20-Minute Mains

August 08, 2017
Photo: Kelsey Hansen
Create vibrant, fresh main dishes with 20-minute dinner solutions everyone will love. Find it all here, from creamy soups and colorful salads to grilled meats and fast vegetarian options.
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Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups

A little sugar balances the vinegar tang in the turkey mixture and helps develop wonderful crispy bits in the pan. Delicate butter lettuce leaves have a nice cup shape for filling; you could also use romaine.

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Orange-Almond Chicken-and-Cabbage Bowls

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Orange-Almond Chicken-and-Cabbage Bowls

Make these low-calorie, no-cook bowls ahead for an easy lunch or dinner when time is tight. Change up the fruit, nut, or protein for whatever you have on hand.

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Steak Salad with Salsa Verde Vinaigrette

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Steak Salad with Salsa Verde Vinaigrette

Italian salsa verde, a classic red meat pairing, turns into a quick vinaigrette for this entrée salad. One 8-ounce sirloin steak, thinly sliced, is all you need.

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Black Bean and Mushroom Burgers

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Black Bean and Mushroom Burgers

The food processor brings these meatless patties together in a flash. Another bonus? A new Harvard study found that those who regularly ate a healthy plant-based diet (like this burger) significantly lowered their risk of heart disease. Ground flaxseed adds body to the burgers. This quick dinner is also a great way to work more meatless dishes into your week. Kids can help shape the patties, mix up the avocado spread, and build the sandwiches.

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Creamy Chicken Quesadillas

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Creamy Chicken Quesadillas

A creamy base helps the cheese go further and keeps the chicken moist. For a crisp exterior, coat the filled tortillas with cooking spray instead of coating the pan.

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Turmeric Lamb Chops with Crispy Potatoes and Broccoli

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Turmeric Lamb Chops with Crispy Potatoes and Broccoli

Lamb loin chops (shaped like mini T-bones) save about 11g sat fat per serving over rib or shoulder chops. You can also ask your butcher to cut "steaks" from a leg of lamb, also lean, or sub 2 (8-ounce) beef sirloin steaks.

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Tahini Chicken with Bok Choy and Mango Salad

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Tahini Chicken with Bok Choy and Mango Salad

Tahini and honey create a beautifully charred crust on grilled chicken thighs in seconds. Sliced baby bok adds plenty of crunch and a faintly nutty flavor to the slaw. You can use fresh naval orange sections in place of the mango.

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Quick Green Chicken Chili

Photo: Linda Pugliese
View Recipe: Quick Green Chicken Chili

The secret to a lightening-fast chili is to keep it simple, with starchy, creamy Great Northern beans as the main bean and canned green chiles (already broiled, skinned, and chopped) as your heat source. We blend half the beans to build body, leaving the rest whole for texture. Precooked rotisserie chicken also saves time, but you could use any leftover protein, such as chopped cooked pork tenderloin or cooked ground turkey. Top the chili with creamy sour cream and crunchy radishes, or try diced tomato, cilantro, or sliced jalapeños. Serve with multigrain tortilla chips.

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Skillet Red Beans and Rice

Photo: Linda Pugliese
View Recipe: Skillet Red Beans and Rice

Look for trinity blend (a mix of onion, bell pepper, and celery) with the prepared produce. Or make your own with 3/4 cup onion, 3/4 cup celery, and 1/2 cup bell pepper.

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Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice

This five-ingredient main is a great way to get more seafood into your weeknight rotation. Seek our shrimp that's free of sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), a common preservative that significantly boosts the sodium in your shrimp. Can't find riced cauliflower? Make your own by pulsing cauliflower florets in a food processor until crumbled. Easy!

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Five-Spice Chicken Breasts with Sesame-Orange Beans

Photo: Kelsey Hansen
View Recipe: Five-Spice Chicken Breasts with Sesame-Orange Beans

Five-spice powder packs some serious aromatic punch; it's all you need to season the chicken breasts here. You can sub broccoli florets or chopped kale for the green beans.

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