Special Diets Cholesterol 17 Whole-Grain Dinner Recipes to Help Lower Cholesterol 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 March 19, 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: Jennifer Causey Make one of these delicious meals for dinner tonight. In this collection, you’ll find lots of nutritious whole grains like farro, barley and brown rice, plus other satisfying foods like vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. These ingredients contribute at least 6 grams of fiber to every serving, and each recipe is made low in saturated fat to fit our healthy cholesterol nutrition parameters. Recipes like our Fish Taco Bowls with Green Cabbage Slaw and Quinoa Chili with Sweet Potatoes are nourishing, flavorful and great options to help meet your nutritional goals. 01 of 17 Vegetarian Sushi Grain Bowl Skip the hassle of making sushi rolls at home and just go for this grain bowl. Start with a base of brown rice and add veggies, dressing and creamy avocado for a delicious and easy meal. View Recipe 02 of 17 Fish Taco Bowls with Green Cabbage Slaw Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Fresh salsa verde, green cabbage and avocado all contribute to the vibrant green color of this light and bright fish taco bowl. We love the mild flavor and firm, meaty texture of halibut but any firm white fish like mahi mahi or tilapia will work well in its place. We garnish this flavorful taco bowl with cilantro, but if you want to take it a step further, try toppings like sprouts or watermelon radishes for even more bright green color. View Recipe 03 of 17 Quinoa Chili with Sweet Potatoes Jennifer Causey This hearty vegetarian quinoa chili with sweet potatoes has mild spice from poblanos and green chiles. Chili powder, cumin and garlic provide classic chili flavor. View Recipe 04 of 17 Spicy Tuna Wrap These tuna wraps were inspired by spicy tuna sushi rolls. We love how they taste with peppery watercress, but other greens, such as arugula, romaine, escarole or even radish sprouts, would taste great in the filling. If you want to play on the sushi inspiration, stir some wasabi into the soy sauce for dipping and serve with pickled ginger. Serve with sliced cucumbers and slivered red onions tossed with rice vinegar, a little oil and a pinch of salt. View Recipe 05 of 17 Lemony Lentil & Cauliflower Cup Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This bright lemony soup gets its boost of fiber and earthy, nutty flavor from ingredients like lentils and bulgur. Bulgur adds heartiness and a nice chewy texture, but you can swap it out for another cooked grain like brown rice or quinoa. Plus, the broth gets gentle heat from harissa paste. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water. View Recipe 06 of 17 One-Pot Chicken with Farro Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickeyt, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Inspired by arroz con pollo, this chicken and whole-grain dish is hearty with satisfying complexity. Cumin, saffron, and oregano season rich chicken thighs and nutty farro as the dish simmers. If using saffron, deploy it sparingly; those tiny threads bring subtle flavor and a little color to the dish, but too much will yield a medicinal taste. View Recipe 07 of 17 Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili This rib-sticking chili offers a hearty mix of wheat berries, beans, peppers and onion. Feel free to add an additional chipotle pepper to crank up the heat in this one-pot meal. Cooked wheat berries will keep for up to 1 month in your freezer and there's no need to thaw them; just stir them directly into the chili. View Recipe 08 of 17 Anti-Inflammatory Vegetable-Packed Grain Bowls Farro provides satisfying chew, while the raw shaved veggies soften slightly in the vinaigrette to become perfectly tender-crisp. To blanch the peas, cook in boiling water for 1 minute, then dunk in an ice bath for 1 minute to stop the cooking. A mandoline or vegetable peeler makes quick work of thinly slicing vegetables. Beets contain a phytochemical called betalains, which can help fight inflammation in the body. View Recipe 09 of 17 Spinach & Fried Egg Grain Bowls Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Wheat berries, a nutty-tasting whole grain with a pleasantly chewy texture, are the base of this hearty breakfast bowl recipe. The fiber-rich grain freezes very well, so cook up a batch to stash away for salads, bowls and more. Topped with spinach, peanuts and an egg, these bowls make for a satisfying breakfast. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper for extra heat. View Recipe 10 of 17 The Best Vegan Burgers Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely These nutty vegan burgers are held together by a combination of oats and flaxseed meal. When mixed with water, flaxseeds swell, making a nutritious binding agent similar to traditional eggs. The patties soften as they cook in the skillet, so be careful flipping them—they will firm up again as they cool. Serve with chips, zucchini fries and your favorite vegan dipping sauce. View Recipe 11 of 17 Seared Tuna with Bulgur & Chickpea Salad This healthy tuna recipe combines fresh fish, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs and chickpeas. Cooking for two? Flake the two leftover tuna steaks and mix them into the remaining bulgur salad, then serve over lettuce for lunch the next day. View Recipe 12 of 17 Jerk-Spiced Salmon & Quinoa Bowl with Mango Vinaigrette Jacob Fox Chef Millie Peartree has been feeding the community in the Bronx, where she grew up, as a private chef, caterer and restaurant owner of Millie Peartree's Fish Fry & Soul Food for more than a decade. Her healthy-eating philosophy is all about making simple but flavorful protein-packed meals. Mango juice in the vinaigrette balances the spiced salmon and roasted vegetables on these grain bowls. View Recipe 13 of 17 Meal-Prep Vegan Lettuce Wraps For this healthy lunch idea, we swap the traditional warm filling with a cold plant-based bean salad loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the wrap from getting soggy. View Recipe 14 of 17 Jackfruit Barbacoa Burrito Bowls Jackfruit, a tropical fruit with a dense, chewy texture, is a blank canvas that takes on flavors well. In these vegan burrito bowls, the jackfruit is simmered in a warm and spicy chile sauce that's so good you'll never know you're eating a plant-based protein instead of pork or beef. View Recipe 15 of 17 Salmon & Sweet Potato Grain Bowls Dominic Perri Harissa adds Moroccan flavor to this healthy grain bowl recipe without needing a long list of ingredients. Just 5 ingredients is all you need to get dinner (or a packable lunch) on the table in under an hour! View Recipe 16 of 17 Kale & Chickpea Grain Bowls Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This veggie-heavy bowl is loaded with crunch and color, thanks to crispy carrots and chickpeas, fresh kale and a vibrant avocado dressing. It also delivers more than 50% of your daily dose of fiber, key for weight loss, energy and healthy digestion. Bulgur, also called cracked wheat, is a quick-cooking whole grain. These bowls would be excellent make-ahead lunches. Pack the avocado mixture separately, adding a little water to thin it as needed. View Recipe 17 of 17 Rainbow Grain Bowl with Cashew Sauce This vibrant bowl is packed with nutrients to keep you full for hours. Look for precooked lentils in the refrigerated section of the produce department. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit