18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (2024)

Support your gut health with these tasty, high-protein dinners. These dishes are packed with fiber-rich ingredients like asparagus and beans as well as fermented ingredients like kimchi and tempeh that support digestion and a healthy gut. Plus, each recipe is packed with 15 or more grams of protein from foods like lean proteins and legumes to help you stay full and satisfied. In 30 minutes or less, you can enjoy flavor-packed and satiating recipes like our Salmon with Curried Yogurt & Cucumber Salad and our Dan Dan Noodles with Shrimp.

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Salmon with Curried Yogurt & Cucumber Salad

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (1)

Three ingredients you probably already have on hand--curry powder, yogurt and lemon juice--meld into a mouthwatering sauce that transforms simple grilled salmon. This healthy and easy dinner recipe comes together in just 20 minutes.

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Pad Thai

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (2)

This healthy pad thai recipe has less than half the calories and sodium of the traditional Thai-restaurant favorite. Look for dried wide rice noodles, sometimes called "Pad Thai noodles" or "straight-cut," in the Asian-food section at most supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Serve with sliced cucumbers with a rice vinegar and cilantro vinaigrette.

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Dan Dan Noodles with Shrimp

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (3)

Make these delicious, healthy dan dan noodles with a sesame-soy sauce, shrimp and peanuts in just 30 minutes. The Sichuan preserved vegetables add a bright pop of tangy, slightly fermented flavor. Look for them at an Asian market if you want the most authentic flavor or substitute kimchi.

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Salmon Rice Bowl

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (4)

Inspired by the viral TikTok trend, this salmon rice bowl makes for a tasty lunch or dinner. With healthy ingredients like instant brown rice, salmon and veggies, you'll have a flavorful meal in just 25 minutes.

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Sesame-Honey Tempeh & Quinoa Bowl

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (5)

Here we toss tempeh with a honey-sesame sauce and serve it over quinoa and shredded carrots for a satisfying vegetarian meal. Serve with sesame breadsticks.

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Broiled Salmon with Miso Glaze

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (6)

Versatile miso (fermented soybean paste) keeps for months in the refrigerator and adds instant flavor to soups, sauces, dips, marinades and salad dressings. In general, the lighter the miso, the milder and sweeter its flavor. Light miso is the key to the wonderful flavor of this salmon.

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Creamy Spinach Pasta

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (7)

This might be one of the creamiest light pasta dishes you've ever had! The mascarpone cheese adds a richness to the spinach pasta that's unexpected—especially in a healthy pasta recipe.

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Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (8)

Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying.

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One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (9)

This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. We opt for small shells in this recipe, but any other small pasta, like orecchiette, would work, too.

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Rosemary Roasted Salmon with Asparagus & Potatoes

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Yukon Golds are great here because they get crispy on the outside but completely creamy on the inside. A brush stroke or two of balsamic glaze provides a rich color and a sweet finish to the roasted salmon.

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Miso-Maple Salmon

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White miso paste packs an umami punch to this healthy salmon recipe. But being the mildest and sweetest variety of the gluten-free fermented paste, it won't overpower this dish. Use any leftover salmon (within 3 days) to make our Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon, Easy Scallion-Salmon Dip or Spicy Salmon Cakes (see Associated Recipes).

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Greek-Inspired Burgers with Herb-Feta Sauce

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (12)

These healthy burgers get a Mediterranean twist with a yogurt sauce seasoned with oregano, lemon and feta cheese. If you can't find ground lamb, ask the butcher to grind some for you.

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Polenta Bowls with Roasted Vegetables & Fried Eggs

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (13)

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. Serve these bowls for a satisfying brunch, lunch or dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes. 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.

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Sheet-Pan Shrimp & Asparagus

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (14)

This sheet-pan shrimp and asparagus is a complete meal all on one pan! The shrimp and asparagus cook perfectly together. Crushed red pepper adds a dash of heat while lime juice brightens the dish.

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One-Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus

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This healthy chicken pesto pasta recipe is easy to make thanks to convenience ingredients like rotisserie chicken and store-bought pesto. The addition of fresh asparagus brightens up the look and flavors of this easy one-pot dinner. Fresh basil, if you have it on hand, is a nice finishing touch.

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Chopped Salad with Chicken & Creamy Chipotle Dressing

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This chopped salad with chicken is smoky and zesty thanks to the creamy chipotle dressing. Cilantro adds a pop of freshness to each bite.

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Super Quick Low-Carb Shrimp Scampi

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (17)

This low-calorie and low-carb shrimp scampi feels like a restaurant dish, but it is actually very easy to make. There is just enough buttery sauce to coat the shrimp. The trick is to not over-reduce the sauce when cooking it. It's better to make it a little more saucy then dry. If you want to bulk up this entrée, you could add peas or thinly sliced carrots, or serve it over your favorite low-carb pasta substitute like spaghetti squash.

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Fast Chicken Chili

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18 30-Minute High-Protein, Gut-Healthy Dinner Recipes (18)

This quickie chili comes together in a flash, making it ideal for busy weeknights. Stirring mashed cannellini beans into the chili adds body. You could also use navy or pinto beans.