30 Recipes to Know How to Make by the Time You're 30

August 27, 2019
Even if you're not a master home cook, these 30 recipes are easy for anyone to master. Plus, with a little meal prep and a few convenience items—like pre-cooked chicken—anyone can make these recipes.
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1 of 30

Roast Chicken with Parmesan-Herb Sauce

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A store-bought rice blend and quick-cooking chicken breast help get this healthy chicken recipe on the dinner table fast. Check the label to avoid excessive sodium or other undesirable ingredients. Other herbs, such as rosemary and sage, are also delicious in this recipe.

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Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

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Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you're serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.

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Healthy Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Here's your new cookie jar staple. This recipe for classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies gets a healthy boost with whole-wheat flour and uses less sugar and butter than traditional recipes. Don't hesitate to make a double batch--they're so satisfying they'll be gone fast.

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Vegetable & Tofu Fried Rice

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Next time you're craving Chinese takeout, make this veggie-packed fried rice recipe in about the same time instead. Tofu and eggs give this vegetarian fried rice staying power from protein, and brown rice boosts fiber.

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Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

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This healthy whole-grain buttermilk pancake recipe uses 100% whole-wheat flour, heart-healthy canola oil and just a tablespoon of sugar. Compared to most store-bought mixes or a classic recipe, this recipe saves about 30 calories, 3 grams saturated fat and 4 grams total sugar per serving, plus you'll dish up 2 extra grams of fiber. If you want to experiment with different types of whole grains, replace up to 1/2 cup of the whole-wheat flour with cornmeal, oats and/or buckwheat flour. Or add extra fiber and omega-3s by adding up to 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seeds.

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Almost Chipotle's Guacamole

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Make guacamole at home that tastes just like it came from Chipotle--but don't worry, our version won't be "extra"! This deliciously fresh guac is perfect for topping burrito bowls or tacos, or serve as an appetizer or healthy snack with tortilla chips and veggies.

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7 of 30

Classic Chicken Soup

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Classic chicken noodle soup gets a healthy upgrade with low-sodium chicken broth, whole-wheat egg noodles and tons of vegetables. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients.

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Avocado & Kale Omelet

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Move over, avocado toast. Top a high-protein omelet with avocado and fiber-rich kale and you'll keep hunger at bay for longer.

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Quick Beef & Napa Cabbage Pho

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Classic Vietnamese noodle soup typically takes hours to make, but this healthy pho recipe gets tons of flavor from cooking the aromatics and spices before adding the broth. Serve with hoisin, Sriracha and lime wedges.

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Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies

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People likely won't even notice that these delicately nutty, just a little chocolaty, blondies are gluten-free. They use quinoa flour, which you can find in well-stocked supermarkets and natural-foods stores, in place of all-purpose flour. To make your own quinoa flour, grind raw quinoa into a powder in a clean coffee grinder. (Adapted from Quinoa Revolution by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming.)

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Mom's Chili

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This healthy basic beef chili recipe is well worth doubling so you can throw a batch in the freezer. Serve topped with diced red onion, sliced scallions, shredded cheese and your favorite hot sauce.

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Pasta with Parsley-Walnut Pesto

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Remaking this classic high-calorie, high-fat pasta sauce was a great success. By adding fresh breadcrumbs to the pesto, we were able to use much less oil. The pesto still coats the pasta nicely and its herbal flavor remains intense and vibrant. Parsley is more than just a garnish--it's a rich source of carotenoids and vitamin C.

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13 of 30

Whole Wheat Quick Bread

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This simple bread makes a great soup accompaniment or breakfast loaf. White whole wheat flour adds fiber while keeping it light; flaxseeds add fiber and healthy fats. Put a tasty spin on it with one of the variations below.

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Healthy Banana Bread

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Got leftover bananas? Give everyone's favorite baked good recipe a healthy whole-wheat spin with this easy banana bread recipe.

