20 Easy, Healthy Meals You Can Make in 20 Minutes Think you don't have enough time to make a healthy dinner? Think again! These easy, healthy meals are ready in just 20 minutes so you can get a flavorful dish on the table on even the busiest of days. From Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara to One-Skillet Bourbon Chicken, these recipes are satisfying and quick to make. By Penelope Wall Penelope Wall Penelope Wall oversees the digital editorial vision of EatingWell—drawing on both her passion for food, wellness and storytelling and over 20 years experience in digital content strategy and editorial. Penelope has a bachelor's degree in English and studio art and a minor in French from Middlebury College. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 14, 2025 Close Think you don't have enough time to make a healthy dinner? Think again. These easy healthy meals are ready in just 20 minutes so you can get a flavorful dish on the table on even the busiest of days. From Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara to One-Skillet Bourbon Chicken, these recipes are satisfying and quick to make. While these meals are satisfying on their own. You can add a premade bagged salad for convenience or prepare a simple salad that complements the flavors of the main dish. Our Leafy Green Salad or Herb & Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette are versatile options that can accompany almost any meal. Plus, they're perfect as a base for tossing in your favorite dried fruits, nuts, seeds and more. Love any of these recipes? Tap "Save" to add them to MyRecipes, your new, free recipe box for EatingWell. 01 of 20 Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara View Recipe Save Fresh pasta cooks up faster than dried, making it a must-have for fast weeknight dinners like this luscious yet healthy meal. Eggs are the base of the creamy sauce. They don't get fully cooked, so use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs if you prefer. 02 of 20 Chhole (Chickpea Curry) View Recipe Save This healthy Indian recipe is a flavorful chickpea curry that you can make in just 20 minutes. Also called chana masala, this dish is a comforting and delicious dinner. 03 of 20 Classic Sesame Noodles with Chicken View Recipe Save Sesame noodles become a satisfying meal with lean chicken and tons of veggies in this quick, healthy noodle recipe. Be sure to rinse the spaghetti until it's cold, then give it a good shake in the colander until it's well drained. Are you a spiralizing pro? Swap 5 cups of raw zucchini, carrot or other veggie "noodles" for the cooked pasta. 04 of 20 Creamy Lemon & Dill Skillet Chicken View Recipe Save Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This creamy lemon and dill skillet chicken recipe is a true crowd-pleaser and makes for a perfect weeknight dinner. Chicken cutlets cook quickly, taking this recipe from skillet to table in only 20 minutes. The drippings and fond from the pan are at the heart of the tangy, vibrant pan sauce that you serve with the chicken. Drizzle any extra over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes served on the side. 05 of 20 One-Skillet Bourbon Chicken View Recipe Save Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee Bourbon chicken gets coated in a slightly sweet-spicy sauce for a flavorful dinner that comes together quickly, making it perfect for busy weeknights. 06 of 20 Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce (Marry Me Chicken) View Recipe Save Blaine Moats Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner idea. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce. 07 of 20 White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi View Recipe Save Jacob Fox Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe—providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K. 08 of 20 3-Ingredient Farro Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken View Recipe Save Carolyn Hodges To make this hearty grain bowl, grab a salad kit from the grocery store. Then, top the kit with farro and chicken for a high-protein lunch or dinner that's ready in minutes. 09 of 20 No-Cook White Bean & Spinach Caprese Salad View Recipe Save This easy white bean and spinach caprese salad features the classic combination of juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil and tangy balsamic vinegar, but adds tender white beans and fresh baby spinach to the mix. If you can’t find mozzarella pearls, cut or tear a fresh ball of mozzarella into bite-size pieces instead. If you like your salad with a little kick, try swapping out the spinach for arugula. 10 of 20 Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas View Recipe Save Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies such as broccoli or asparagus. For a bit of heat, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor. 11 of 20 One-Skillet Garlicky Salmon & Broccoli View Recipe Save Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey This one-skillet salmon and broccoli recipe is the perfect 20-minute dinner for busy weeknights! This dish combines tender, flaky salmon with crisp, garlicky broccoli and bell pepper, all cooked in one pan for easy prep and cleanup. Packed with lean protein, omega-3s and a generous serving of veggies, this is one recipe you’ll want on repeat! 12 of 20 Crispy Fish Taco Bowls View Recipe Save The adobo sauce in a can of chipotles lends earthy heat to the crema that tops these bowls. Don't toss out the unused peppers! Freeze them in an airtight container and pull them out to add to sauces, marinades or chili. 13 of 20 Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata View Recipe Save This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette. 14 of 20 Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Salsa View Recipe Save An easy-to-make slaw served on the side of these salmon tacos makes for a filling and fast weeknight dinner. If you prefer more heat in these fish tacos, simply add a pinch or two of chipotle chile powder or cayenne with the chili powder. 15 of 20 Quick Shrimp Puttanesca View Recipe Save Because refrigerated fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, this Italian-inspired pasta dish will be on the table lickety-split! Puttanesca, traditionally made with tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and garlic, gets shrimp for extra protein and artichoke hearts to boost the vegetable servings (and the fiber!). If you can't find frozen artichoke hearts, sub in drained canned artichoke hearts. 16 of 20 Ground Beef & Snap Pea Rice-Noodle Stir-Fry View Recipe Save We've bulked up the serving size of this pad thai-inspired stir-fry by adding in lots of veggies like matchstick carrots, snap peas and scallions. Look for whole-grain brown-rice pad thai noodles to add an additional 3 grams fiber to each serving. 17 of 20 Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry View Recipe Save To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 milligrams of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end. 18 of 20 One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta View Recipe Save Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe. 19 of 20 Grilled Chicken with Farro & Roasted Cauliflower View Recipe You can find farro in most grocery stores, near the rice. If you can't find farro, you can use wheat berries or brown rice instead; cook according to package directions. 20 of 20 Chickpeas alla Vodka View Recipe Save Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser This Chickpeas alla Vodka is the ultra-quick, fiber-packed dinner you’ve been waiting for! Chickpeas are swimming in a creamy vodka sauce that gets enhancements from sautéed garlic, onion and vibrant green baby kale. Crispy, toasted whole-wheat bread is perfect for dipping. Ready in 20 minutes, this dinner is sure to become a regular in your rotation. Explore more: Cooking Methods Quick & Easy Quick & Easy Dinners 20-Minute Dinner Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit