23 Easy, Gut-Healthy Dinners Ready in 15 Minutes or Less

3 ingredient pasta broccoli dinner
Credit: Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

These quick and healthy meals are delicious, packed with flavor and easy to make. They include ingredients that help promote gut-health and healthy digestion, which can help support weight loss, heart health and immunity. Plus, each dish has at least 6 grams of fiber per serving thanks to foods like leafy greens, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Recipes like our Steak Enchilada Skillet and our Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls are nourishing and satisfying options that will help get dinner on the table in minutes.

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Steak Enchilada Skillet

a recipe photo of the Steak Enchilada Skillet
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This one-skillet dinner is a breeze to pull together, making it perfect for busy weeknights—plus it's easy to build and adjust to taste for picky eaters. Flour tortillas are cooked right in the skillet with everything else. Add them gradually to prevent them from sticking together. For a slightly different flavor and firmer texture, swap out the flour tortillas for corn tortillas.

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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

overhead shot of vegan grain bowl with edamame, beets and avocado

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

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Spicy Ramen Noodle Cup Soup Packs 16g Protein

a recipe photo of the Spicy Ramen Cup of Noodles

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

In just 15 minutes, you can make three jars of vegetarian ramen cup soup that you can bring to work or school. These cup soups are not only a time saver, but are also packed with protein from hard-boiled eggs, which will help keep you satisfied until your next meal.

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5-Ingredient Peanutty Soba Noodles

a recipe photo of the Soba Noodle Salad
PHOTOGRAPHER: JEN CAUSEY, FOOD STYLIST: MELISSA GRAY, PROP STYLIST: SHELL ROYSTER

Nutty soba noodles team up with peanut butter in this easy vegetarian pasta dish. Chile-garlic sauce adds nice heat, while lime juice and zest brighten the flavor. Enjoy this quick dish warm, or serve it chilled for an easy lunch. We like the firm texture and flavor of soba noodles, but regular whole-wheat pasta will work well too. For a boost of protein, serve with shredded chicken or shrimp or tofu.

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Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls

Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowls

With a handful of shortcut ingredients from your grocery store, including precooked rice packets and seasoned baked tofu, you can prepare several high-fiber, high-protein meals in about 15 minutes.

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Lentil Salad with Feta, Tomatoes, Cucumbers & Olives

Lentil Salad with Feta, Tomatoes, Cucumbers & Olives
Jennifer Causey

This Mediterranean lentil salad, with chopped veggies, feta cheese and a light dressing, is perfect to have on hand for a quick lunch.

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Fiber-Packed Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad

a photo of the Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad

Jen Causey

In this light and refreshing salad, we season white beans with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend which features cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cardamom and ground black and red pepper. If you prefer a creamier texture, gently mash some of the beans as you stir everything together. The bean salad is served on a bed of lightly dressed spinach that pairs well with the beans, but also grilled chicken or steak kebabs on another night.

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White Bean, Kale & Kielbasa Soup

15-Minute White Bean, Kale & Kielbasa Soup
Brie Passano

This quick soup recipe is done in only 15 minutes thanks to convenience products like frozen chopped onion and precooked kielbasa. You'll have a warming winter soup on the table in no time!

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BBQ Chicken Bowls

BBQ Chicken Bowls

These BBQ chicken bowls are perfect for weeknight dinners. They come together in just 15 minutes and are chock-full of the classic barbecue flavors you love, including saucy beans, coleslaw and potatoes.

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Lemony Spaghetti with Parmesan & Thyme

lemony spaghetti with parmesan and thyme
Brie Passano

This simple lemony spaghetti with Parmesan and thyme is delicious on its own or jazzed up with leftover cooked chicken or veggies.

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Greek Salmon Salad

Greek Salmon Salad

If mixed salads fail to fill you up, try this hearty Greek salmon salad recipe, which calls for bulking up a traditional bed of mixed greens with roasted vegetables and protein-rich salmon. Leftovers make it a breeze to put together this delicious Mediterranean salad. Here we suggest two recipes you could meal-prep ahead of time—Lemon-Roasted Mixed Vegetables and Sweet & Spicy Roasted Salmon—but you can use whatever roasted veggies you have on hand and pick up a precooked salmon fillet from the deli counter at your grocery store. This healthy salad would also be good with chicken. Serve it for an easy dinner or pack it up for lunch.

