Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinners Our Favorite Healthy, Quick-Fix Dinner Recipes for Stress-Free Weeknights By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas On any given weeknight, a healthy meal can help set the week and your family up for success. Sure, it can be tempting to order in pizza or rely upon trusty casseroles you have stored in the freezer—and by all means, do both!—but there really is nothing that compares to a home-cooked supper full of delicious, good-for-you ingredients. Most home cooks (who inevitably have a million other things going on) are in search of weeknight dinner recipes that are tasty, low-stress, quick to make, and nutritious. To that we say, bring it on. Eating to boost your health doesn't have to be boring, and these light quick-fix dinners prove it. From sheet pan stars like our reader-favorite Greek chicken and veggies to genius low-carb spins like our spicy spaghetti squash with shrimp, these lightened-up dinner recipes are sure to please the whole family. 01 of 22 Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots Healthy and hearty never tasted so good with this sheet pan dinner that gets sweet heat from honey, smoked paprika, and cayenne. 02 of 22 Pork Chops with Spring Onions, Farro, and Asparagus Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pork Chops with Spring Onions, Farro, and Asparagus For when you are looking for a healthier alternative for preparing bone-in pork chops than your grandmother's smothered-in-gravy recipe, this one has you covered. 03 of 22 Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp This recipe might convince you to ditch the starchy noodles for good in favor of squash, particularly when covered in a spicy tomato sauce and shrimp. 04 of 22 Sheet Pan Hanger Steak and Vegetables Victor Protasio Recipe: Sheet Pan Hanger Steak and Vegetables Your sheet pan makes it enticingly easy to throw together this steak dinner that switches the usual heavy potatoes for nutrient-dense sweet potatoes. 05 of 22 Chicken Parmesan Casserole Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Casserole When you're craving a lighter but equally satisfying version of Chicken Parmesan, trust in this similar casserole recipe that uses only a sprinkle of panko in lieu of pan-frying entire chicken filets. 06 of 22 Salmon with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa and Coconut Cauliflower Rice Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Salmon with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa and Coconut Cauliflower Rice You'll be blown away by this healthy dinner option that combines tropical flavors like coconut and pineapple with fresh cilantro and lime juice. Serving it with cauliflower rice instead of regular rice cuts down the carbs. 07 of 22 Baked Pork Tenderloin with Shaved Vegetable Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Baked Pork Tenderloin with Shaved Vegetable Salad You can't beat the simple perfection of this hearty pork tenderloin paired with lemony, Dijon-coated shaved vegetables. 08 of 22 Crispy-Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Crispy-Shrimp Salad with Avocado Dressing Don't let that crispiness fool you—this recipe only requires a small scoop of panko to make shrimp crunchy before topping the otherwise veggie-packed salad and finishing with a delicious avocado dressing. 09 of 22 Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Photographer: Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Instant Pot White Chicken Chili It's hard to believe this comforting chili requires only 10 minutes of hands-on time. For those who don't have an Instant Pot, try our classic White Chicken Chili. 10 of 22 Chicken-Mushroom Skillet Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Chicken-Mushroom Skillet We skipped the heavy cream in this recipe and relied upon a super savory mushroom skillet sauce. Serve with brown rice. 11 of 22 Steak-and-Bell Pepper Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Steak-and-Bell Pepper Salad Salads don't have to be boring, courtesy a recipe that tops off nutritious greens with well-seasoned grilled steak and bell peppers, as well as a generous (but optional) sprinkle of blue cheese. 12 of 22 Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Need we say more? Taco night just got even more delicious with tender pulled chicken slow-cooked in enchilada sauce. Tip: Opt for corn tortillas in lieu of flour ones. 13 of 22 Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables After tasting this quick weeknight meal, you'll be craving the tangy honey-mustard sauce and crunchy panko breadcrumb crust at least once a week. 14 of 22 Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon Substituting a potato for the usual half-and-half or heavy cream gives this rich, full-bodied cauliflower soup a velvety texture without adding more fat. 15 of 22 Seared Scallops with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce and Orzo Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Seared Scallops with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce and Orzo Go beyond your usual menu with these super tasty scallops that make great use of your garden tomatoes and basil during summertime. 16 of 22 Oven-Fried Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Oven-Fried Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans Make fried pork chops feel a little less heavy by crisping them up in the oven instead. This sheet pan meal is a cinch to make on any weeknight. 17 of 22 Collard Green Salad with Chicken, Bell Pepper, and Roasted Squash Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Collard Green Salad with Chicken, Bell Pepper, and Roasted Squash Turns out, you don't always have to cook down collards with ham hock to reap the tasty benefits. Say hello to your new favorite Southern-inspired salad. 18 of 22 Sheet Pan Greek Chicken with Roasted Potatoes Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos Recipe: Sheet Pan Greek Chicken with Roasted Potatoes We can never get enough sheet pan dinners on the roster, and this Greek-inspired recipe certainly makes the varsity squad. 19 of 22 Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Packed with tons of lemony flavor, this soup feels like a fresher, newer take on chicken noodle soup. 20 of 22 Sausage, Lentil, and Kale Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Sausage, Lentil, and Kale Soup This cozy soup won't leave you hungry, that's for sure. Lentils and kale provide so many nutrients and so much fiber, while sausage serves up major protein. 21 of 22 Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing For a cool, refreshing supper on a warm night, look no further than this classic Cobb salad with easy shrimp and a standout bacon-studded dressing. 22 of 22 Za'atar Chicken Kebabs Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Za'atar Chicken Kebabs Take your kebabs on a Mediterranean adventure with flavorful za'atar seasoning, squash, and eggplant. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit