What's not to love about a delicious, healthy dinner that's ready in under 30 minutes?
After a busy day at work or an afternoon filled with after-school activities, the last thing you want to do is spend all night making dinner. We’ve all been there when good-intentioned dinner plans turn into picking up take-out or a store-bought frozen meal. Both of those options certainly work in a pinch, but that kind of fast food is usually filled with unhealthy ingredients and excess fat, sodium, and sugars. With that in mind, we designed a few healthy “fast-food” dinners because we know it’s completely possible to whip up healthy dinner recipes in under 30 minutes. That’s less time than it takes to order and drive to get take-out!
Even when you’re certain that you don’t have time to cook dinner, think again. These 7 healthy dinner recipes in under 30 minutes make the perfect meal-plan for a busy week. Now that you know what you’re cooking this week, you can get the shopping out of the way and make it even easier to come home and put dinner on the table. Each recipe has minimal prep requirements and they’re all ready in 30 minutes or less, so you won’t even need to meal-prep in advance!
1.Skinny Burrito Pie Casserole
Enjoy perfectly portioned burritos with this quick and easy skinny burrito pie casserole. It only takes about 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cook time, making this one of our favorite healthy dinner recipes in under 30 minutes. Don’t forget to make extras, too, because the leftovers taste better the next day!
2.Greek Stuffed Peppers with Tzatziki Sauce
If you’ve never made stuffed peppers before, you’re about to be amazed at how easy they are to pull together. It’ll be our little secret, too, because your friends and family will think this impressive takes all day to make! In reality, it only takes 10 minutes of prepping and 15 minutes in the oven. The tzatziki, a creamy Mediterranean sauce, is richly satisfying without packing on the calories, thanks to the use of healthy Greek yogurt.
3.Shrimp Banh Mi Recipe
I’m always looking for an excuse to cook more shrimp because they’re healthy while also being a delicious, low-calorie option. This tasty shrimp banh mi sandwich recipe is a great way to eat more lean protein. The shrimp cook up in fewer than 8 minutes, and the sauce is a breeze to whip up. We’ll let you in on a little secret, too: using a box grater to chop the vegetables cuts the prep time to fewer than 5 minutes.
4.Cilantro Lime Chicken with Mexican Quinoa
Celebrate your favorite Mexican flavors by combining them with the superfood quinoa. It makes an excellent substitute for carbohydrate-rich rice, and our spice blend keeps this meal healthier than the pre-mixed packets of Spanish rice seasoning you can buy at the store. Top it off with our 15-minute roasted zesty cilantro and lime spiced chicken, and you’ll fall in love with this quick-and-easy dinner option.
5.Restaurant-Style Chicken Fried Rice
Cooking this restaurant-style chicken fried rice at home is actually quicker than driving to get take-out! Once the rice is cooked, this dish comes together in only 10 minutes. It certainly has a leg-up on take-out, too, because you know all of the ingredients that go into it. This is my go-to meal when I’m looking for a last-minute dinner because you can use any vegetables or proteins you have in the fridge.
6.5-Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
I absolutely love the Instant Pot because it makes weeknight dinners easier than ever before. Just toss everything into the pot, set it on high pressure for 5 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. You’ll end up with the cheesiest, healthiest mac and cheese you’ve ever had. It’s as easy as that! This is definitely a recipe to keep in your back pocket for those especially busy weeks.
7.
If you’re looking for a light dinner that doesn’t take too long to make, this should be one of your go-to healthy dinner recipes in under 30 minutes. It’s packed with lean ground turkey sausage, which is so flavorful on its own. Then add in salty olives and feta, cooling cucumber and mint, and savory, juicy tomatoes, and you have a winner.
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