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Cauliflower Gnocchi with Asparagus & Pesto

Cauliflower Gnocchi with Asparagus & Pesto
Carolyn Hodges, M.S., RD

While the cauliflower gnocchi crisp up in a sauté pan, steam fresh asparagus in the microwave to keep it bright green and crisp-tender. Substitute frozen asparagus (or green beans or peas) in a pinch. Toss them together with prepared basil pesto for a satisfying supper.

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15-Minute Salmon & Creamy Orzo with Spinach & Mushrooms

15-Minute Salmon & Creamy Orzo with Spinach & Mushrooms
Brie Passano

In this quick salmon dinner, salmon fillets are paired with creamy orzo, wilted spinach and earthy mushrooms. Cooking the salmon at a high temperature helps speed up the cooking in this healthy dinner recipe. Look for pre-sliced mushrooms to speed it up even more.

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3-Ingredient Goat Cheese Pasta with Broccoli

3-Ingredient Goat Cheese Pasta with Broccoli
Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Swap out regular pasta for pasta made with chickpeas and you'll more than triple the fiber and double the protein in this simple, satisfying dish. Be sure to save some of the pasta water to make a sauce. Feel free to use frozen broccoli in a pinch (you can blanch the broccoli in the same water you use to cook the pasta).

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Anti-Inflammatory Beet & Avocado Wrap

a recipe photo of the Beet, Avocado & Hummus Wrap
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Styling: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Packed with fiber and monounsaturated fats, avocados are one of the best foods to eat to fight inflammation. Combined with beets, which contain their own inflammation-fighting phytochemicals, you'll get a lunch that packs a healthy punch. The tahini-lemon mixture adds brightness and a nutty flavor to the wrap. To julienne beets, cut them into thin rounds, then slice the rounds into matchsticks. Or to save time, simply grate the beets on the largest holes of a box grater.

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3-Ingredient Tortellini with Sausage & Kale

3-ingredient Tortellini with Sausage and Kale
Photo by: Carolyn Hodges, M.S., RDN

Precooked chicken sausage is a handy shortcut ingredient because it heats up quickly and adds lots of flavor without a lot of fuss. A roasted garlic variety pairs perfectly with cheese tortellini and sautéed leafy greens.

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Pickled Beet, Arugula & Herbed Goat Cheese Sandwich

Pickled Beet, Arugula & Herbed Goat Cheese Sandwich
Jacob Fox

This pickled beet, arugula and goat cheese sandwich is peppery with creamy notes from the goat cheese and sweet and tangy undertones from the pickled beets. Chopped walnuts add nuttiness and crunch to this easy sandwich.

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Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce

Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce

Ripe tomato and fresh basil give this quick recipe tons of flavor. Serve this healthy pasta dinner with crusty garlic bread and steamed green beans.

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Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad

Loaded Mediterranean Chicken-Quinoa Salad

Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied.

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Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad

Roasted-Veggie-and-Quinoa-Salad

Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.

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Green Goddess Sandwich

green goddess sandwich
Victor Protasio

This green goddess sandwich is a fresh and satisfying sandwich. The dressing packs a flavorful punch with capers and lemon juice. The cucumber and sprouts add nice crunch, and the seasoned avocado brings in the creaminess.

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Falafel Tabbouleh Bowls with Tzatziki

Falafel Tabbouleh Bowls with Tzatziki

Meal-prepping a week's worth of lunches doesn't need to take hours in the kitchen. These Greek-inspired meal-prep bowls can be prepared in just 10 minutes and only require 4 ingredients--greens, falafel, tabbouleh and tzatziki. We love going to our local specialty grocery store for fast shortcut ingredients like these. The high-fiber falafel and tabbouleh will help to keep you feeling satisfied all afternoon.

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Buffalo Chicken Grain Bowl

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Get the flavors of spicy Buffalo chicken wings, without frying, in this nutritious couscous bowl loaded with protein and crisp veggies.

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