Healthy Recipes Recipes for Weight Loss & Diet Dinner Recipes for Weight Loss 20 Winter Dinners for Weight Loss in 20 Minutes By Leah Goggins Leah Goggins Instagram Website Leah Goggins is a digital fellow for EatingWell. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, she is a devotee of old movies, farmers' markets and Ina Garten's tomato sandwich with basil mayo recipe. Leah has a degree in news media and English from The University of Alabama. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 24, 2022 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio These simple dinners highlight delicious winter produce like sweet potatoes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale, so you can have a fresh and healthy dinner in just 20 minutes or less. Whether you're in the mood for a quick creamy pasta or a spicy skillet, there's a meal here for you. Recipes like our One-Pot Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Pasta and 3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Sausage are low in calories and high in fiber, so you can hit your nutritional goals and stay satisfied. 01 of 20 One-Pot Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Pasta View Recipe Victor Protasio This creamy chicken and mushroom pasta recipe makes for an easy weeknight dinner. Using store-bought rotisserie chicken saves time when cooking, and leftover chicken would work just as well. 02 of 20 White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi View Recipe Jacob Fox Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe— providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K. 03 of 20 3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Sausage View Recipe Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D. Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time. 04 of 20 Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Chickpeas View Recipe 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. 05 of 20 Spicy Shrimp, Vegetable & Couscous Bowls View Recipe Jacob Fox We like the chewy bite and large size of pearl couscous (sometimes labeled Israeli couscous) for the base of these bowls. 06 of 20 One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta View Recipe Jennifer Causey This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. We opt for small shells in this recipe, but any other small pasta, like orecchiette, would work, too. 07 of 20 3-Ingredient Farro Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken View Recipe Carolyn Hodges To make this hearty grain bowl, grab a salad kit from the grocery store. Then, top the kit with farro and chicken for a high-protein lunch or dinner that's ready in minutes. 08 of 20 Pantry Peanut Noodles View Recipe Jacob Fox Choose your own adventure with these noodles! They're delicious with peanut butter and tahini alike. Plus, you can use whatever frozen vegetables you have on hand and finish the dish off with any herbs still thriving in your garden or hanging out in your crisper. 09 of 20 Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta with Chicken View Recipe Jamie Vespa If you love warm spinach and artichoke dip, then you'll love that we turned this classic dip into a creamy pasta dish with chicken. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare. 10 of 20 3-Ingredient Tortellini with Sausage & Kale View Recipe Photo by: Carolyn Hodges, M.S., RDN Precooked chicken sausage is a handy shortcut ingredient because it heats up quickly and adds lots of flavor without a lot of fuss. A roasted garlic variety pairs perfectly with cheese tortellini and sautéed leafy greens. 11 of 20 Black Bean Fajita Skillet View Recipe You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping. 12 of 20 Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Soup with Chickpea Croutons View Recipe Bulk up boxed butternut squash soup with frozen cauliflower florets, then top off your bowl with crispy chickpea snacks for major crunch (look for them near the dried fruit and nuts at your grocery store). This impressively easy dinner comes together with just those three ingredients, not including salt, pepper and oil. Because prepared soups are typically higher in sodium, look for light or reduced-sodium versions of your favorites. 13 of 20 3-Ingredient Broccoli Mac & Cheese with Rotisserie Chicken View Recipe Carolyn Hodges Transform a box of macaroni and cheese for an easy weeknight dinner. Use frozen broccoli, steamed in the microwave, to cut down on prep time. Opt for chickpea-based macaroni and cheese for a boost of protein and fiber. 14 of 20 15-Minute White Bean, Kale & Kielbasa Soup View Recipe Brie Passano This quick soup recipe is done in only 15 minutes thanks to convenience products like frozen chopped onion and precooked kielbasa. You'll have a warming winter soup on the table in no time! 15 of 20 Lentil Curry with Cauliflower Rice View Recipe Combine precooked lentils (often located in the produce section of your grocery store) with an Indian-style simmer sauce for a super-fast and flavorful curry. Serving it over riced cauliflower bumps up the vegetable count and keeps carb servings in check. This 3-ingredient dinner (not counting salt, pepper and oil) is really as easy as it gets. To be mindful of the salt, look for simmer sauces with less than or close to 350 mg sodium per ¼-cup serving. 16 of 20 Sloppy Joe-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes View Recipe Take sloppy Joes to a new level with tender sweet potatoes standing in for the bun. Sweet potatoes pair perfectly with the tangy, flavorful filling of ground beef, black beans and spices. Chopped dill pickle sprinkled on top adds crunch to this quick weeknight dinner the whole family will love. 17 of 20 Black Bean-Cauliflower "Rice" Bowl View Recipe This aromatic cauliflower rice bowl comes together in minutes and is a simple meal for one. Using frozen riced cauliflower instead of rice keeps the carbs in check--and makes for quicker prep. 18 of 20 Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame View Recipe Bursting with nutrient-rich produce, this California-inspired salad is a delicious and satisfying way to get your vitamins. We love the unique combination of blueberries, edamame, and goat cheese. 19 of 20 Salmon & Avocado Poke Bowl View Recipe Poke (pronounced poh-kay), the bite-size marinated fish salad famous in Hawaii, is so popular that it's sold by the pound in supermarkets. Now it has crossed the Pacific to become the meal-in-a-bowl du jour, served in eateries from Los Angeles to New York. But it's easy to make at home with this quick recipe. Sriracha and Chinese-style mustard add a touch of heat to the classic poke seasoning of soy sauce and sesame oil. Serving it over a brown rice salad makes it a meal. 20 of 20 Grilled Chicken with Farro & Roasted Cauliflower View Recipe You can find farro in most grocery stores, near the rice. If you can't find farro, you can use wheat berries or brown rice instead; cook according to package directions. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit