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125 Weeknight Dinners That Make It Easy to Eat Healthy

Updated on December 21, 2023

Looking for some fresh inspiration for your dinners? Fill up on these flavorful recipes all week long.

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Photo: Armando Rafael Moutela ©

Our Best Healthy Weeknight Dinner Ideas

We know that getting dinner on the table every night can be difficult: You need to have time, energy and a plan, not to mention a good recipe! And if you want that dinner to be nutritious, you might find this task to be even more burdensome—but we’re here to help. We rounded up over 100 of our very best healthy dinners that are perfect for weeknights. From low-carb meals to flavor-packed pastas, we have you covered. Don't worry about spending a lot of cash, either, as cheap healthy meals exist and they can be quite delicious. This salmon dinner couldn't be simpler. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then pop it in the oven to bake to perfection in 15 minutes. An easy-to-make parsley and almond salsa goes on top.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz

Chicken and Broccoli with White Sauce

The chicken and broccoli you find at your favorite Chinese restaurant is usually covered in an intensely flavored brown sauce often based on oyster and soy sauces. This recipe showcases a milder but equally delicious Chinese white sauce that might be familiar to you from dishes like shrimp in lobster sauce. It’s clear and savory, thickened with a cornstarch slurry. This recipe also highlights the traditional Chinese technique of “velveting,” a marinating process that coats proteins to tenderize, lock in the juices and promote browning. We tested a variety of velveting processes that use egg, egg white and even just water. Our conclusion? Chicken covered in salt and water (similar to brining) then coated with cornstarch produced the best texture. We also eliminated the common step of boiling or deep-frying the chicken before stir-frying; a quick sear in the wok produced tender results. If velveting seems daunting, don’t let it be; it’s essentially a marinating process and takes just a few minutes of work and 30 minutes of hands-off time. And it’s worth it: Your velveted chicken will be juicy and tender with tons of savory flavor.

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Photo: Tara Donne ©

Sweet and Sour Couscous-Stuffed Peppers

Fill colorful (and antioxidant-rich) bell peppers with lean ground beef, whole-wheat couscous and a mix of vegetables and herbs for a healthy and satisfying meal.
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Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher

Healthy Air Fryer Parmesan Chicken with Broccoli

This chicken gets incredibly crunchy, thanks to a light coating of panko and Parmesan and a quick cook in the air fryer! Serve it with charred broccoli and a tangy yogurt sauce for a healthy and complete meal you can throw together any day of the week.

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