Healthy Bean Main Dish Recipes

This fish salad is a unique twist on traditional slow-cooker fare. The slow-cooker tuna steaks carry the bright lemon and rosemary flavors well, which result in an aromatic and fresh fish that perfectly complements the lettuce and chickpeas. Chill it for an easy work lunch the next day. Garnish with fresh rosemary leaves, if desired.

Use your slow cooker to make hearty, slightly spicy chili pot pie. You can substitute any no-salt-added beans for the black beans. Serve with a crisp, green salad, if desired.

This taco-bowl--style recipe will be a hit with both adults and children. The 10-minute sit time allows the cheese to melt into the quinoa, making this dish super decadent. If you cannot find Cheddar-Jack cheese, use Monterey Jack or sharp Cheddar. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, lime wedges and additional cheese, if desired.

This fast Indian-style curry comes together with ingredients you most likely have on hand, like frozen peas and canned tomatoes and chickpeas. Plus, using these spices shows how simple it is to make a curry sauce for an easy vegetarian recipe. Serve with whole-wheat naan to top it all up.

With wild and brown rice, edamame, dried cherries and pecans, this dish boasts varied textures as well as an abundance of nutrients. Wild rice is rich in fiber and protein while brown rice is high in manganese, which helps the body digest fats. Cherries are packed with antioxidants, while pecans are loaded with healthy unsaturated fat.

Vegetables and edamame (soybeans) crown a bed of whole-wheat couscous for a hearty, healthy meal. You can use fresh-shelled edamame and fresh corn, but using the frozen varieties saves time and produces the same delicious results.

This recipe feels and looks indulgent without being high in calories. The "caprese" components--fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and tomatoes--beautifully shine through, while the white beans add protein and a creamy texture. If you can't find fresh small mozzarella balls, tear a large ball of fresh mozzarella into small pieces.

Hearty and filling, this eggplant and white bean ragout is vegetarian comfort food. Tossing the eggplant with salt draws out excess moisture from the vegetable, making it less bitter and more firm upon cooking. To make this recipe gluten-free, sub rice or gluten-free pasta for the couscous. Garnish with additional chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil, if desired.

In this healthy catfish recipe, a brush of Dijon mustard and a generous sprinkle of crushed peppercorns temper the subtle earthy flavor this fish is sometimes known for. Feel free to use farmed catfish in this recipe: catfish are omnivorous, so they have a lighter environmental impact than farmed species that need to be fed pellets made from other fish.

This easy lemon-garlic chicken recipe calls for cutlets, which cook in less than 10 minutes! Can't find them? Make your own from chicken breasts. Place each breast on a cutting board and, with your knife parallel to the board, slice into the skinny side of the chicken breast in a single smooth motion. The side of green beans is cooked right in the same pan as the chicken, so this 20-minute easy, healthy dinner is not just a snap to prepare--the cleanup is a cinch too.

Inspired by a dish served in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India called "dharan ji kadhi," our rendition studs the tender chickpea-flour dumplings with chiles and greens. Serve with naan to sop up the sauce for a healthy vegetarian dinner with plenty of protein.

Take cauliflower gnocchi to the next level with these hearty, plant-based meal-prep bowls. Here we double up our Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables recipe (see Associated Recipes) and combine it with white beans, pesto and store-bought cauliflower gnocchi to make a week of healthy meal-prep lunches. You'll have leftover roasted veggies, so plan to use them as easy side dishes for dinner throughout the week or incorporate them into another recipe, like Creamy Roasted Vegetable Soup with Chicken or the Piled-High Greek Vegetable Pitas (see Associated Recipes).

Arrange the toppings individually on these protein-packed Buddha bowls so each bite has a contrasting taste and texture. Make big batches of the salad dressing, quinoa and roasted chicken thighs and you'll have healthy meal-prep lunches or dinners for days. Though the chicken thighs take just 15 minutes to prep, you can also make the salads with leftover chicken or store-bought cooked chicken to make prep even faster.

In this vegetarian riff on a popular Indian dish, we swap in cauliflower and chickpeas for the chicken in tikka masala. The cauliflower's nooks and crannies are particularly good at soaking up all the intense flavors of the sauce. Serve over rice for an easy healthy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes.

This recipe for seared scallops with white beans and spinach turns out a healthy dinner that looks impressive (and tastes great) in just 25 minutes. Giving lemons a quick sizzle in the skillet amps up the flavor of this piccata-inspired dish. The heat helps release even more citrus juice and sweetens it too. When shopping for scallops, look for ones labeled "dry." Some scallops are soaked in a solution that prevents them from searing properly and can give them a soapy flavor.

This healthy tuna recipe combines many of Turkey's most beloved foods and flavors--fresh fish, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs and chickpeas. Cooking for two? Flake the two leftover tuna steaks and mix them into the remaining bulgur salad, then serve over lettuce for lunch the next day.

This healthy sweet and sour tofu stir-fry is easy to whip together on weeknights. Just be sure to plan ahead so that you can freeze the tofu in advance. It gives the tofu a meatier texture and helps it absorb the sauce.

Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked on the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make and the cleanup is easy too.

This easy grilled salmon recipe is sure to help you win your next backyard BBQ. Lemon, garlic and herbs make a simple, flavorful marinade for the healthy fish souvlaki (souvlakia is the Greek word for kebabs), and the yogurt-based tzatziki sauce is one of the traditional pleasures of Mediterranean cuisine. A side of Greek-style green beans completes this healthy dinner recipe that's as suited to entertaining as it is to family meals.

Protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas add staying power to this zesty and healthy salad recipe.