Healthy Quick & Easy MyPlate-Inspired Dinners

August 27, 2019
These quick and easy dinner recipes will help you eat according to MyPlate, the new food pyramidDownload a Free Quick Dinner Recipe Cookbook!
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Spring Pizza

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Asparagus, chives and fontina cheese top this easy pizza recipe. Serve with baby greens tossed with vinaigrette and pecans.

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Salmon with Toasted Israeli Couscous

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You need only one skillet for this meal of wild salmon fillets and Israeli couscous pilaf. For added fiber, look for Israeli couscous made with whole-wheat flour. Serve with roasted carrots and broccoli with cumin.

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Sicilian Olive Chicken

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This saucy one-skillet chicken dish is full of tomatoes, spinach, olives and capers. Try Kalamata olives in place of the green Sicilians or a combination of both. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles with a mixed green salad on the side.

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Skillet Gnocchi with Shrimp & Asparagus

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The gnocchi cooks right in the skillet, along with shrimp, shallots, asparagus and Parmesan cheese, in this gnocchi recipe. Look for shelf-stable gnocchi near other pasta. Serve with baby arugula salad with vinaigrette and a glass of pinot grigio.

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Spaghetti Genovese

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Traditionally, this Italian pasta recipe combines pasta and pesto with potatoes and green beans. In our recipe for Spaghetti Genovese we give pesto a nutritional boost by adding spinach and toss it all together with fiber-rich whole-wheat pasta for a warm, comforting weeknight meal. Serve with escarole and radicchio salad.

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Smoky Corn & Black Bean Pizza

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The secret to a grilled pizza is having all your ingredients ready to go before you head out to the grill. Make it a meal: Toss the extra black beans, diced tomato and some avocado with prewashed salad greens and a tangy vinaigrette and dinner is on the table in no time.

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Chile-Lime Veggie Noodles

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We love the bright flavor that lime and chile-garlic sauce give to this quick and easy veggie-and-noodle stir-fry. Multicolored peppers make this recipe festive, while the addition of eggs makes it a satisfying vegetarian supper.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Arugula Salad

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This recipe for jumbo shrimp wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto and served on a lemony bed of arugula is a practically effortless dish that's sure to impress your guests. Wrap your shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time, and you'll have dinner on the table even faster. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

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Seared Steak with Pan-Roasted Grape & Port Sauce

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This recipe for quick pan-seared steak with a savory-sweet port wine and grape sauce makes a delicious weeknight dinner.

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Seared Salmon with Green Peppercorn Sauce

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A simple sauce of piquant green peppercorns, lemon juice and butter tops this seared salmon recipe. Green peppercorns come from the same plant as black ones, but are harvested before they mature. Typically packed in vinegar, they have a refreshingly sharp flavor. Look for them near the capers in most supermarkets. Serve with smashed red potatoes and sautéed kale.

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Lamb Chops with Mashed Peas & Mint

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Peas and lamb are a natural pairing. Here pan-roasted lamb chops are served with mashed peas seasoned with mint. Serve with bulgur tossed with chopped scallion greens, a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice.

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Seared Steak with Mustard-Mushroom Sauce

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With this quick steak recipe, you can be sitting down to juicy pan-seared steak with a rich and savory sauce in just 30 minutes.

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Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas

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Our healthy spaghetti carbonara recipe is lower in calories and fat than a traditional spaghetti carbonara recipe, plus it boasts 9 more grams of fiber per serving from whole-wheat pasta. For the best flavor, use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The eggs in the sauce are not fully cooked; if you're concerned about consuming undercooked eggs, use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs in this spaghetti carbonara recipe.

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Sauteed Haddock with Orange-Shallot Sauce

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In this easy haddock recipe, the fish's delicate flavor is wonderfully balanced by the sweet and savory combination of orange, shallot and mustard. You can also make this haddock recipe with flounder or sole from the Pacific (considered a good choice by the Monterey Bay Aquarium).

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Chipotle-Orange Broccoli & Tofu

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Chipotle peppers add kick to this tofu and broccoli stir-fry recipe. If you're shy about spice, cut back on the amount or leave them out completely. Serve over brown basmati rice.

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Green Pizza

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Why not use cooler-weather vegetables like broccoli and arugula as an unconventional pizza topping? The arugula adds a slightly bitter, peppery taste--for a milder flavor, use spinach instead. Serve with wedges of fresh tomato tossed with vinegar, olive oil, basil and freshly ground pepper.

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Broccoli & Tortellini Salad with Arugula Pesto

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A quick homemade arugula pesto dresses this simple broccoli and tortellini salad recipe. Serve with fresh sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.

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Stir-Fried Chile Beef & Broccoli

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This quick stir-fry features broccoli and flank steak in a flavorful sauce. This dish is typical of many traditional Chinese stir-fries--the sauce just clings to the beef and vegetables but is not enough to spoon over rice. Marinating beef is essential for ensuring the meat is flavorful. The meat does not marinate overnight, as in traditional Western recipes. The moment the beef is combined with the seasonings it is ready to be stir-fried.

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Pork & Snap Pea Lo Mein

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Lo mein is a Chinese restaurant takeout favorite that's easy to make at home. This lo mein recipe features lean pork loin chops and snap peas, but snow peas or asparagus work well too. Serve with shredded radish and cabbage tossed with rice vinegar.

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Ancho-Honey Pork Tenderloin with Cheese Grits

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In this recipe, roast pork tenderloin is glazed with honey, lime, soy and ancho chile powder and served on top of cheese grits. Ancho chile powder, made from dried poblano peppers, has a mild heat and adds a rich, subtly smoky flavor. Serve with sauteed kale with slivered garlic.

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Smoked Turkey & Farro Salad

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This whole-grain farro salad recipe is studded with lean turkey, plenty of crunchy bell pepper, celery, smoked cheese and avocado--a perfect summer salad recipe to serve on a hot summer night. Look for farro--a quick-cooking high-fiber whole grain--in the bulk section or near other grains in natural-foods stores. Or skip Step 1 and add cooked barley as a substitute for the farro in Step 2. Serve with baby spinach salad with toasted almonds and creamy garlic dressing.

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Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples

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Celebrate the flavors of fall with chicken cooked in a fast apple-cranberry sauce. If you prefer a less tart flavor, try dried cranberries instead of fresh. Serve with quick-cooking wild rice and roasted Brussels sprouts.

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Tilapia with Tomato-Olive Sauce

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Top tilapia fillets with a savory tomato-olive sauce that comes together in just 5 minutes. Look for tapenade near jarred olives in the supermarket. Serve with sautéed broccolini and farro tossed with toasted almonds.

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Seared Steak with Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Sauce

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It only takes one skillet to make this restaurant-worthy pan-seared steak recipe with creamy caramelized onion and blue cheese sauce.

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Pork Chops with Quick Rhubarb Sauce

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This grilled pork chop recipe features a savory rhubarb sauce that can cook in the microwave while you grill the pork chops.

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Curry Scallops & Cilantro Rice

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This recipe pairs curry-coated scallops and brown rice seasoned with cilantro, scallions and lemon. For this recipe you'll need 3 cups cooked brown rice. Serve with roasted carrots tossed with cumin and coriander.

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Moroccan-Style Stuffed Peppers

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Aromatic savory-and-sweet stuffed peppers are a satisfying supper, thanks to lean beef, brown rice and bell pepper in each bite. Serve with rainbow chard sautéed with olive oil, garlic and parsley.

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Green Couscous & Shrimp

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This quick dinner recipe of couscous, white beans and shrimp is flavored with a potent parsley-and-basil dressing.

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Leek & Lemon Linguine

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This simple pasta recipe has bold lemony flavor. It's nice with a salad for a light supper or serve it along with seared fish, shrimp or chicken. Vary it as you please--add a bit of crumbled goat cheese, chopped rinsed capers, shelled edamame or thin strips of yellow bell pepper.

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Smoky Maple-Mustard Salmon

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It doesn't get much easier--or more delicious--than this speedy recipe for roast salmon topped with a smoky maple-mustard sauce. The sweetness of the maple balances the tangy mustard; smoked paprika or ground chipotle adds another layer of flavor. Ask at the fish counter to have the salmon cut into four 4-ounce fillets with the skin removed. Serve with roasted green beans and whole-wheat couscous tossed with pecans and chives.

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Lentil Burgers

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Walnuts and fresh marjoram accent these vegan lentil burgers. Substitute oregano for marjoram if you like. Serve with a smear of whole-grain mustard and roasted sweet potato wedges.

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