Healthy Recipes Cooking Methods Quick & Easy Quick & Easy Dinner 30 Days of Dinners Ready in Three Steps or Less By Eleanor Chalstrom Eleanor Chalstrom Eleanor is EatingWell's editorial apprentice. She attends Iowa State University, where she is a junior studying journalism, political science and history. During her time at college, she has worked as an editor and reporter at the campus newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, where she wrote about culture and lifestyle. She is an editorial director at TREND Magazine, an on-campus fashion publication. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 4, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Carolyn Hodges When you're pressed for time, these dinners are easier than ever for busy nights. Each of these recipes comes together in three steps or less, so you can get a meal on the table with ease. Delicious recipes like our Sheet-Pan Sausage & Peppers and 3-Ingredient One-Pot Lemon Pasta with Rotisserie Chicken will make dinners this month flavorful and low-effort. 01 of 30 Quinoa Avocado Salad with Buttermilk Dressing View Recipe Persimmons add sweetness to this healthy avocado salad. Crispy fried quinoa adds unexpected crunch, putting the salad over the top in the best way. 02 of 30 Garlic-Anchovy Pasta with Broccolini View Recipe Jacob Fox Here, we sprinkle the final pasta dish with crumbled goat cheese for nice tangy bites throughout. But if you prefer a creamy sauce, stir the cheese into the pasta in Step 3 along with the reserved cooking water. 03 of 30 Lemon Shrimp & Orzo Salad View Recipe Consider making a double batch of this easy pasta salad--it's delicious the next day. The orzo will absorb the dressing as it sits, so add a little more olive oil and lemon juice if you'd like. 04 of 30 Sheet-Pan Sausage & Peppers View Recipe This easy meal is bound to become a regular in your dinner rotation. It's super simple, comes together quickly and requires just one pan. 05 of 30 One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli View Recipe Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Greg Luna Shrimp and broccoli cook quickly in this easy, one-pot recipe, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Serve this healthy shrimp recipe over whole grains or rice. 06 of 30 3-Ingredient One-Pot Lemon Pasta with Rotisserie Chicken View Recipe Carolyn Hodges This satisfying one-pot pasta cooks with just the right amount of water so you're left with perfectly cooked noodles and enough starchy liquid to act as a sauce. Stir in lemon juice and zest at the end for a bright finish. 07 of 30 Chopped Power Salad with Chicken View Recipe Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor. 08 of 30 Spinach, Lima Bean & Crispy Pancetta Pasta View Recipe We opt for fresh spinach pasta here--it cooks quickly and adds a pop of color. Cooking lima beans in pancetta drippings infuses them with flavor. 09 of 30 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. 10 of 30 Creamy Lemon-Basil Chicken View Recipe Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn This ultra-quick creamy lemon-basil chicken is bright and refreshing. Using whole lemon slices in the sauce gathers the essential oils from the rind plus the acidic punch from the flesh and adds more depth of flavor than juice and zest alone. 11 of 30 Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas View Recipe In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables. 12 of 30 Broccolini, Chicken Sausage & Orzo Skillet View Recipe 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. 13 of 30 Stir-Fried Green Beans with Steak & Peanuts View Recipe Fish sauce, a pungent Southeast Asian condiment, gives this easy stir-fry a flavor punch, but you can use reduced-sodium soy sauce instead. Add more or less crushed red pepper to adjust the heat. 14 of 30 Shrimp Paella View Recipe Jennifer Causey Paella is a Spanish seafood and rice dish, prized for the crispy bits of rice that come from letting the rice sizzle in the pan, and the deep yellow color from saffron. We cheat the color with less expensive ground turmeric and speed the process with precooked brown rice. Make sure to spread the rice mixture in an even layer so the bottom can crisp. The shrimp take less than 5 minutes to cook. Rinse well under cold running water until completely thawed, and then pat dry before adding to the pan. Serve with simply steamed asparagus to round out the meal. 15 of 30 Sheet-Pan Maple-Mustard Pork Chops & Carrots View Recipe You need just one pan for this satisfying weeknight dinner. A sweet and savory maple-mustard glaze livens up baked pork chops, while the carrots are jazzed up with flavor-boosting and anti-inflammatory garlic, ginger and turmeric. Rainbow carrots add colorful pizazz, but regular orange carrots are a just-as-tasty substitute. Pork dries out easily--using an instant-read thermometer ensures meat is cooked safely, but still moist. 16 of 30 Creamy Chicken-Tomato Skillet View Recipe Caitlin Bensel Yes! You can make chicken and rice in 20 minutes. When a craving for comfort food hits and you need it in a hurry, this fast take on chicken and rice hits the spot. Stirring chopped baby spinach into warm brown rice is a smart way to get more vegetables and jazz up an otherwise plain starchy side. Our pro tips for speedy cooking: Cut chicken into bite-size pieces so it cooks in just a few minutes, use precooked rice and heat it in the microwave, then use the hot rice to wilt the spinach for you while you finish the chicken. Fresh thyme, chopped basil, or parsley are all good stand-ins for the rosemary. Round out the meal with a glass of sauvignon blanc. 17 of 30 Chile-Lemon Shrimp Rolls View Recipe Johnny Autry Precooked shrimp gets these lobster-roll-inspired sandwiches on the table in a flash. The shrimp salad travels well—pack it up for a picnic with the buns and lettuce stored separately. 18 of 30 Steak, Pepper & Sugar Snap Stir Fry View Recipe Turn to this beef stir-fry recipe for a quick and easy dinner. The tender, spicy steak is cooked in the same wok or skillet as the crisp, colorful vegetables and smells divine as the dish is cooking. 19 of 30 Creamy One-Pot Orecchiette with Sausage & Peas View Recipe Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst This easy one-pot pasta recipe earns the title "creamy" thanks to the addition of sour cream and Parmesan, which combine to create a savory cheese sauce that clings to the orecchiette, peas and sausage. The best part about this recipe is that it only requires one vessel to cook everything—pasta included. By using the exact amount of liquid you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, adding even more creaminess. If you like spicy but not too spicy, use a mix of sweet and hot Italian sausages. 20 of 30 20-Minute Creamy Tomato Salmon Skillet View Recipe Jamie Vespa Salmon fillets cook quickly and are coated with a delicious creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This easy salmon dinner is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. The best news: you can get this meal on the table in 20 minutes flat. 21 of 30 Green Chile & Chicken Enchiladas View Recipe Photographer / Jen Causey, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Chelsea Zimmer Broiling peppers, tomatillos, onion and garlic heightens the flavor of the sauce in these green chile, chicken and bean enchiladas. Sour cream and melted cheese help to tame the spice. 22 of 30 Cheesy Tex-Mex Taco Stuffed Peppers View Recipe Tender, juicy bell peppers hold a Tex-Mex inspired filling of ground beef, taco seasoning and veggies finished with melted cheese on top in this easy stuffed peppers recipe. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with your favorite taco fixings. 23 of 30 One-Pot Coconut Milk Curry with Chickpeas View Recipe The assortment of vegetables in this vegan one-pot dish add varying textures and flavors to make each forkful exciting. The sweet potato balances the savory spices nicely. Serve this bright and flavorful curry with rice or rice noodles. 24 of 30 Salmon Burgers View Recipe Brie Goldman These salmon burgers feature labneh, a tangy spreadable yogurt. The labneh holds everything in place, while the capers, everything bagel seasoning, tomato and red onion combine with canned salmon and rye bread to give this burger a lox-and-bagel flavor. 25 of 30 Sheet-Pan Caprese Pizza View Recipe This light and flavorful caprese pizza is ready when the tomatoes are just heated through and the mozzarella cheese is slightly melted. If you want a little more on this pizza, it'd be delicious with a few slices of prosciutto. Chef tip: let your dough come up to room temperature before you stretch it--it'll make it much easier to work with. 26 of 30 20-Minute Creamy Chicken Skillet with Italian Seasoning View Recipe Jason Donnelly Chicken cutlets cook quickly and are highlighted with a creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. Serve it with whole-wheat pasta or rice to make it a meal. 27 of 30 Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole View Recipe Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee 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. 28 of 30 Sheet-Pan Shrimp Fried Rice View Recipe This sheet-pan shrimp fried rice recipe is a great way to use leftover rice, but you could also use pre-cooked microwave rice. Let it come to room temperature while you chop the veggies. Sambal, the spicy chile-based condiment popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and southern India, provides a kick. 29 of 30 Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta View Recipe In this quick 20-minute dinner recipe, tender penne pasta is combined with garlic, roasted red peppers and spinach and topped with crumbled feta cheese for a fast and easy Mediterranean-inspired meal. This recipe was graciously shared by EatingWell reader Dottie Carpenter, who states, "Recipes are no good if they're not shared!" 30 of 30 Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon View Recipe 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit