Healthy Dinners in a Bowl

August 27, 2019
Healthy dinners that fit in one bowl are quick and convenient. These easy recipes are complete meals and layer everything you could want for a healthy dinner: vegetables, whole grains or a starch, and a tasty portion of protein. And because your whole dinner is in the bowl, there’s no need to make a separate side dish. So make your next dinner a dinner in a bowl.
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Caribbean Bowls

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This tropical dish is made complete with Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. Pork, rice, and beans combine with pineapple and red onion in a delicious honey-lime vinaigrette.

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Lamb and Chickpea Bowls

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This flavorful dish, complete with cumin and mint, is so quick and easy to make any night of the week.

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Chicken Burrito Bowls

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By leaving out the carb-heavy tortilla wrap, this chicken burrito bowl is made diabetic-friendly.

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Asian Beef Noodle Bowls

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With a lime wedge served on the side, these Asian noodle bowls are packed with flavor.

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Shrimp, Bulgur, and Tomato Bowls

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Topped with Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and fresh basil, this savory dish is sure to leave you satisfied.

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Pork Bowls with Apple and Grapes

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A satisfying bowl of quinoa and pork is topped with goat cheese, grapes, and grilled apple and red onion.

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Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl

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Olives, cucumber, roasted red peppers and spices come together magically in this healthy chicken quinoa bowl recipe. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of cold Italian white wine.

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Seared Tuna Tataki Quinoa Bowl

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In this healthy tuna and quinoa recipe, tuna steaks are flash-cooked, sliced, then tossed in a quick, gingery marinade. The tuna, vegetables and seaweed get dressed with some of the flavor-packed tataki marinade and served over protein-rich quinoa.

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Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl

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Here's the quintessence of Japanese home cooking: an aromatic, protein-rich broth served over rice. Admittedly, Japanese cooking leans heavily on sugar--for a less traditional taste, you could reduce or even omit the sugar.

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Brothy Chinese Noodles

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This dish was inspired by Chinese Dan Dan noodles--ground pork and noodles in a spicy broth. We use ground turkey and omit the traditional Sichuan peppercorns for convenience, but add hot sesame oil. Use toasted sesame oil instead if you want mild noodles.

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Tex-Mex Black Bean & Quinoa Bowl

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Skip the tortillas and layer your taco fillings onto protein-rich quinoa in this healthy vegetarian bowl dinner recipe. Top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a splash of your favorite hot sauce.

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Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini & Pork Bowls

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Bursting with colorful veggies, this healthy grain bowl recipe is topped with an easy miso dressing. If you have quinoa already cooked, skip Step 1 and use 2 cups in Step 4.

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Roast Pork, Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Bowl

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In this healthy grain bowl dinner recipe, hummus may seem like an unconventional dressing ingredient, but here we thin it with some hot water to make a rich, creamy drizzle.

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Five-Spiced Pork and Soba Noodle Bowls

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This Asian-inspired, one-bowl meal is chock full of vegetables, tender pork strips and soba noodles. Just before serving, the broth base is enhanced by the addition of a little orange juice.

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Bulgogi Beef and Vegetable Bowls

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Marinating the beef ensures it is tender and juicy. Paired with an Asian-inspired sauce, brown rice, and fresh vegetables, this bowl is full of flavor.

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Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl

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The ingredients in this vegan grain bowl recipe can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch to pack for work. The tangy citrus dressing is a refreshing flavor with the sweet caramel of the roasted sheet-pan veggies.

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Chickpea & Quinoa Buddha Bowl

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It seems Buddha bowls have as many variations as there are stars in the sky, and there is no wrong way to build one! But we prefer to keep things classic and simple with hummus, quinoa, avocado and loads of veggies!

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Shredded Pork Burrito Bowls with Veggie Slaw

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This burrito recipe may lack a tortilla but it doesn't lack anything in taste. Spicy shredded pork, crisp and vibrant veggie slaw, and warm pineapple-lime rice combine to deliver a beautiful presentation in your bowl.

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Seared Sesame-Tuna Bowls

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This tuna bowl is quite an easy recipe you'll want to make again and again. Black sesame seeds make this dish look dramatic because they provide contrast against the fish, but if you can't find toasted black sesame seeds, you can use toasted white sesame seeds. The flavor will be the same.

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Jackfruit Barbacoa Burrito Bowls

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Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with a dense, chewy texture, is a blank canvas that takes on flavors well. In these vegan burrito bowls, the jackfruit is simmered in a warm and spicy chile sauce that's so good you'll never know you're eating a plant-based protein instead of pork or beef.

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Polenta Bowls with Roasted Vegetables & Fried Eggs

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You really can't beat creamy polenta with a fried egg on top—unless you add some roasted veggies, as we've done in this hearty and healthy meal in a bowl. Serve these bowls for a satisfying brunch, lunch or dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes. Feel free to swap (or add) in other veggies, such as broccoli, to customize your bowls according to what's in season or what you have on hand.

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Banh Mi Black Rice Bowls

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For this easy dinner recipe, we've taken inspiration from the popular Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, but lost the bun to make room for one of our favorite whole grains: black (aka forbidden) rice. To make these healthy grain bowls vegetarian, simply use additional tamari in place of the fish sauce.

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Sesame Chicken Noodle Bowls

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Whether you have celiac disease or are just watching your gluten intake, you'll love this easy Asian-inspired bowl recipe. Chunks of sesame chicken, crisp-tender vegetables, and rice noodles are combined in broth with an orange and soy flavor that's simply out of this world.

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Chicken Fajita Bowls

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These satisfying bowls are chock full of protein and fiber, thanks to chicken breast, black beans, sweet potatoes and bulgur—a versatile grain that has about 15 g fewer carbs (and more than twice the fiber) per cup than brown rice.

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Charred Shrimp & Pesto Buddha Bowls

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These shrimp and pesto Buddha bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.

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Chicken Tinga Bowls with Calabacitas & Brown Rice

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In Mexico, chicken stewed with tomatoes and chipotle peppers is known as tinga (teen-gah). It's often served in tacos or on tostadas. The side of sautéed squash is called calabacitas. Serve this tinga recipe over brown rice and sprinkle with cheese for a healthy one-bowl dinner that's super-satisfying.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls

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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.

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Steak Enchilada Bowls with Sweet Potato Rice

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You won't miss the regular rice in these hearty bowls, which feature sweet potato "rice" that's quickly made in your food processor. The simple swap means a welcome burst of color and flavor, plus way more vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. This quick and easy recipe is sure to become a weeknight favorite. It takes about half an hour to prep, but you can make it even faster by swapping in store-bought sweet potato rice.

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Chicken & Quinoa Buddha Bowls

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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.

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Black Bean-Quinoa Buddha Bowl

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Treat your Buddha bowl to a vacation south of the border! This black bean and quinoa Buddha bowl has the usual hallmarks of a taco salad, minus the greasy fried bowl. We've loaded it up with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and avocado plus an easy hummus dressing to drizzle on top.

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