25 Healthy Dinner Recipes

Carrot matchsticks, shiitake mushrooms and tender Napa cabbage hide in a tangle of chewy udon noodles. The tofu acts like a sponge, soaking up a sweet-and-spicy honey-Sriracha marinade.

Related: Try our Salmon Grain Bowl with Carrot-Miso Dressing

This dinner for two is weeknight-easy. Use bone-in chops for the best flavor and serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Related: Fast-Fix Weeknight Recipes

We're convinced that colorful food tastes better-and nutritionists will tell you it's better for you, too. Proof: Our innovative recipe. While the egg-and-cheddar batter puffs in a skillet, a crazy-quilt of veggies roasts separately. When the timer beeps, put them together for a savory twist on a fruit-filled Dutch baby pancake.

Laap (or larb, as it's often spelled) is an herby ground meat or tofu salad that's eaten across Thailand and is traditionally scooped with rice or lettuce. This super simple, healthful dish is a favorite of chef Shayn Prapaisilp, whose family owns four Thai restaurants and two grocery stores in St. Louis.

You could make a meal of this dish: caramelized zucchini, crunchy almonds, salty cheese and hearty quinoa, all dressed in honey-basil vinaigrette. The recipe comes from a Columbus, Ohio, restaurant.

Related: Hearty, Healthy Salad Recipes

Turn a humble can of beans into this impressive salad. It's already a main dish, but you can make it heartier by adding seared salmon or sizzled shrimp.

If you have a big bunch of chard from the farmers market or a CSA box, this healthy, easy 30-minute dinner is a great way to use it up. 

Related: Try our Chard Chimichurri

This delicious and healthy twist on a traditional Middle Eastern parsley salad features protein-rich quinoa, cranberries, sunflower seeds and crisp fennel.

Related: Sumptuous Salads

Herbed bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese make the coating on this oven-baked dish extra tasty—and lower-fat and lower-calorie than its fried counterpart.

Related: Fresh Ideas for Chicken Recipes

Extra-firm tofu is the choice for this quick, pretty and nourishing dish. It's least likely to stick in the pan or fall apart when turned.

This recipe is a cinch to make, and you'll get all those healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the salmon.

Related: Favorite Salmon Recipes

What's the secret to keeping this pasta casserole as healthy as it is cozy? Lean turkey sausage, whole wheat pasta and just a sprinkling of cheese.

A zesty fresh salsa tops flavorful chicken breast. A little bit of creamy avocado goes a long way to making the dish taste more indulgent than it really is.

This is a lazy Sunday—or tired Tuesday—recipe from chef Abra Berens' book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Don't be alarmed by cooking beans this long. Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth and skipping the Parmesan.

Related: Top Vegetarian Recipes

Flecked with a grab bag of hearty vegetables, this healthy soup hums with garlic and crushed red pepper. The recipe comes from La Soupe, a nonprofit cafe in Cincinnati.

Related: Try Power Green Soup from La Soupe

Prepare pork shoulder in the slow cooker, then whip up dinner in a flash. The Lime Mayo topping uses fat-free mayo, so it doesn't add heaps of fat or calories.

Related: So-Good Slow-Cooker Recipes

Pomegranate seeds add a punch of sweet-tart flavor to this easy and healthy stir-fry. Thinly sliced pork tenderloin or peeled, deveined shrimp can be substituted for the chicken. For extra nutrition, serve with brown rice or quinoa.

This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas.

Related: Warm-You-Up Chili Recipes

These kabobs use lean flank steak or boneless sirloin, and the sauce is made with healthy yogurt.

This nutritious alternative to rice is a tasty side dish for Mexican meals. Try it in a burrito with refried black beans, cheddar cheese and assorted toppers.

Related: Creative Cauliflower Recipes

Canned beans supply fill-you-up protein at a fraction of the cost, fat and calories of ground beef or turkey. In our sloppy joes, we dress navy beans in mustardy tomato sauce that has all the familiar flavor of the meaty original.

Related: Great Recipes for Canned or Dry Beans

Beans, tomato, onion: it's a hearty vegetarian chili stuffed inside a bell pepper. If you're looking for extra kick, try topping with pepper jack instead of mozzarella.

This lower-calorie pasta salad features roasted vegetables, whole wheat penne pasta and homemade pesto. To turn it into a main dish, stir in a can of rinsed and drained white beans or add chunks of grilled chicken.

Related: Easy, Crowd-Pleasing Picnic Menus

By cutting the sour cream and adding black beans, we lowered the fat and boosted the protein and fiber in this healthy twist on a Mexican-restaurant standard.

You couldn't ask for a simpler dinner than this! Just four ingredients and only 300 calories per serving.