Healthy Recipes Cooking Methods Quick & Easy Quick & Easy Dinner 20 Easy Gut-Healthy Dinners That Are High in Protein By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 13, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. 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 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek Enjoying one of these delicious dinners is a great option for a healthy gut. They’re packed with probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and kimchi, in addition to prebiotic-rich foods like beans, legumes, whole grains and vegetables. These ingredients offer healthy bacteria and fiber to support your microbiome and digestive health. Plus, each serving of these dishes has at least 15 grams of protein, a nutrient that can help promote satiety, muscle recovery and bone health. It takes just three steps or less to have flavorful and satisfying recipes like our Best Veggie Enchiladas and Broccolini, Chicken Sausage & Orzo Skillet on the table. 01 of 20 Salmon Rice Bowl Ali Redmond 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. View Recipe 02 of 20 Broccolini, Chicken Sausage & Orzo Skillet We love this quick skillet meal for busy evenings. The sausage and orzo simmer together in chicken broth, resulting in a creamy, risotto-like dish in under 30 minutes. View Recipe 03 of 20 The Best Veggie Enchiladas Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek These veggie enchiladas are packed with sweet corn, onion, peppers, zucchini and beans and are coated with store-bought enchilada sauce to save time on prep. Enchilada sauce ranges from mild to hot. We like the earthy flavor of red enchilada sauce, but green enchilada sauce works well too. For a slightly different spin, substitute yellow squash for the zucchini and a poblano for the bell pepper. View Recipe 04 of 20 One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is lively and vibrant and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Toasting the orzo before adding the broth adds another layer of flavor. Another dark leafy green like chopped kale or Swiss chard can stand in for the spinach, but may take longer to wilt in the pan. If you use a sturdier green, add it to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. View Recipe 05 of 20 Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl Photography: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco 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. View Recipe 06 of 20 Salmon-Stuffed Avocados Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal. View Recipe 07 of 20 Vegan Shepherd's Pie Lentils take the place of ground meat and vegan butter adds creaminess to the mashed potatoes in this easy vegan shepherd's pie recipe. If you want to cut down on the cooking time, use precooked lentils and omit most of the vegetable broth, adding some in only if the mixture seems dry. View Recipe 08 of 20 Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one! View Recipe 09 of 20 Baked Feta & Tomato Chickpeas Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell This simple baked feta casserole recipe turns cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and chickpeas into a hearty, protein-rich vegetarian meal. After baking, it creates a savory-sweet tomato–olive oil sauce ideal for slathering on pita bread. Feta cheese in brine melts more readily compared to dry, crumbled feta, so it’s worth seeking out. For a different take, replace the chickpeas with creamy white beans. View Recipe 10 of 20 Creamy Mushroom & Tomato Farro Risotto Instead of arborio rice, this creamy grain dish features the bold nuttiness of farro, which pairs nicely with the black pepper and Parmesan. The cherry tomatoes add a nice touch of juicy sweetness, and the cremini mushrooms give a "meaty" feel to this vegetarian main dish. View Recipe 11 of 20 Chicken Parmesan & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Chicken Parm gets a fun low-carb and gluten-free twist with these cheesy stuffed peppers with chicken and quinoa. Serve with a salad for a healthy dinner that's easy to prep too. View Recipe 12 of 20 Harira (Moroccan Tomato, Lentil & Beef Soup) Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco Harira is a tomato-based soup featured at the center of many Moroccan tables during the month of Ramadan. It’s often enjoyed as part of iftar, or the meal served to break the fast each evening, along with dates, milk, hard-boiled eggs, semolina pancakes and chebakia (sesame cookies). This version features chickpeas, lentils, beef and noodles in a fragrant tomato broth, but there are endless variations on the soup. View Recipe 13 of 20 Brown Rice Shrimp Bowl with Tomatoes & Avocado This quick and easy bowl pairs brown rice with cooked shrimp, tossed in a ginger-soy-sesame sauce, to create a flavorful dish in no time. Topping with tomatoes and avocado adds color and nutrients. Use leftover brown rice or pick up a package of pre-cooked brown rice from the grocery store to keep this meal no-cook. View Recipe 14 of 20 One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired. View Recipe 15 of 20 Pesto Tuna Noodle Casserole Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl A creamy pesto sauce with sweet shallots and wilted spinach gives a light and bright spin to classic tuna noodle casserole. Albacore tuna is an ideal choice, as it holds its texture well once mixed in, although any water-packed tuna will do the job. For the best results, we recommend using refrigerated pesto for its fresh flavor which enhances the overall dish. View Recipe 16 of 20 Salmon Caesar Salad This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too. View Recipe 17 of 20 Sheet-Pan Harissa Chicken & Vegetables This one-pan dinner gets a hit of flavorful heat from harissa, the popular North African chile-and-garlic paste. We use harissa paste from a tube for this recipe. It's got a concentrated chile flavor that makes an excellent spice rub for chicken and adds a subtle punch of heat to a refreshing herbed yogurt sauce. View Recipe 18 of 20 Whole-Wheat Orzo & Tuna Salad with Broccoli This pasta- and tuna-salad mashup gets a boost of color and texture from broccoli. Plenty of Kalamata olives add a briny bite. Be sure to monitor the pasta-cooking carefully, as orzo can go from al dente to mush in a minute. If in doubt, drain it a little early--it'll soften further in the lemon dressing. View Recipe 19 of 20 Yogurt-Curry Marinated Chicken Thighs This healthy chicken thigh recipe is tender and packed with flavor, thanks to a yogurt-based marinade. The healthy yogurt marinade recipe also works well with pork, shrimp, firm fish or tofu. (Divide the recipe in half if marinating 1 pound of chicken thighs.) View Recipe 20 of 20 Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables Toss a garlicky, Middle Eastern-inspired yogurt sauce with pasta, shrimp, asparagus, peas and red bell pepper for a fresh, satisfying summer meal. Serve with: Slices of cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. 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