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As we age, our bodies will require different nutritients to help keep us feeling our best. Essential nutrients like fiber, protein, calcium and vitamin D can support healthy aging by aiding with healthy digestion, bone health and muscle maintenance. Luckily, these delicious dinners feature high amounts of those nutrients, making them a great option to support longevity. Not only are these dishes highly rated by EatingWell readers, they also take no more than 30 minutes to make so they’re perfect for busy evenings. Try options like our flavorful Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and our cozy 20-Minute White Bean Soup for an easy and nourishing meal.
Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw
Greg DuPree
Tajín, a Mexican chile-lime seasoning, adds a spicy and acidic punch to sweet and mild shrimp. Opt for a low-sodium chile-lime seasoning, or improvise by combining chili powder, a little lime zest and a healthy squeeze of lime juice.
20-Minute White Bean Soup
Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
This fiber-rich soup is an easy, healthy dinner when you’re pressed for time. This brothy soup is finished with a bit of heavy cream for body and richness, while frozen sweet potatoes and collard greens keep the prep to a minimum.
Spicy Chili Oil Noodles with Zucchini & Carrots
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
Making your own chili oil is more time-intensive than using store-bought, but it’s worth it for the fresh flavors in this dish. The goal here is to infuse the oil with tons of aromatics like bay leaves, star anise, peppercorns and chili flakes to create a spicy base for the sauce. Spiralized zucchini and carrot add crunch, color and nutrients to the dish.
Grilled Zucchini & Halloumi Pitas
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This grilled halloumi pita is stuffed with tender-crisp zucchini, fresh tomatoes and smoky halloumi cheese. You can prepare this sandwich inside using a grill pan, or outside using a gas grill. You can grill halloumi cheese just like you would any other protein (it doesn’t melt); letting it cook undisturbed makes it release from the grill pan easily.
Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta
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!”
Polenta Pizza with Mushrooms & Arugula Salad
This healthy homemade pizza for two is small enough that it can be made in the toaster oven, if your toaster oven has a “broil” function.
Balsamic Chicken with Pasta and Zucchini Noodles
Packed with plenty of vegetables and tons of flavor, this chicken dish is inspired by the ingredients in a caprese salad.
Buttermilk Fried Tofu with Smoky Collard Greens
Dipping tofu in buttermilk makes the coating stick for a crispy pan-fried tofu, reminiscent of fried chicken. Spicing up the collards with paprika coats them with smoky flavor while keeping this dish vegetarian. And this quick, easy and healthy dinner comes together in just 25 minutes, so it’s great for busy weeknights.
Walnut Pesto Pasta Salad
This cold pesto pasta salad will cool you off on a summer day. Fresh tomatoes and roasted red peppers add a pop of bright color and juiciness here, but any of your favorite pasta-salad veggies, like blanched broccoli and fresh bell peppers, would be delicious too.
Chicken Hummus Bowls
The spiced chicken atop these bowls is ready fast with the help of the broiler. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita for scooping up extra hummus at the bottom of the bowl.
Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad
Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules on meat cookery, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.
Salmon with Chopped Tomatillo Salad
We made this chopped salad with pico de gallo in mind. Tangy tomatillos add fresh crunch to the classic mixture of tomatoes, cilantro and onion to brighten up this broiled salmon recipe.
Polenta Bowls with Roasted Vegetables & Fried Eggs
You really can’t beat creamy polenta with a fried egg on top–unless you add some roasted veggies, as we’ve done in this hearty and healthy meal in a bowl. Feel free to swap (or add) in other veggies, such as broccoli, to customize your bowls according to what’s in season or what you have on hand.
Grilled Peach & Brie Smothered Chicken
This super-fast and healthy smothered chicken features the creamy taste of brie that pairs nicely with the juicy sweet peaches.
Ricotta-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Arugula Salad
This easy vegetarian meal gets a double hit of umami from mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Grill some crusty bread, then rub it with garlic and drizzle it with olive oil to serve alongside these stuffed portobello mushrooms.
Crispy Cod with Charred Snow Peas & Creamy Herb Sauce
This crispy cod recipe shows you how to make golden fish that’s not deep-fried, to put a healthy twist on a classic. Pat it dry and dredge it with a bit of flour before sautéing in a hot pan.
Peanut Zucchini Noodle Salad with Chicken
You’ll end up with more peanut sauce than you need in this zucchini noodle recipe, and that’s a good thing! It makes a great dip or stir-fry sauce.
Linguine with Lemon Alfredo Shrimp
This bright and lemony shrimp pasta dish was inspired by traditional Alfredo but comes in at only a fraction of the fat and calories. Reduced-fat cream cheese adds body to the sauce, while Parmesan cheese adds its signature robust flavor.
Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper-Pecan Romesco Sauce
Many variations of the Catalonian roasted tomato sauce, romesco sauce, add roasted red peppers for a little sweetness. Here, we scorch the peppers and tomato on the grill alongside the chicken to keep things simple.
Strawberry-Balsamic Spinach Salad with Chicken
A quick blender vinaigrette does double duty as dressing for this strawberry spinach salad and, with the addition of ketchup and strawberry preserves, as a barbecue sauce for the tenders.