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Mac & Cheese

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This healthy, homemade macaroni and cheese recipe is topped with plenty of golden breadcrumbs. If you want to add a little flair to this healthy macaroni and cheese, use aged Gruyere instead of Cheddar and add extra ingredients like peas, chopped cooked mushrooms or chopped ham. This recipe makes more Cream Sauce without the Cream than you'll need for the macaroni and cheese. Refrigerate or freeze the extra sauce and use it in place of heavy cream in any sauce or soup that calls for cream.

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Chicken Pot Pies

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These chicken pot pies are full to the brim with vegetables and savory spices, and make the perfect comfort food for a night in.

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Garlic, Sausage & Kale Naan Pizzas

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We love sausage, but it can be high in sodium. In this fast, healthy dinner, we make our own turkey sausage with crushed red pepper, garlic, fennel seeds, paprika and just a touch of salt.

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Maple-Ginger Apple Pie

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In this healthy apple pie recipe, a touch of maple syrup spiked with lemon zest, cinnamon and ground ginger coats the apples while they bake. Serve this amazing homemade pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Veggie Sandwich

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There's no chance of getting the afternoon munchies when you fuel up with this vegan veggie sandwich filled with fiber and healthy fats, plus fruit on the side. It'll keep you energized until dinner. Feel free to swap in your other favorite sandwich vegetables, sprouts or greens.

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Orange-Sesame Salmon with Quinoa & Broccolini

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A quick Asian orange sauce gives this healthy salmon dinner recipe bright flavor. No broccolini? Swap in 8 ounces broccoli florets and roast for 5 minutes in Step 3.

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Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

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Got leftover cooked chicken or turkey? Cook up a pot of soup! This recipe is a healthier twist on a classic creamy turkey and wild rice soup that hails from Minnesota. Serve with a crisp romaine salad and whole-grain bread.

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Easy Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

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This homemade, yeasted whole-wheat pizza dough requires only one rising, not two, so it's quicker to make than you might suspect. Although bread flour provides more gluten to help the dough maintain its elasticity when shaped and baked, we tested the recipe with all-purpose flour and had good results. This sturdy dough was developed for grilled pizzas, but it can be used in any pizza recipe calling for 1 pound of pizza dough.

23 of 30

Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup

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In this healthy cauliflower soup recipe, roasting the cauliflower first adds depth and prevents the florets from turning to mush. A little tomato sauce and coconut milk give the broth a rich, silky texture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

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Farmers' Market Sliders

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Grill up your veggie haul from the farmers' market and pile them on as toppings in this healthy burger recipe. Bell peppers work well too.

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Double-Tahini Hummus

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You'll look like an expert with this easy hummus recipe that produces the lightest, silkiest hummus you've ever had. Chilling the cooked chickpeas ensures that when they're blended with the oil and cold tahini the hummus will come out creamy rather than oily. In a pinch, you can use the quick-soak technique (see Step 1), reduce the chilling time and still get great hummus.

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Tomato Soup

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This simple tomato soup is perfect paired with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Make a double batch and freeze the extra for rainy-day emergencies.

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Collards & Portobello Grilled Cheese

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Meaty portobello mushrooms and sautéed collards turn this easy grilled cheese recipe into a healthy meal. If you don't have Dijonnaise on hand, make your own by stirring 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard into 3 tablespoons mayonnaise.

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EatingWell's Eggplant Parmesan

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This lighter take on eggplant parmesan maintains all the flavors of the classic dish but is baked instead of fried. There are also 11 grams of filling protein in this hearty vegetarian side dish.

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Miso-Marinated Flank Steak

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This easy marinated steak recipe uses Japanese miso, which is made from soy, barley and rice, and has a strong, savory umami taste. Miso is best known for its use in miso soup, but miso is amazing in meat marinades like this Asian steak marinade because it produces rich flavors in the meat. Look for sake (Japanese rice wine) where other wines are sold.

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Colorful Roasted Sheet-Pan Veggies

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These easy roasted vegetables will give your plate a pop of color. Give the cubes of butternut squash a head start for 10 minutes to soften in the oven before adding in the other veggies. The broccoli, peppers and onion are naturally more tender than the butternut squash and cook more quickly. That way everything ends up finishing at the same time.

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