18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (2024)

Table of Contents

Chicken Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Sheet-Pan Chili-Lime Salmon with Potatoes & Peppers Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale 30-Minute Roasted Salmon Tacos with Corn & Pepper Salsa Pasta, Tuna & Roasted Pepper Salad Salmon Power Bowl Lemon-Garlic Steak & Green Beans Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon Italian Penne with Tuna Gochujang-Glazed Salmon with Garlic Spinach Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon and Fennel Grilled Salmon & Vegetables with Charred Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette Classic Niçoise Salad Balsamic-Glazed Salmon 3-Ingredient Farro Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp 3-Ingredient Chicken Tabbouleh Bowls Spicy Shrimp, Vegetable & Couscous Bowls

Make these filling, heart-healthy dinner recipes in just 30 minutes or less. With low counts of saturated fat and no more than 600 mg of sodium per serving, these dishes are delicious ways to support your heart health that align with the American Heart Association's guidelines. Plus, each serving packs at least 15 grams of protein to help you feel full and satisfied as you close out your day. Try our Chicken Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes or Salmon Power Bowl for a flavorful and nutritious meal you can enjoy any night of the week.

01of 18

Chicken Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (1)

Use convenience ingredients, like cooked chicken (leftover or purchased) and store-bought curry sauce to whip up these easy loaded baked potatoes. We call for cauliflower in this recipe, but feel free to sub in whatever veggies you have on hand for a quick and easy dinner. You can also swap the sweet potatoes for russets.

02of 18

Sheet-Pan Chili-Lime Salmon with Potatoes & Peppers

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (2)

Busy weeknights beg for something simple like this salmon sheet-pan dinner. Like the name suggests, it's all cooked on one pan. The potatoes get a head start, followed by sweet bell peppers and finally chili-coated salmon fillets. It's a complete meal with easy cleanup!

03of 18

Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (3)

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

04of 18

30-Minute Roasted Salmon Tacos with Corn & Pepper Salsa

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (4)

A honey-and-chipotle glaze gives this roasted salmon a sweet and spicy kick. If you have time, consider grilling or broiling the corn for a few minutes for additional flavor. Short on time? Thawed frozen corn can be used in place of fresh.

05of 18

Pasta, Tuna & Roasted Pepper Salad

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (5)

The secret to this delicious pasta salad is a creamy low-fat dressing made with bottled roasted red peppers. If you have cooked chicken on hand, you can substitute it for the tuna.

06of 18

Salmon Power Bowl

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (6)

Crush your day with this salmon power bowl! Here, you'll get protein and a healthy dose of omega-3s from salmon, antioxidants from shredded cabbage, and plenty of fiber from farro. Cumin and coriander flavor the salmon, while a fresh herb dressing coats the veggies.

07of 18

Lemon-Garlic Steak & Green Beans

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (7)

For a steak that's deliciously tender, flavorful and not too fatty, we reach for strip (also known as New York strip or shell steak). It has less than half the saturated fat of a rib-eye but is more tender than leaner sirloin. Here, we cook green beans in the same pan used to sear the spiced steak. All those delicious drippings add richness to the beans—plus there's one less pan to wash!

08of 18

Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (8)

Wondering what to do with leftover salmon? This is a delicious and easy way to turn it into another weeknight-friendly, quick dinner. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water—its starch thickens the lemon-garlic pasta sauce and makes it silky-smooth.

09of 18

Italian Penne with Tuna

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (9)

Need a quick pasta dish that's flavorful and colorful? This penne pasta dinner-for-two combines leeks, baby spinach, tuna and sun-dried tomatoes--and it's ready in just 20 minutes!

10of 18

Gochujang-Glazed Salmon with Garlic Spinach

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (10)

Gochujang, a Korean red chile paste, and honey give this salmon a little bit of sweetness and a whole lot of spice.

11of 18

Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon and Fennel

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (11)

This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.

12of 18

Grilled Salmon & Vegetables with Charred Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (12)

This grilled salmon recipe paired with grilled vegetables and a charred lemon-garlic vinaigrette captures the flavor of summer with smoky flavor from the grill. Asparagus and zucchini are quick and easy to grill and pair nicely with the salmon.

13of 18

Classic Niçoise Salad

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (13)

This colorful platter salad with origins in the south of France makes a well-balanced and satisfying hot-weather meal. Coating the potatoes in dressing while they are still hot helps them absorb the flavors.

14of 18

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (14)

A quick and easy sweet-and-sour balsamic glaze spiked with maple syrup and Dijon brings these flaky salmon fillets to life. Parsley or cilantro provides a fresh contrast, rounding out this healthy, tangy dish.

15of 18

3-Ingredient Farro Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (15)

To make this hearty grain bowl, grab a salad kit from the grocery store. Then, top the kit with farro and chicken for a high-protein lunch or dinner that's ready in minutes.

16of 18

Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (16)

This fried rice variation uses riced cauliflower instead of traditional rice to lower the calories and carbs. You can adjust the amount of chile-garlic sauce according to taste.

17of 18

3-Ingredient Chicken Tabbouleh Bowls

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (17)

This almost-instant grain bowl makes the most of the prepared-foods section at your grocery store. Toss together a ready-made salad with proteins for a healthy, quick dinner.

18of 18

Spicy Shrimp, Vegetable & Couscous Bowls

View Recipe

18 Heart-Healthy, High-Protein Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less (18)

We like the chewy bite and large size of pearl couscous (sometimes labeled Israeli couscous) for the base of these bowls.