mixture on tortilla.
- Wrap tortilla.
4. Egg sandwich with a side of apple slices and peanut butter
While egg sandwiches are typically thought of as a breakfast food, they are equally as tasty for lunch! Egg and avocado are a match made in heaven, giving you a nutritious combination of protein, healthy fats and antioxidants. Use olive oil instead of butter to oil your pan (olive oil helps lower cholesterol) when frying the egg. Enjoy it with a side of apple slices and yummy peanut butter. Peanut butter packs in a healthy dose of protein and monounsaturated fat (the good kind).
Ingredients:
- 1 whole-wheat English muffin
- 1 egg
- Olive oil spray
- ¼ of an avocado
- 1 apple
- 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter
Directions
- Split English muffin in half and toast it.
- Slice avocado; spread slices onto each half of the English muffin.
- Heat a pan on medium to high and spray with olive oil.
- Crack the egg over the pan and turn the heat down to low.
- Heat until the egg whites have set.
- Place fried egg in between English muffin slices.
- Enjoy with a side of sliced apples dipped in peanut butter.
5. Green Club Sandwich
From BBC Good Food
If you like hummus (who doesn’t?), then this sandwich is for you. Besides adding a Middle Eastern flair to your food, hummus contains the healthy omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs to function at its best. The avocado in this sandwich will also give you healthy fats to boost your immune system, while the whole grain or rye bread will provide the complex carbs to energize you. Have a handful of almonds to go with the sandwich if you want a little something extra.
Ingredients:
- 3 slices whole grain or rye toast
- 3 tablespoons ready-made hummus
- 1 small avocado, sliced
- 1 handful arugula
- 8-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced
- Pepper
Directions:
- Toast bread.
- Spread hummus on one side of each slice of bread.
- On one slice of bread, place half the avocado, arugula and tomato.
- Season with pepper.
- Cover with other slice of bread.
- Place the rest of the avocado, arugula and tomato.
- Season with pepper.
- Top sandwich with the last slice of bread.
6. Green Bean, Chickpea and Tomato Salad
Adapted from Yummly
This salad is so easy and quick to make. The green beans add a nice crunch to the salad, and the chickpeas make it filling, but it’s the feta that’ll satisfy your taste buds the most!
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup green beans, trimmed
- ⅔ cup tomato, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
- ¾ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Put beans in saucepan of boiling water.
- Cook beans for 3 minutes.
- Drain beans and put into ice water.
- Drain beans again.
- Add beans, tomato and rest of ingredients into a bowl.
- Toss well.
With these simple recipes, you won’t have to resort to Ramen or unhealthy fast food the next time lunch rolls around. If you have a few minutes, now you’ve got the time to make yourself a healthy, tasty lunch!
Have a good simple recipe? Share your favorite six-ingredients-or-fewer lunch recipes in the comments below!