Healthy Grain Main Dish Recipes

Find healthy, delicious grain recipes including quinoa, rice, couscous and bulgur. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

Rating: Unrated
7
This healthy vegetarian quiche recipe is as simple as it gets. It's a quiche without the fussy crust! It's filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Enjoy it for breakfast or brunch, or serve it with a light salad for lunch.
By Julia Levy

Middle Eastern Chicken & Chickpea Stew

Rating: Unrated
21
This quick, protein-rich chicken stew recipe gets great flavor from cumin, lemon juice and garlic. Make a double batch and freeze it for a quick healthy dinner. Serve the stew with couscous and steamed broccoli.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Rating: Unrated
24
Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Orzo

Rating: Unrated
16
Perk up basic chicken breast and whole-wheat orzo with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean, like lemon and olives. This load-and-go recipe makes a complete and satisfying meal; just add a green salad.
By Carolyn Casner

25-Minute Chicken & Veggie Enchiladas

Rating: Unrated
2
These chicken enchiladas are great for using up any veggies you have lingering in your fridge. Our chicken enchilada recipe calls for zucchini, squash and onion, but you could easily swap in spinach, onions or potatoes.
By Cooking Light

Skillet Ravioli Lasagna

Rating: Unrated
2
This easy inside-out ravioli lasagna is the ultimate weeknight comfort food--no layering or mixing bowls required. Feel free to swap in ground turkey for the beef. Look for fresh mozzarella balls (also called "pearls") in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale

Rating: Unrated
7
This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup.
By Carolyn Casner

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

Rating: Unrated
3
In this easy and healthy dinner recipe, sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thighs come with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken. The honey-soy-garlic marinade for the chicken does double duty as an irresistible sauce to drizzle over everything. Lining your baking sheet with foil will protect your pan from the sticky honey-soy-garlic sauce, so cleanup will be a breeze too. If you can't find small carrots, cut medium carrots in half lengthwise.
By Sarah Epperson

20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Rating: Unrated
5
Serve these quick chicken cutlets with creamy pesto sauce over your favorite pasta or zucchini noodles. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.
By Carolyn Casner

American Goulash

Rating: Unrated
7
American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup

Rating: Unrated
21
A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories--plus it's an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious skinny vegetable soup.
By Hilary Meyer

Mediterranean Chickpea Quinoa Bowl

Rating: Unrated
10
Quinoa and chickpeas pack this vegetarian grain bowl with plenty of plant-based protein. Whip up a batch of these Mediterranean meals and pack in containers with lids to stash in the fridge for easy, healthy grab & go lunches all week long.
By Carolyn Casner

Inspiration and Ideas

27 Healthy Vegetarian Bowl Recipes You Can Make Ahead of Time

27 Healthy Vegetarian Bowl Recipes You Can Make Ahead of Time

These vegetarian bowl recipes are perfect for your weekly meal-prep. In one meal-prep session you can easily make enough servings to have for lunches throughout the week. These bowls are full of delicious veggies and hearty grains, and they get plenty of satiating protein from ingredients like tofu and beans. Recipes like Green Goddess Buddha Bowl and Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl are healthy, delicious and will keep you full throughout the day.
24 Healthy Chicken Bowl Recipes Perfect for Lunch

24 Healthy Chicken Bowl Recipes Perfect for Lunch

Make a healthy and well-rounded lunch with these chicken bowl recipes. These bowls are a delicious combination of chicken, fresh vegetables and grains like quinoa and rice. You could easily prep a week’s worth of lunches in no time. Recipes like Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl and Goddess Veggie Bowls with Chicken are flavorful, filling and a perfect choice for weekday lunches.
35 Healthy Recipes with Vegetable Noodles

35 Healthy Recipes with Vegetable Noodles

Best Healthy Shrimp Recipes

Best Healthy Shrimp Recipes

15 Easy Skillet Chicken Recipes That Are Ready in 30 Minutes or Less

15 Easy Skillet Chicken Recipes That Are Ready in 30 Minutes or Less

17 Low-Carb Chicken Dinners That Are on The Table in 30-Minutes or Less

17 Low-Carb Chicken Dinners That Are on The Table in 30-Minutes or Less

Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops

Rating: Unrated
5

These easy baked scallops have a delightful balance of crunchy, golden-brown topping and tender, sweet scallops. They feel decadent like scallops should, thanks to the tasty lemon-butter sauce. Look for uniform scallops; if they're particularly large, you might need to bake them for more than 10 minutes.

All Healthy Grain Main Dish Recipes

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Rating: Unrated
4
Mounding a classic Philly cheesesteak mixture in a colorful bell pepper and melting cheese on top is an easy way to skip the bread and cut the carbs.
By Carolyn Casner

Cornbread-Topped Chili Casserole

Rating: Unrated
4
In this healthy casserole recipe--sometimes called tamale pie--the cornbread gets crusty at the edges, thanks to a cast-iron skillet. For the best texture, use yellow cornmeal with a medium grind. Serve with lime wedges for a little extra tang.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Rating: Unrated
21
This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.
By Devon O'Brien

Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice

Rating: Unrated
2
Cut down on carbs and amp up your veggie servings with this healthy cauliflower fried rice with shrimp, broccoli, bell peppers and garlic. Everything is cooked in one wok or skillet, but in stages, so each element keeps its integrity in the finished dish instead of being all mushed together--it may seem fussy, but it's worth it and actually quite easy. Resist the urge to stir the cauliflower rice right away; letting it cook undisturbed for a few minutes allows it to brown and develop sweet, nutty flavors. This better-than-takeout healthy dinner comes together in just 25 minutes, so it's perfect for busy weeknights.
By Robin Bashinsky

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Rating: Unrated
7
This one-pan chicken-and-broccoli recipe comes out of the oven all browned, cheesy and bubbling like a casserole, but is really prepared more like a skillet meal on the stovetop. Serve with a crunchy green salad.
By Robin Bashinsky

Spanakopita Stuffed Peppers

Rating: Unrated
5
These stuffed bell peppers have a filling inspired by the Greek spinach pie, spanakopita, but you don't have to worry about working with phyllo, so they're great for an easy vegetarian dinner.
By Adam Dolge

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

Rating: Unrated
8
These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.
By Robin Bashinsky

Greek Burgers with Herb-Feta Sauce

Rating: Unrated
4
These healthy burgers get a Mediterranean twist with a yogurt sauce seasoned with oregano, lemon and feta cheese. If you can't find ground lamb, ask the butcher to grind some for you.
By Breana Killeen

Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry

Rating: Unrated
12
This comforting and creamy slow-cooker soup is loaded with earthy, umami flavor from the mushrooms and soy sauce.  Puréeing only some of the slow-cooker mushroom soup gives the dish complex texture and eye appeal. Garnish with additional black pepper and chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
By Cooking Light

Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers

Rating: Unrated
6
Slash the calories and carbs of traditional stuffed peppers by swapping white rice for cauliflower "rice." The riced cauliflower is hearty and won't turn to mush during baking. Use an assortment of red, yellow, orange and green peppers to make an appealing presentation.
By Carolyn Casner

Herb-Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Olives & Feta

Rating: Unrated
1
Roasting everything in one pan melds the flavors. The herby baked chicken absorbs the briny taste of the olives and the potatoes cook in the chicken drippings, making them extra savory.
By Joy Howard

One-Pan Chicken & Asparagus Bake

Rating: Unrated
4
In this chicken and asparagus recipe, we use one baking sheet to whip up dinner quickly, veggies included. Pounding the chicken thin helps it cook quickly alongside the carrots and potatoes, with asparagus rounding out the meal. This is one quick dinner recipe you'll be returning to again and again.
By Karen Rankin

Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza with Sausage & Kale

Rating: Unrated
1
A piping-hot cast-iron skillet turns pizza dough into a puffy, crisp-bottomed crust (similar to focaccia). If you have children, let them help make this easy pizza recipe: While you cook the sausage, have the kids tear up the kale--no knife required!
By Joy Howard

Spicy Noodles with Pork, Scallions & Bok Choy

Rating: Unrated
4
These spicy noodles are inspired by a Chinese dish called Ants Climbing a Tree, named for the way the small pieces of ground pork (the "ants") cling to the noodles (the "tree"). The twist in these healthy noodles comes from adding vegetables like scallions and bok choy.
By Breana Killeen

Baked Penne Florentine

Rating: Unrated
2
This comforting and flavorful vegetarian dish is packed with protein.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

EatingWell's Eggplant Parmesan

Rating: Unrated
21
Here we bake breaded eggplant for crispy results with fewer calories to boot. This makeover of the classic recipe was originally developed by our Test Kitchen in 1995 and got an update in 2020 for our 30th anniversary issue.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Charred Shrimp & Pesto Buddha Bowls

Rating: Unrated
8
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Air-Fryer Salmon Cakes

Rating: Unrated
2
These air-fried salmon patties are reminiscent of classic salmon croquettes, crispy on the outside and pillowy tender on the inside. Look for canned or jarred salmon that has less than 50 milligrams of sodium per serving, and don't be afraid of varieties that have bones. They're easy to remove.
By Adam Hickman

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Rating: Unrated
7
Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.
By Julia Levy

One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Rating: Unrated
17
This chicken Parmesan pasta uses the one-pot pasta method to cook your noodles, chicken and sauce all in one skillet for a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Finish the dish under the broiler to achieve a delicious melted cheese crust.
By Hilary Meyer

Lemon-Garlic Chicken Penne with Pesto and Spinach

Fresh pesto brilliantly compliments the lemon and garlic flavors of this juicy chicken dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Root Veggies & Greens over Spiced Lentils

Rating: Unrated
2
This earthy bowl of lentils bursting with Middle Eastern flavors is topped with leftover roasted root veggies from a large batch for an easy weeknight dinner. Keep it vegan or add a drizzle of plain yogurt for extra richness.
By Sylvia Fountaine

Hasselback Caprese Chicken

Rating: Unrated
11
Using the hasselback technique (cutting crosswise slits every half-inch along the chicken breast) cooks the chicken faster and ensures you get a burst of flavorful gooey filling with each bite. This quick one-pan high-protein and veggie-packed dinner is easy to make and the whole family will love it.
By Carolyn Casner

Cabbage Roll Chicken Enchiladas

Rating: Unrated
5
This 5-ingredient dinner recipe uses two genius hacks to make dinner healthy and get it on the table in under an hour. First, swap in cabbage leaves for tortillas to cut the carbs and get an extra serving of vegetables. Second, use prepared ingredients--spicy refried beans and enchilada sauce--to add tons of flavor without a long ingredient list.
By Joy Howard
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