30 Days of Healthy Whole Food Dinners (2024)

We all need a little healthy-eating boost sometimes. These whole food recipes highlight vegetables, fruits and whole grains, plus healthy proteins and fats. They'll also help you cut back on refined grains, added sugar, unhealthy fats and large amounts of salt.

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Chicken with Spinach & Tomato Orzo Salad

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Baked chicken breasts cook in the oven while you mix together a Mediterranean-inspired salad—packed with veggies, whole-wheat orzo and an easy homemade vinaigrette—for a weekend-worthy dinner on the table in under an hour. The leftovers from this healthy 400-calorie meal make a delicious packable lunch for the next day.

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Spicy Potato & Kale Soup

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Spicy sausage—in this case, chorizo—pairs beautifully with hearty greens. If you like, substitute collard or mustard greens for the kale. If you can't get chorizo, hot Italian sausage will also work in this soup.

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Salmon Souvlaki with Tzatziki & Green Beans

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This easy grilled salmon recipe is packed with flavor. Lemon, garlic and herbs make a simple, flavorful marinade for the healthy fish souvlaki. The yogurt-based tzatziki sauce and green beans complete this healthy dinner recipe that's as suited to entertaining as it is to family meals.

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Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Take taco night to a new level with sweet potato taco "shells." Tender sweet potatoes pair perfectly with spicy taco meat, creamy cheese and crisp lettuce. Let everyone customize their taco potato with their favorite toppings.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium in this healthy recipe for weight loss.

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Mushroom & Shrimp Quinoa Risotto

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Quinoa, the super-grain of Peru, has a creamy and supple texture that lends itself to recipes that are typically made with rice, like this risotto. It's high in protein and fiber, gluten-free and very filling. White quinoa is the most common variety, but you can also find red, black or multicolored quinoa—any variety works in this recipe. For a vegetarian version of this easy healthy recipe, double the mushrooms and skip the shrimp.

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Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables

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When you want pasta in no time, couscous is your best friend! The tiny pasta balls cook up in minutes and absorb all the water so you don't have to fuss with draining. Tossed with sautéed vegetables plus leftover chicken, it's a fast and tasty meal in a bowl that's perfect as an easy dinner recipe.

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Tomato, Feta & Spinach-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

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A mixture of tomatoes, spinach, feta, olives and fresh oregano gives portobellos a Mediterranean vibe in this healthy stuffed mushroom recipe. Serve these along with chicken, fish or tofu as a super-satisfying side dish, or add a hearty salad and make them the centerpiece of a vegetarian dinner.

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One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan

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This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body. If you avoid cheese made with rennet, look for vegetarian Parmesan cheese, which is made without it.

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Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

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Mounding a classic Philly cheesesteak mixture in a colorful bell pepper and melting cheese on top is a delicious way to eat fewer refined carbs.

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Hummus-Crusted Chicken

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Hummus goes from appetizer to main dish as a rich, tangy coating on chicken breasts. In the oven, the hummus coating caramelizes slightly, and the sprinkle of sesame seeds turns extra-crunchy and nutty. For leftovers, you could slice up the chicken and tuck it into a pita with crisp lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.

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Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

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In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! As part of a balanced diet, chowing down on six or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.

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Sheet-Pan Pork & Cherry Tomatoes

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Rutabaga is a root vegetable that tastes like cabbage and turnips had a baby. Start roasting it in the oven first while you prep the tomatoes and pork. As the tomatoes cook, they burst and create a delicious sauce to mix with the balsamic vinegar at the end.

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Rainbow Minestrone

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Squash, kale and bell peppers add color and nutrients to this vibrant, veggie-packed take on classic minestrone. Serve with grated Parmesan or a dollop of pesto for even more flavor.

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Baked Fish Tacos with Avocado

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Instead of deep-frying, the fish fillets in this quick-and-easy five-ingredient recipe are coated with a flavorful seasoning blend and baked. Several varieties of flaky white fish can be used for these tacos. When you go to the market to purchase fish, the best strategy is to be flexible and choose the variety that looks freshest that day.

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Pork Chops with Garlicky Broccoli

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A little Parmesan in the pork chops' crunchy coating makes it extra-flavorful. The broccoli is simple yet special—try it alongside just about anything you're cooking, but it pairs perfectly with the pork here for a satisfying, healthy dinner ready in just 30 minutes.

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Zucchini Lasagna Rolls

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Give lasagna rolls a healthy low-carb makeover with this easy recipe that subs in thinly sliced zucchini for lasagna noodles. Finish off this cheesy vegetarian casserole with a crispy breadcrumb topping made from almonds to keep it gluten-free.

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Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce

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This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.

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Chopped Salad with Chickpeas, Olives & Feta

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This quick and easy chopped salad is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean, including chickpeas, cucumber and feta. A garlicky oil and vinegar dressing brings everything together.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls

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Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked in the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make and the cleanup is easy too.

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Scallops with Radicchio-Apple Slaw

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The secret to getting a nice golden-brown sear on your scallops is to buy ones that are labeled dry. That means they haven't been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), a preservative that helps them retain water, which prevents them from browning well. Serve with roasted potatoes for a complete meal.

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Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

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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.

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Chicken & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt Sauce

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Cucumbers do double duty in this healthy Greek-inspired chicken pita recipe—they're grated to lend a refreshing flavor to the quick cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced to provide cool crunch tucked into the pita. Serve these sandwiches for a healthy dinner or light lunch.

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Coconut Curry Squash Soup with Spiced Seeds

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In this curried butternut squash soup, we leave the tender chunks of squash intact to give the soup texture. If you are starting with a whole squash, you can toast its seeds in place of the pepitas.

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Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Beans

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Loaded with roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, black beans, quinoa, feta and pepitas, this salad makes for a satisfying meatless meal. Not only does massaging the kale tenderize it, it also helps the greens absorb more of the bright dressing.

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Cheesy Spinach-&-Artichoke Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

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This spaghetti-squash-for-pasta swap slashes both carbs and calories by 75 percent for a delicious, creamy casserole you can feel good about eating. It's worth roasting the squash versus cooking it in the microwave if you have the time: The flavor gets sweeter and more intense.

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White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi

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Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe—providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K.

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Avocado & Kale Omelet

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Make this kale and avocado omelet for a satiating, high-protein breakfast. Fiber-rich kale will keep hunger at bay for longer in this healthy omelet recipe.

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Salmon & Quinoa Bowls with Green Beans, Olives & Feta

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This flavorful and easy salmon quinoa bowl is a meal that keeps on giving. Pack up any leftovers for a next-day lunch, or make the entire recipe ahead and pack it into individual serving containers for ready-to-go meals.

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Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Carbonara

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Carbonara, traditionally bathed in eggs, gets a vegan makeover using roasted and pureed butternut squash instead to make it ultra-creamy. A topping of ground almonds, garlic and sage gives it texture and an herby, savory flavor in place of the cheese and bacon.