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

Cinnamon-Roll Overnight Oats

Rating: 4 stars 20
It takes just minutes to assemble this healthy no-cook breakfast, and you'll have meal-prepped grab-and-go breakfasts on hand for the rest of the week. Top these delicious vegan oats—inspired by classic cinnamon bun flavors—with fresh or frozen fruit and your favorite nuts and seeds.
By Carolyn Casner

Salmon Rice Bowl

Rating: 5 stars 4
Inspired by the viral TikTok trend, this salmon rice bowl makes for a tasty lunch or dinner. With healthy ingredients like instant brown rice, salmon and veggies, you'll have a flavorful meal in just 25 minutes.
Mila Clarke
By Mila Clarke

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Rating: 3.5 stars 16
This one-pan chicken and broccoli casserole is prepared in a skillet on the stovetop, then finished in the oven until it's browned, cheesy and bubbling. Serve with a crunchy green salad.
By Robin Bashinsky

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Rating: 4.5 stars 22
Like stuffed cabbage? You'll love this easy cabbage soup. It's got all of the classic flavors of stuffed cabbage without all the fuss of stuffing.
By Karen Rankin

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Rating: 4.5 stars 14
This casserole has all the elements of cabbage rolls—ground beef, onion and rice cooked in tomato sauce—and skips the fuss of rolling. The cabbage is chopped instead and layered with the saucy filling, then topped with cheese, for a satisfying and easy casserole. Feel free to substitute other ground meats, such as turkey, for the ground beef—this recipe would also be great with a vegetarian meat substitute.
By Carolyn Casner

Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Rating: 4.5 stars 17
Quinoa and chickpeas pack this vegetarian grain bowl with plenty of plant-based protein. Whip up a batch of these flavorful grain bowls and pack them in lidded containers to stash in the fridge for easy, healthy grab-and-go lunches all week long.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

Rating: 4.5 stars 7
This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.
By Carolyn A Hodges, RD

Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

Rating: 4 stars 13
This black bean and quinoa bowl has many of the usual hallmarks of a taco salad, minus the fried bowl. We've loaded it up with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and avocado plus an easy hummus dressing to drizzle on top.
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls

Rating: 4.5 stars 18
These shrimp, pesto and quinoa bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry

Rating: 5 stars 13
To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Spinach, Feta & Rice Casserole

Rating: 4 stars 12
This one-pan recipe is the casserole version of spanakopita! It's hearty enough to enjoy as a vegetarian lunch or dinner, yet versatile enough to serve alongside just about any protein. To make it extra creamy, top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.
By Carolyn Casner

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Rating: 4.5 stars 5
This pumpkin baked oatmeal is warm and comforting with the combination of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. The pecans add toasty flavor to this easy breakfast dish that's perfect for guests. Serve with yogurt for creaminess and maple syrup for added sweetness.
Olivia Dansky headshot
By Liv Dansky
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Inspiration and Ideas

21 Healthy Rice Bowls That Are High in Protein
With black, brown, wild or cauliflower rice as a tasty, filling base, we pile these bowls high with all of your favorite veggies, beans, fish, meat and herbs to create delicious flavor combinations that you'll love.
18 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.
Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole
Rating: 4 stars 9

This broccoli-quinoa casserole makes a hearty vegetarian main dish. As the quinoa absorbs water and cooks, it creates the perfect amount of steam for cooking the broccoli. The broccoli is crisp-tender and adds texture to contrast with the creamy, cheesy quinoa. Swap in tricolor quinoa, if you prefer.