20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (2024)

Clean-eating focuses on the whole foods on your plate while cutting back on the processed foods. These delicious clean-eating dinners are packed with vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and proteins. You can get dinner on the table in just 20 minutes with satisfying, nutritious recipes like Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon and Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara.

01of 20

Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (1)

Serve these saucy, ultra-quick chicken cutlets over your favorite pasta. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020

02of 20

Quick Shrimp Scampi

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (2)

Many scampi recipes involve cooking the shrimp with the other ingredients. You can do that here, too, but the benefit of cooking the shrimp separately is twofold: it's easier not to overcook them, and you can whisk in the butter to create a smooth, emulsified sauce. Serve as an appetizer or as a main course with rice, orzo or your favorite grain, spooning the garlicky sauce over everything. It's also great with crusty bread. Excerpted from The Dinner Plan by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion, published by ABRAMS © 2017. Source: The Dinner Plan

03of 20

Salmon & Avocado Poke Bowl

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (3)

Poke (pronounced poh-kay), the bite-size marinated fish salad famous in Hawaii, is so popular that it's sold by the pound in supermarkets. Now it has crossed the Pacific to become the meal-in-a-bowl du jour, served in eateries from Los Angeles to New York. But it's easy to make at home with this quick recipe. Sriracha and Chinese-style mustard add a touch of heat to the classic poke seasoning of soy sauce and sesame oil. Serving it over a brown rice salad makes it a meal. Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2017

04of 20

Chickpea Curry (Chhole)

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (4)

Made with convenient canned beans, this quick and healthy Indian recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. If you want an additional vegetable, stir in some roasted cauliflower florets. Serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan. Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2016

05of 20

Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

View Recipe

White Bean-Sage Cauliflower Gnocchi

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (6)

Turn lower-carb cauliflower gnocchi into a complete and satisfying meal with this riff on classic brown butter and sage gnocchi. We added beans to amp up the fiber and protein for a fast and healthy dinner. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2019

07of 20

Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (7)

Fresh pasta cooks up faster than dried, making it a must-have for fast weeknight dinners like this luscious yet healthy meal. Eggs are the base of the creamy sauce. They don't get fully cooked, so use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs if you prefer. Source: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2019

08of 20

Vegetarian Sushi Grain Bowl

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (8)

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. Source: EatingWell.com, May 2017

09of 20

Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (9)

Elevate frozen ravioli with sizzled garlic and shallots, shaved pecorino and fresh arugula. Serve with: Whole-grain baguette and a light-bodied red wine, such as pinot noir. Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2010

10of 20

Greek Summer-Squash Grilled Pizza

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (10)

Spreading roasted red pepper hummus on this easy grilled pizza makes a fast and easy base for tender summer squash and salty chunks of feta. Best of all? This healthy pizza is ready in 20 minutes. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2018

11of 20

Zucchini Noodle Primavera

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (11)

This primavera recipe cuts carbs by swapping out the pasta for zucchini "noodles." This quick vegetarian dinner is chock-full of colorful vegetables smothered in a light, creamy sauce. We like using prepackaged spiralized zucchini noodles to keep this recipe ultra-fast, but if you have a spiralizer and zucchini on hand, you can easily make your own. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020

12of 20

Toaster-Oven Quesadillas

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (12)

We love finding new ways to use our kitchen tools and appliances. These toaster-oven quesadillas with peppers and avocado are the perfect example of an unexpected toaster-oven hack we had to share. Source: EatingWell.com, August 2017

13of 20

Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (13)

With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keeping you feeling full and satisfied for hours. Source: EatingWell.com, November 2017

14of 20

Moroccan Lamb Chops with Tomato-Olive Relish

Having a few specialty ingredients in your pantry, such as the spice blend ras el hanout and oil-cured olives, is the fastest way to a deluxe dinner that's easy enough for weeknights and special enough for Saturday's dinner party. Round out the meal with steamed potatoes, simply dressed salad greens and a glass of white Côtes du Rhône. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2018

15of 20

Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (14)

These hearty vegan tacos are quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights. They are so tasty no one will miss the meat or dairy. Source: EatingWell.com, April 2017

16of 20

Fennel & Fontina Grilled Pizza

You can make healthy veggie-packed pizza in just 15 minutes with store-bought pizza dough, a few simple ingredients and a hot grill. Slice the fennel as thinly as possible--it'll caramelize and melt into the creamy, nutty fontina cheese. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2018

17of 20

Toaster-Oven Tostadas

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (15)

Would you believe us if we said you can have restaurant-style tostadas at home in just 15 minutes? It's no problem! Simply layer black beans and Cheddar onto corn tortillas and toast in the toaster oven. Source: EatingWell.com, October 2017

18of 20

Grilled Chicken with Cucumber-Radish Salsa

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (16)

Fresh salsa dresses up grilled chicken--or any other meat for that matter--in this healthy chicken dinner recipe. Want an island vibe? Swap mango for the cucumber and lime juice for the rice vinegar. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2017

19of 20

Elise's Sesame Noodles

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (17)

Whole-wheat pasta bolsters fiber and nutrients in this popular Asian noodle salad. The recipe is from Annelise Stuart of Germantown, New York. Source: EatingWell Magazine, Summer 2004

20of 20

Salmon Couscous Salad

View Recipe

20 Clean-Eating Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes (18)

This healthy and easy salad is designed to be made with precooked or leftover salmon. To quickly cook salmon, lightly brush with olive oil, then roast in a 450 degrees F oven until the fish is opaque and firm, 8 to 12 minutes. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine, Spring 2019