30 Healthy Recipes In 30 Minutes Or Less
Healthy recipes in 30 minute or less? Who doesn’t love that? Choose from a variety of seafood favorites, chicken dinners every which way, hearty vegetarian meals, and the best throw-together recipes when you need something extra zippy (and fast).
Time… oh, it’s something we all need more of, isn’t it? From notoriously busy weekdays to event filled weekends, getting in a quick (yet healthy) meal can often feel time consuming. But good news – I’ve got quite a few recipes to answer that pesky question – what can I make for dinner fast? 30 recipes to be exact!
Once you’ve got a drawer full of spices and a stocked pantry with simple ingredients, you can pretty much turn anything in your fridge (or freezer), into one heck of a standout meal – and very quickly.
Not sure what to do with plain chicken breasts? Smother it in seasoning for a quick bake in the oven. Need to use that last filet of frozen cod? Slab some butter and herbs on it. Craving a not-so-boring salad? You’ll be surprised at how tasty your salad is once you toss it with 70% of what you have on hand. Let me show you!
All-Time Favorite Healthy Recipes (aka What I Make on the Regular)
Honestly, all the recipes in this list are amazing. But, I’m find myself coming back to these specific ones again and again.
Mediterranean Ground Beef Stir Fry: A simple stir fry never fails, especially when there’s fresh Mediterranean flavors involved. Plus, you can always use this recipe as a base and add more veggies if you’d like!
Ultimate Chicken Salad: No matter the season, a creamy yet crunchy chicken salad goes a long way in a variety of meals. Eat it by the spoon, or wrap it with butter leaf lettuce. Either way, it’s super easy to whip up.
Taco Soup: A budget-friendly meal that’s healthy and loaded with your favorite taco flavors? Yep, that’s what this soup is all about.
Honey Garlic Shrimp: Give fresh or frozen shrimp some major flavor fast with this honey garlic sauce!
Teriyaki Chicken: Homemade teriyaki sauce is a lot less complicated than you think. Once you have that stirred up, all you need to do is let it simmer with the chicken and serve it up with rice – voila!
Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp: This is your reminder to pull that spiralizer out! This veggie-heavy pasta comes together in just 15 minutes. It’s super light and fresh.
Speedy and Healthy Recipes that Feature Chicken
No matter if you’re using chicken breasts or thighs, the following healthy chicken recipe are done in a jiffy. They also soak up savory-sweet flavors really well.
Best Baked Chicken Breast: If you’ve got a few chicken breasts in your fridge, you can’t go wrong with this reader favorite recipe. And if you do a little prep work ahead of time – these six awesome chicken marinades will come in handy for quick dinners with seriously good flavors.
Coconut Curry Chicken: Curry spices always elevate any meal, especially when paired with coconut milk and herbs. And if you’ve got leftover spices, whip up a curried egg salad!
Chicken Stir Fry: This is reminiscent of your favorite Chinese take-out, but with a healthier (and tastier) twist. It only requires 30 minutes on the stove and will fill up the entire family.
Chicken Fajitas: Juicy seared chicken coated in a homemade fajita seasoning, with sauteed bell peppers and sweet onions? Now that’s a 30-minute recipe I can get behind!
Mexican Chicken Zucchini Noodles: If you’re looking to add more veggies to your favorite Mexican chicken flavors – this easy zucchini noodle dish does the trick.
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Lettuce wraps are always a good idea for healthy recipes that come together fast. And if you’re craving Asian flavors – this is one recipe you won’t want to miss.
Chicken and Vegetable Soup: A classic chicken and veggie soup is a healthy recipe that stands the test of time. It’s easy to make, flavorful, and simply good for the soul.
Easy Seafood Recipes – With A Twist!
The great thing about seafood is that it doesn’t need much to taste incredible, and it cooks even faster than other meats. So if a light and healthy meal is on your mind, get creative with the recipes below!
Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Bacon Slaw: Since searing shrimp doesn’t take that long, the only thing you need to focus on is making this crazy good cilantro lime bacon coleslaw. Then assembly is easy peasy!
Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl: Oh yes, homemade poke bowls are a cinch to make! Just make sure you get super fresh tuna from the market since this is your star ingredient.
Shrimp Fajitas: When you’re craving a fajita kind of night, this shrimp version is just as good as the chicken recipe.
Best Baked Salmon: All you really need for the best baked salmon is lemon, garlic, butter, herbs, and a short 12 to 15 minutes in the oven. The results are extra tender and extra delicious.
Creamy Chipotle Shrimp: You won’t believe how quick-and-easy this dish is, with a creamy, homemade chipotle sauce. Insane flavor too!
Grilled Fish Tacos: Come grilling season, these fish tacos are a must make. They’re easy to grill and the citrus slaw is a bite of summer heaven.
Vietnamese Spring Rolls: Let’s knock out the assumption that spring rolls are difficult to make, because they’re really not! Just prep a few fresh ingredients in their natural state, give shrimp a quick boil, and roll it all up – that’s it!
Fresh and Flavorful Throw-Together Salads
You can always count on a salad for a fast and healthy meal. Plus, this is your chance to make the most of what you have in your fridge and pantry. Toss whatever greens you have with diced up leftover proteins, those extra bags of seeds and nuts, and drizzle everything with easy-to-make dressings.
Zucchini Noodle Caprese: Think of this as a fresh caprese salad, but in veggie-heavy pasta form! Just toss zoodles with mozzarella, tomatoes, and a homemade basil pesto (that’s also super easy to make!).
Tuna Salad: It doesn’t get much easier than tuna salad for a swift, healthy recipe. Bonus – it can also quickly be turned into a tuna sandwich, wrap, or stuffed avocados.
Salmon Avocado Salad: Once you quickly pan-sear a salmon filet, assemble it on top of leafy greens and fresh veggies for vibrant, healthy salad!
Taco Salad: This is everything you want in a taco – salad style! Just toss leafy greens with ground beef, beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, and any other of your favorite taco toppings.
Broccoli Salad: Not only is this salad the best throw-together salad, it’s extremely durable. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, which means you can enjoy it throughout the week… whenever you need a quick and easy meal to get you through the day.
Shrimp, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad: Put asparagus to work with shrimp, avocado, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette. A bite of this will surely tell you spring has sprung.
Healthy Vegetarian Favorites Made Super Fast
There’s so many quick meals that can be made with a rainbow of vegetarian produce. Some are made super easy with just raw ingredients and canned beans – like a chickpea salad. Others only need 15 to 30 minutes to cook up in one pot or one pan.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: A can of chickpeas goes a long way in this salad filled with fresh Mediterranean ingredients. From juicy tomatoes to crisp cucumbers, I guarantee this is a dish you’ll make again and again!
Shakshuka: Sure, a lot people consider this breakfast. But you can honestly eat Shakshuka any time of the day. And you’ve gotta love the fact that it comes together in just 30 minutes!
Egg Salad: Prepped hard boiled eggs come in handy for an on-the-fly snack. But when you dice them up into this egg salad, it’s one of the most versatile ingredients to have!
Cabbage Soup: This ticks all the boxes for light, healthy, and extra cozy. Just let a few simple ingredients cook in a pot, and you’ve got yourself a warming meal (loaded with veggies) to sip on a cold day.
For more dinner inspiration, check out my best easy dinner ideas, best meal prep recipes, and best vegetarian recipes!
There’s plenty of options to choose from when you’re on a time crunch. If you try any of these healthy recipes made in 30 minutes or under, I’d love to hear which ones are your favorite in a comment below!
30 Healthy Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less
Ingredients
Salmon Avocado Salad
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 salmon filets
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dressing
- 1 recipe lemon vinaigrette
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Season the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Add the salmon filets top side down and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Flip the salmon and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the salmon is mostly opaque, with just a smidge of softness still in the middle.
- Divide all of the other salad ingredients between two bowls, then place the cooked salmon on top.
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle on top.
I have been very busy the past few days and I think this will continue up to the celebration of my new year. So I think these recipes are best for me. Thank you!
This list is perfect for me! Is there any way to get the recipes for all 30 in one printout?
Unfortunately I don’t have a full list in one printout. But you can print out the recipes separately :)