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  5. 19 Comforting Dinners That Support Gut Health

19 Comforting Dinners That Support Gut Health

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Danielle DeAngelis Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD December 07, 2022
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
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Three-Bean Chili

These healthy and tasty dinners feel like a warm hug with each bite. And since they're packed with ingredients like miso, garlic, beans and legumes, they can help support your gut health and healthy digestion. Keeping your gut in tip top shape is a great way to support healthy immune function, making these dishes cozy options for flu season. Recipes like our Three-Bean Chili and Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens are comforting and nutritious choices for dinner tonight.

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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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Three-Bean Chili

Three-Bean Chili
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This rib-sticking bean chili is richly flavored with cumin, chili, paprika, oregano and an assortment of peppers. Use whatever beans you have in your pantry.

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Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta

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If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. 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.

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Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

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In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.

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Miso Soup Cup of Noodles with Shrimp & Green Tea Soba

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Green tea soba noodles, or cha soba, are buckwheat noodles made with powdered green tea, which imparts a subtle grassy note and pretty color. You can find them in Japanese markets or online. Regular buckwheat soba noodles work just as well in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar noodle soup.

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Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

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Think of this vegetarian enchilada casserole as a veggie-packed Mexican-inspired lasagna with corn tortillas standing in for the noodles! If your peppers are mild and you like heat, opt for spicy pico de gallo. This easy vegetarian dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium in this healthy recipe for weight loss.

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Baked Garlicky Salmon Balls

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Credit: Ali Redmond
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These garlic-forward salmon balls are tender and flavorful. Add them to a salad or grain bowl for a boost of protein. Or, serve them with your favorite starch and vegetables for a healthy dinner.

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Spinach & Artichoke-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Spinach & Artichoke-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
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Stuffed mushrooms and spinach-artichoke dip come together in this quick vegetarian recipe. Serve these cheesy stuffed mushrooms with a big salad for a satisfying and healthy dinner.

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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Credit: Photographer /Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall
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Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.

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Chhole (Chickpea Curry)

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Made with convenient canned beans, this quick and healthy Indian recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. If you want an additional vegetable, stir in some roasted cauliflower florets. Serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan.

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Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas
Credit: Greg DuPree
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A crisp, citrusy slaw contrasts nicely with the enchiladas' creamy squash filling.

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Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon

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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.

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Chicken Miso Curry

Chicken Miso Curry
Credit: Rick Poon
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Cookbook author and cooking teacher Sonoko Sakai has a passion for miso, the fermented bean paste that's a staple in Japan. Here, it adds depth of flavor to curried chicken and vegetables. If you make the curry roux ahead of time, you can add it to broth or water like bouillon.

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Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
Credit: Will Dickey
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Ground turkey and canned kidney beans combine in this easy slow-cooker turkey chili. A tomato base, plus cumin and garlic powder, supplies plenty of flavor, while jalapeño and chili powder bring on the heat.

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Cheesy Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet Casserole

Cheesy Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet Casserole
Credit: Rachel Marek
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This Southwestern-inspired one-skillet casserole is stuffed with quinoa and plenty of fresh vegetables. Sharp Cheddar cheese flavors the filling and adds a layer of ooey-gooey melted cheese on top.

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Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach

Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach
Credit: Marty Baldwin
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Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are coated in a garlic cream sauce, while spinach adds a boost of color and nutrition in this easy, one-skillet recipe. Serve over pasta or whole grains to soak up the delicious sauce.

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Spinach Ravioli with Artichokes & Olives

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Store-bought spinach ravioli and a handful of basic pantry items are all you need to get a healthy dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Ingredients like oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives and toasty pine nuts help to build big flavor fast. If you can't find frozen artichokes, swap in a 15-ounce can (just be sure to drain and rinse them well).

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Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes

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This healthy copycat recipe of the comfort food classic trades beans for some of the meat to bump up fiber by 7 grams. We also cut back on the sugar and ketchup in this Sloppy Joe recipe makeover to save you 12 grams of added sugar.

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    1 of 19 Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls
    2 of 19 Three-Bean Chili
    3 of 19 Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta
    4 of 19 Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens
    5 of 19 Miso Soup Cup of Noodles with Shrimp & Green Tea Soba
    6 of 19 Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
    7 of 19 Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew
    8 of 19 Baked Garlicky Salmon Balls
    9 of 19 Spinach & Artichoke-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
    10 of 19 Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
    11 of 19 Chhole (Chickpea Curry)
    12 of 19 Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas
    13 of 19 Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon
    14 of 19 Chicken Miso Curry
    15 of 19 Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
    16 of 19 Cheesy Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet Casserole
    17 of 19 Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach
    18 of 19 Spinach Ravioli with Artichokes & Olives
    19 of 19 Beef & Bean Sloppy Joes

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    19 Comforting Dinners That Support Gut Health
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