We are all busy and need some easy weeknight dinners to have in our back pockets! Luckily, getting a healthy dinner on the table fast can be both easy and delicious! Here are some of our favorites, plus a recipe for delicious eggplant baked pasta!
Best easy weeknight dinners
I started transitioning my family to a whole food way of eating when I was a busy new mom who was working as a full time teacher. My husband was active duty military at the time and had a wacky, unpredictable work schedule and my commute each day was gnarly with thick Southern California traffic.
So, I didn’t have a lot of time or mental steam for fussy dinners.
Easy weeknight dinners saved my sanity. And even though my daughter is now a big kid, my husband works a predictable 9-5 schedule, and I have traded my commute and preschool classroom for my kitchen and this blog as my everyday job, easy healthy dinners are still my focus each night when making dinner.
Because who has time for fussy meals? Not me and cooking is literally part of my job.
What to look for in an easy and healthy weeknight dinner?
Veggie-loaded. Dinner is not complete in my book without a healthy serving of veggies, so every easy weeknight dinner I serve up (here and in my house) incorporates vegetables in an easy and delicious way.
Quick. And the quicker the better. Most people have 30 minutes or less to throw dinner together at the end of a busy day, so these easy weeknight dinners focus on helping you spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.
Made from simple, whole food ingredients. Things that are easy to find at most grocery stores. Ingredients that are nourishing and fueling. These easy weeknight dinners have a variety of protein, everything from beans, legumes to meats and seafood. So no matter what your family’s eating style, there is something to inspire you in the kitchen!
Kitchen tools handy for making healthy easy weeknight dinners
You don’t have to have fancy kitchen gear to make quick dinners for a weeknight, but there are a few kitchen tools that certainly help make everything come together a bit easier. Here are the kitchen tools and gadgets I use time and time again to get meals on the table in a flash.
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The BEST easy weeknight dinner recipes….
Skillet Weeknight Dinner recipes
Sweet Potato Apple Sausage Skillet
Lentil Veggie Quesadillas
Chicken Piccata Stir-Fry
Teriyaki Broccoli Chickpea Stir Fry
Healthy Chicken & Veggie Teriyaki Stir Fry
Sheet Pan Weeknight Dinners
Sheet Pan Orange Tofu & Veggies
20-Minute Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
Sheet Pan Veggie Fajitas
One-Sheet Roasted Garlic Salmon Broccoli
Sheet Pan Greek Chicken And Veggies
One-Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken & Summer Veggies
Weeknight Pasta Recipes
Creamy Broccoli Pasta (20 Minutes!)
Baked Pasta with Eggplant
Mushroom Lentil Pasta
Spinach Chickpea Baked Feta Pasta
One-Pot Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta
Quick & Easy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Instant Pot Weeknight Dinner Recipes
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Veggie-Loaded Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili
Slow Cooker + Instant Pot Butternut Squash Chicken Curry
Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes: Baked Pasta with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound pasta
- 24 ounces pasta sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded optional. Omit for dairy-free
- 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- In a casserole pan, combine chopped eggplant, onions and garlic. Drizzle the oil over the top of the veggies and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat.
- Place veggies in the preheated oven a roast for 30 minutes.
- While the veggies roast, cook pasta according to directions. Once it is done cooking, drain water and set pasta aside.
- When veggies are done roasting, add the cooked pasta, chopped spinach, and sauce to the casserole pan. Toss to coat and smooth out into an even layer. Sprinkle with cheese and put back into the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Enjoy warm.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
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