Four basic meal-prep recipes to make healthy Mediterranean-style lunches all week.Take advantage of shortcuts like using rotisserie chicken and precooked quinoa.An accompanying video gives a step-by-step visual showing just how easy it is.
The Mediterranean diet has long been recognized as one of the healthiest and most delicious ways to eat. It’s an uncomplicated and easy-to-follow way of eating—simply include plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats (like olive oil and the healthy fat you get from salmon), whole grains (like quinoa), beans and legumes, lean protein and calcium-rich dairy items. Here you will find recipes that incorporate these ingredients and that are easily meal prepped. And what’s not to love about meal prep? It’s budget-friendly, helps you stick to healthy eating and saves you loads of time during the week.
In this meal-prep meal plan, we walk you through four super-simple base recipes that come together to create delicious Mediterranean-style lunches for the workweek. And the best part yet, all of the prep work can be done in under an hour. We already mapped out the prep plan for you and came up with some simple recipe ideas to create for the week.
Meal-Prep Recipes
Make these ahead on Sunday:
Let’s Get Started!
Work backward and start with the recipe that takes the longest to prepare. While the chicken is cooking, you can prep the other menu items. Start by preheating the oven to 450°F for the Sheet Pan Roasted Root Vegetables.
Step 1: Prepare the Best Poached Chicken
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco.
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
This simple poached chicken recipe has crazy-good flavor. The secret is using bone-in breasts and adding white wine and herbs to the poaching liquid. Don’t eat meat? Skip this step and move on to Step 2. We included vegan and vegetarian lunch ideas at the bottom of the page.
Super-Fast Meal Prep: Pick up precooked chicken breast or a rotisserie chicken at your grocery deli.
Step 2: Prepare the Sheet Pan Roasted Root Vegetables
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Sue Mitchell
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30-40 minutes
While the chicken is simmering, start to prep your veggies. This simple recipe is the perfect example of one with foods from the Mediterranean. Fresh ingredients, plus olive oil and a little salt and pepper are all you need to make a mouthwatering heap of nutritious, tender and colorful root vegetables. This recipe makes enough for lunch this week, plus leftovers for dinner. Don’t need that much veg? This recipe is easy to cut in half.
Super-Fast Meal Prep: Pick up pre-chopped vegetables from the produce section of your grocery store.
Step 3: Prepare the Basic Quinoa
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco.
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 15-20 minutes
While the veggies are roasting, prepare your quinoa. This foolproof recipe for perfectly cooked quinoa is fast and easy! This high-protein, fiber-rich grain will help give your meal more satisfying staying power.
Super-Fast Meal Prep: Buy precooked quinoa from the grocery store for even faster meal prep.
Step 4: Prepare the Herb Vinaigrette
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Addelyn Evans
Prep time: 10 minutes
While the quinoa is cooking, make your dressing. This fresh herb vinaigrette dressing recipe calls to use whatever herbs you have on hand, so it’s versatile and excitingly new each time you make it. If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, skip the chicken broth and use veggie broth or water instead.
Super-Fast Meal Prep: Save yourself from washing a dish by making your vinaigrettes and dressings right in a Mason jar. Just add the ingredients and shake to combine.
Step 5: Assemble Your Lunches!
You can either build all five of your lunches now and place in separate food storage containers or store the four base recipes separately and build your lunches as you need them. For the salad recipes, wait till the night before to add the greens so you don’t end up with wilted salad.
Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco.
½ cup quinoa + ¾ cup chicken + 1 cup roasted veggies + 1-2 Tbsp. vinaigrette
(342 calories, 19 g protein, 5 g fiber)
Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco,
2 cups mixed greens + 1 cup roasted veggies + ½ cup quinoa + 1 Tbsp. crumbled feta + 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds + 1-2 Tbsp. vinaigrette
(355 calories, 10 g protein, 9 g fiber)
Roasted Veggie & Hummus Pita Pockets
Photographer: Kelsey Hansen, Prop Stylist Natalie Ghazali, Food Stylist: Shannon Goforth.
1 whole-wheat pita + 4 Tbsp. hummus + ½ cup roasted veggies + ½ cup mixed greens + 1 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
(357 calories, 14 g protein, 10 g fiber)
Cut the pita in half and spread hummus inside both pita pockets. Roughly chop the veggies and add both the veggies and mixed greens to each pita half.
Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
½ cup quinoa + ¾ cup chicken + 1 cup roasted veggies + ¼ avocado, sliced + 1 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese + 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds + 1-2 Tbsp. vinaigrette
(499 calories, 23 g protein, 10 g fiber)
Vegetarian Chickpea & Veggie Grain Bowl
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco.
Add 1 cup quinoa + 1 cup mixed greens + 1 cup roasted veggies + ¼ cup chickpeas + 1 Tbsp. crumbled feta
(303 calories, 10 g protein, 9 g fiber)
Dining and Cooking