Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes 29 Healthy and Delicious Dinners You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less By Rebecca Morris Rebecca Morris Rebecca is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 28, 2022 Close Photo: Kate Mathis Healthy eating can be a rather intimidating goal—especially if you tend to associate it with wheatgrass shots, quinoa, and long-winded recipes that take the better part of an afternoon. This collection will show you that adopting a healthier diet can be as easy as taking it one recipe at a time. Consider starting with tender beef meatballs made with shredded zucchini with breadcrumbs, shown here. The main course recipes ahead were carefully selected with busy families in mind, because we understand that wanting to eat more whole and nutrient-dense foods doesn't magically clear your schedule to cook all day. This means that any recipe you encounter in the slides ahead will take 30 minutes or less to prepare. If you're already accustomed to healthy cooking but are in a bit of a rut, look out for the Mediterranean-inspired Swiss Chard and Feta Pasta, or the Orange-Glazed Pork Kebabs. Surprising flavors and pleasing textures abound in this gallery and are sure to shake up the repertoire of even the most avid healthy home cooks. 01 of 29 Instant Pot Chicken Curry Bryan Gardner Make multicooker magic happen with this 30-minute chicken curry; just remember to put some rice on the stove before you start, and dinner will be as good as done. View Recipe 02 of 29 Beef-Zucchini Meatballs Kate Mathis Whether you need to sneak vegetables into your meals in order to please a picky eater, or you're trying to use up a glut of summer produce, this easy meatball recipe will deliver. Pair them with a jar of your favorite marinara sauce and a whole-wheat spaghetti for an extra-easy healthy weeknight dinner. View Recipe 03 of 29 Easy Chicken and Hominy Soup This streamlined soup is inspired by pozole, a traditional soup or stew from Mexico. The trick to this version only taking about 10 minutes? Leaning on conveniences like store-bought broth, rotisserie chicken, and a prepared chile salsa. View Recipe 04 of 29 Seared Halibut Tacos Marcus Nilsson You know you're eating a super healthy meal when you look down and see practically all of the colors of the rainbow on your plate. Bright and fresh ingredients like grapefruit, cilantro, and avocado dress up these quick halibut tacos, which will take just minutes to cook up in the skillet. View Recipe 05 of 29 Greek Mezze Salad Armando Rafael Inspired by the small plates known as "mezzes" that traditionally crowd the tables at Greek trattorias, this salad-for-dinner is anchored by savory roasted chickpeas, a lemony yogurt sauce, and simple-prep vegetables like cucumber and radish. View Recipe 06 of 29 Chicken Cutlets with Summer Squash and Feta Bryan Gardner These chicken cutlets cook up to tender perfection in a matter of minutes and are perfect alongside a pile of sunny summer squash. View Recipe 07 of 29 Stir-Fried Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Kate Sears Shrimp is a great protein to keep stashed in your freezer for those nights where you want something quick and nutritious. Getting pre-peeled shrimp and diced pineapple from the store makes this 20-minute meal even easier. View Recipe 08 of 29 Steak-and-Asparagus Stir-Fry Ample amounts of minced ginger and fresh chiles will keep your taste buds on their toes in this light and super-quick stir-fry. View Recipe 09 of 29 Creamy Leftover-Turkey-and-Rice Soup Johnny Miller Intended for Thanksgiving leftovers, this light and creamy soup is a year-round winner with shredded rotisserie chicken, too. View Recipe 10 of 29 Swiss-Chard and Feta Pasta Christopher Testani This bold pasta has a sauce made in the style of agrodolce (Italian for sweet and sour). Capers, anchovies, currants, orange juice, and feta are combined with wide noodles and Swiss chard for a fast, vegetable-forward dinner. View Recipe 11 of 29 Chili-Lime Pork with Corn Salad Johnny Miller When cut into thick slices known as medallions, the cooking time for pork tenderloin is cut in half. This recipe will prove especially useful on summer weeknights when the last thing you want to make is a slow-going roast in the oven. View Recipe 12 of 29 Spring Chicken Niçoise Sidney Bensimon Because the chicken, potatoes, and snap peas steam together in the same basket, this refreshing springtime meal is extra-easy to clean up. View Recipe 13 of 29 Salmon-and-Corn Chowder Armando Rafael Thanks to a base of clam broth thickened with a little flour, only a 1/4 cup of cream is needed to make this hearty and wholesome salmon chowder sing. View Recipe 14 of 29 Spicy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry Justin Walker Fast and super flavorful: It's the oyster sauce in this stir fry that brings an unparalleled depth and complexity. View Recipe 15 of 29 Pasta-e-Fagioli Pasta Kate Sears If you want a vegetarian dinner that will stick to your ribs, look no further than this riff on pasta e fagioli. We turn the classic soup into a cheesy pasta that's balanced out with leafy escarole and hearty chickpeas. View Recipe 16 of 29 Orange-Glazed Pork Kebabs with Zucchini Marcus Nilsson Pork loin is a lean and economical protein to reach for that can cook super-fast when needed, like in this zesty kebab recipe. View Recipe 17 of 29 Picadillo-Style Chili Yuki Sugiura A quick and fragrant way to use ground beef, picadillo is a very popular dish in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and variations abound. The flavors in this take are inspired by Spain's version, which seasons it with almonds, olives, and currants. View Recipe 18 of 29 Pork Chop with Sautéed Apples and Wild Rice Brett Stevens This quick and easy meal is bursting with the flavors of fall and will be a cozy dinner that won't weigh you down on chillier nights. View Recipe 19 of 29 Mussels with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Tarragon Johnny Miller A lean, cheap, and quick-cooking protein, mussels are popular in restaurants but often overlooked at the seafood counter. Give them a try at home with this in this quick summery entrée. View Recipe 20 of 29 Beef and Broccoli with Black-Bean Garlic Sauce Yuki Sugiura A rich and super-savory Chinese condiment, Black-bean garlic sauce supercharges this stir-fry into a guaranteed hit. View Recipe 21 of 29 Miso Soup with Tofu and Kale Richard Gerhard Jung This recipe riffs off of a classic miso soup, turning it into a satisfying vegan main by boosting the amount of tofu and adding in fiber-rich kale. View Recipe 22 of 29 Linguine with Turkey Sausage and Peppers With all of the different flavors and textures going on in this pasta—like bright bell peppers, peppery arugula, and al dente linguine—you'll hardly notice that lean turkey sausage is subbed in for traditional pork. View Recipe 23 of 29 Flat-Iron Steak with Cauliflower and Arugula In this speedy dinner, the steak is seared and then set aside to rest, while the side dish uses the same skillet to cook. This won't only make cleanup easier, it'll make the cauliflower a lot more flavorful, too. View Recipe 24 of 29 Flank Steak Kebabs with Peanut Sauce Petrina Tinslay Flank steak and summery vegetables like zucchini and bell peppers are skewered and grilled to perfection in a flash. Coconut milk and peanuts dress up this simple meal, making it special enough to be requested for future dinners. View Recipe 25 of 29 Sweet-and-Sour Chicken-Noodle Bowl Lennart Weibull There's barely any cooking needed to make this quick noodle bowl, especially if you use leftover roast chicken or pick up a rotisserie at the store. View Recipe 26 of 29 Broiled Striped Bass with Cauliflower and Capers Joseph De Leo The broiler setting on your oven is a powerful tool you can use to get a healthy dinner on the table as fast as possible. And this recipe shows off how versatile it can be: The broiler is used to cook and crisp both the cauliflower and the fish. View Recipe 27 of 29 Turmeric Ginger Chicken Soup Pernille Loof If you've heard a lot about turmeric but are a little stumped on where to start, this soul-warming soup is a great recipe to try. View Recipe 28 of 29 Pork Medallions with Parsnips and Grapes This one-pan recipe is fabulous for a solo dinner at home, but it can easily be doubled if you're cooking for two. View Recipe 29 of 29 Steak and Pear Salad Romulo Yanes Flank steak is a lean and quick-cooking cut of beef that is a perfect match for an entrée salad. Combining it with in-season pears and a tangy buttermilk dressing will keep it interesting until the very last bite. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit