These delicious dinner recipes are ready in 30 minutes or less, making them the perfect pick for busy weeknights. With at least 6 grams of fiber per serving, these dishes can help support heart health, bone health and healthy weight management, if that is your goal. Plus, with no more than 575 calories a serving, these dinners are light yet nutritious options for dinnertime. Recipes like our Easy White Bean Skillet and Pesto Pasta with Peas & Tomatoes will have everyone at your table asking for seconds.
Easy White Bean Skillet
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser.
This easy white bean skillet brings together pantry staples and fresh greens for a comforting plant-based meal. Sweet onion, tomatoes and garlic form a rich, savory base for creamy white beans. A handful of spinach adds freshness and color, and a sprinkle of Parmesan ties everything together with salty richness. Served alongside toasted whole-wheat baguette slices for dipping, it’s a fast, satisfying dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights or a simple weekend supper.
20-Minute Chickpea Soup
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Craig Huff, Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong.
When dinner needs to happen fast, turn to this creamy chickpea soup that’s pulled together in just 20 minutes. Cream cheese melts right into this zesty soup for a velvety texture that feels cozy and comforting. Garnished with cilantro and crunchy tortilla strips, it’s a one-pot meal that’s weeknight-friendly and crowd-pleasing.
Broccoli-Cheddar Butter Beans
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood.
These broccoli-Cheddar butter beans are a cozy dish that will remind you of broccoli-Cheddar soup, but in a convenient skillet. Tender butter beans add creaminess and plant-based protein, making the dish filling enough for a main course. Broccoli florets bring color, while sharp Cheddar cheese melts in for that classic flavor. Everything comes together in one pan, creating a thick texture that’s perfect for scooping up with crusty bread.
Pesto Pasta with Peas & Tomatoes
Ali Redmond
This Pesto Pasta with Peas & Tomatoes is a bright, flavorful dish that comes together quickly. Pasta is cooked alongside frozen sweet peas, then tossed with juicy cherry tomatoes and basil pesto for a fresh, herbaceous finish. You can serve it warm or chilled, making it perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks or picnics. A sprinkle of Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon add the perfect final touch.
Chopped Salad with Italian Vinaigrette
Ali Redmond
This chopped salad is a crisp, colorful mix of veggies. It’s tossed with a zesty homemade vinaigrette, while chickpeas bring on the plant-based protein and fiber. Everything is chopped small for the perfect forkful every time.
Lemony Orzo & Tuna Salad with Broccoli
Leigh Beisch
This pasta-salad and tuna-salad mashup gets a boost of color and texture from broccoli. Plenty of Kalamata olives add a briny bite. Be sure to monitor the pasta-cooking carefully, as orzo can go from al dente to mush in a minute. If in doubt, drain it a little early—it’ll soften further in the lemon dressing.
Herb-Marinated Veggie & Chickpea Salad
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food Stylist: Sammy Mila, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek.
This herb-marinated veggie-and-chickpea salad is a refreshing, no-cook dish packed with fresh flavors. It brings together crisp raw vegetables and fiber-rich chickpeas, all tossed in a zesty herb dressing that infuses every bite. Since it requires no stove or oven time, it’s perfect for warm days, meal prep or busy weeknights when you want something quick.
Chickpea Grain Bowl with Feta & Tomatoes
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Shannon Goforth, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali.
This chickpea-farro grain bowl is a hearty dish that’s packed with plant-based protein, fiber and tons of fresh flavor. Farro, a whole grain with a nutty taste and chewy texture, forms the base and pairs perfectly with tender chickpeas and veggies. If you don’t have farro on hand, you can easily swap in quinoa, brown rice or barley.
Marry Me White Bean Soup
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall.
This Marry Me White Bean Soup borrows inspiration from the beloved Marry Me Chicken recipe with a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, cream and Parmesan. Here, those same flavors are transformed into a hearty, soul-warming vegetarian soup with white beans taking center stage. Finished with basil and extra cheese, it’s cozy, crowd-pleasing and sure to win hearts at the table.
5-Ingredient Avocado & Chickpea Salad
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Sammy Mila, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco.
This avocado-and-chickpea salad is a fresh, flavorful dish that comes together in minutes. Made with just five ingredients, it’s as simple as it is satisfying. Creamy avocado pairs perfectly with hearty chickpeas for a filling, plant-based meal. With no cooking required and minimal prep, it’s a perfect quick lunch or dinner.
Chicken Hummus Bowls
The spiced chicken atop these bowls is ready fast with the help of the broiler. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita for scooping up extra hummus at the bottom of the bowl.
Chicken & Vegetable Penne with Parsley-Walnut Pesto
Homemade pesto may seem daunting, but in this quick pasta recipe you can make a simple sauce in minutes while the pasta water comes to a boil. You can substitute frozen green beans and cauliflower for fresh; in Step 4, cook the frozen vegetables according to package directions before tossing with the pasta and pesto.
Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole
This easy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare, meaning that seared steak can be a weeknight meal. Cooking herbs in the pan with the steak releases their aroma, infusing it into the meat while creating a crispy garnish. After the steaks and herbs are pan-seared, the escarole is cooked in the same skillet, so this healthy dinner requires minimal cleanup too.
Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch
This healthy, super-fast salad recipe replaces romaine with kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you’ll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.
Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad
This easy salad recipe allows for a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can’t find it, you can use romaine instead.
Easy Vegetarian Chili
Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit—sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices.
Black Bean–Quinoa Bowl
Photography: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco
This black bean and quinoa bowl has many of the usual hallmarks of a taco salad, minus the fried bowl. We’ve loaded it with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and avocado, plus an easy hummus dressing to drizzle on top.
