Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Quick & Easy Healthy Recipes 28 Healthy and Delicious Dinners You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less Delicious soups, stews, pastas, and more, that come together in a snap. By Rebecca Morris Rebecca Morris Rebecca is a writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Published on November 7, 2024 Close Photo: Kate Mathis Healthy eating can be a rather intimidating goal—especially if you 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, including surprising flavors and pleasing textures that are sure to shake up the repertoire of even the most avid healthy home cooks. Easy Vegetable Side Dishes You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less 01 of 28 Instant Pot Chicken Curry Jason Donnelly Make multi-cooker 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 28 Beef-Zucchini Meatballs Kate Mathis Whether you need to sneak vegetables into your meals 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 28 Easy Chicken Posole This streamlined soup is inspired by pozole, a traditional soup or stew from Mexico. The trick to this version only takes about 10 minutes, leaning on conveniences like store-bought broth, rotisserie chicken, and prepared chile salsa. View Recipe 04 of 28 Seared Halibut Tacos With Grapefruit-Avocado Salsa 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 28 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 28 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 28 Stir-Fried Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Kate Sears Shrimp is a great protein to keep stashed in your freezer for those nights when 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 28 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 28 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 28 Salmon Pasta This method of cooking salmon makes for such tasty fish that you might want to serve it on its own. But this time, for a filling, speedy dinner, combine with pasta and some greens. View Recipe 11 of 28 Orange-and-Honey Glazed Pork Chops Johnny Miller Marinating in an orange-rosemary mixture before going under the broiler makes these bone-in pork chops sweet and savory. 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 28 Quick Creamy Broccoli Soup Pureeing broccoli and chicken broth with a small amount of oats thickens the soup and creates the luscious texture we crave, without adding any heavy cream. That's it—a dairy-free, fast dinner at your fingertips. View Recipe 13 of 28 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 28 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 28 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 28 Barbecued Pork-and-Apple Kebabs Pork loin is a lean and economical protein to reach for that can cook super-fast when needed, like in this sweet tomato-glazed kebab recipe. View Recipe 17 of 28 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 season it with almonds, olives, and currants. View Recipe 18 of 28 Broiled Coconut-and-Lime-Crusted Shrimp With Rice-Noodle Salad Bryan Gardner This quick and easy meal is bursting with the flavors and won't weigh you down on chillier nights. Hot pepper jelly may be a southern staple, but here it lends mild heat and sweetness to our Asian-inspired shrimp-and-noodle dish. View Recipe 19 of 28 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 28 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 28 Broccoli Rabe Pesto With Whole-Wheat Pasta and Turkey Sausage With all of the different flavors and textures going on in this pasta, you'll hardly notice that lean turkey sausage is subbed in for traditional pork. View Recipe 22 of 28 Pan-Fried Shell Steaks Our recipe for pan-fried shell steaks couldn’t be simpler. Accompanied by a salad and a few baked potatoes, you’ve got a steakhouse-caliber dinner in the comfort of your own home... and in less than 30 minutes. View Recipe 23 of 28 Gnocchi With Quick Meat Sauce Andrew Purcell Store-bought gnocchi cook in just a few minutes, so they're faster than pasta. Simply toss it with a quick meat sauce (even leftover works!) and you'll have a hearty dinner in a snap. View Recipe 24 of 28 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 25 of 28 Broiled Striped Bass With Tomatoes and Fennel David Malosh 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. This time, flavors and textures collide to create a simple yet decadent, light meal in minutes. View Recipe 26 of 28 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 27 of 28 Lamb Chops With Yogurt Sauce This recipe is fabulous for a solo dinner at home, but it can easily be doubled if you're cooking for two. Plus, the tangy yogurt sauce can also double as a dressing for Greek, tuna, or potato salads, or as a dip for toasted pita chips. View Recipe 28 of 28 Steak and Eggs Photographer Bryan Gardner; Food Stylist Laura Rege; Prop Stylist Paige Hicks Flank steak is a lean and quick-cooking cut of beef that is the perfect half of this iconic duo. Steak and eggs is a beloved diner order because it’s hearty, filling, and delicious—pair them with roasted potatoes or a few slices of golden brown toast, and you’ll be ready to enjoy breakfast for dinner and beyond. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit