Food

25 Essential Healthy Recipes That Are Also Great for Meal Prep

Having a bunch of go-to recipes makes life so much easier.

January 4, 2022

Image may contain Food Meal Plant Dish and Produce

Reality TV shows like Chopped have turned cooking into a competitive sport, but it doesn’t have to be quite so high stakes. Getting a handle on a few healthy recipes can go a long way. (There’s nothing wrong with takeout or delivery, but most of us can’t afford to outsource every single meal!) It also takes some of the guesswork out of weeknight meals, because it means you have several easy dinners to fall back on when you don’t feel like ordering in or getting creative.

The best part is that simple, healthy meals are often the easiest to throw together. Sometimes it’s a matter of combining a few easy staples—roasted chicken alongside some simple roasted vegetables, or a perfect hard-boiled egg atop a bowl of greens and grains. Other times, it means throwing a bunch of ingredients into a single cooking vessel and stepping away to let the magic happen, as in the case of healthy crockpot recipes.

Some people love day-long cooking projects—that’s awesome, and if you have friends like that, you should definitely get yourself invited to dinner every once in a while. But if you’re more of a bare-essentials type of cook, there’s zero shame in that. While not everyone has the patience for sourdough or the technical skills for pâté en croûte, most adults can perfect, say, a few healthy chicken recipes in several ways.

Whether your cooking skills are starting from zero or you’re just looking to simplify your kitchen routine, here are the essential, healthy recipes that you should add to your list.

First, though, a note about the word healthy here: We know that healthy is a complicated concept. Not only can it mean different things to different people, but it’s a word that’s pretty loaded (and sometimes fraught), thanks to the diet industry’s influence on the way we think about food. At SELF, when we talk about food being healthy, sure, we’re talking about foods that are nutritious, filling, and satisfying. But we’re also talking about foods that help you connect with your culture, promote joy, and simply taste delicious. Some of those foods might fall into conventional ideas of what “healthy” is. And some might not. We selected these recipes with all of that in mind while also trying to appeal to a wide variety of nutritional needs and taste buds.

Christine Byrne
1
A sheet of roasted vegetables
If you’re totally new to the kitchen, vegetables are a fantastic place to start. Technically, you don’t have to cook them at all, so you don’t need to worry about reaching safe internal temperatures or knowing the difference between medium-rare and medium-well. All you need to do is pile a bunch onto a sheet pan, coat them in the appropriate cooking oil (like, fittingly, vegetable oil), and roast them in an oven that’s anywhere from 350° to 450° for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. (Of course, feel free to search for more specific instructions based on what you’re roasting!)
Audrey Bruno
2
Perfect scrambled eggs that will impress anyone
It doesn’t take much to scramble an egg. Crack it into a bowl, season it with a little salt and pepper, beat it with a fork, pour it into a warm pan with some fat, and stir until the eggs are opaque but still a little creamy. That said, there are a few tricks to making sure that your eggs come out silky, not gummy, every time.
Recipe: Scrambled Eggs

Christine Byrne
3
Actually, perfect eggs every style
Because, again, they’re cheap, fast, and healthy—and you can throw an egg on pretty much anything. So here’s a tutorial for poaching an egg like a pro, a lesson in frittata-ing your life up, and a guide if you like ’em fried, and even more tips on making the best eggs ever.
Sommer Collier via A Spicy Perspective
4
Pasta with a basic meat sauce
When it comes to easy dinner ideas, pasta is hard to beat. You don’t necessarily need meat to round out a pasta dish (more on that in a moment), but combining meat sauce with al dente pasta is classic for a reason.
Recipe: Nana’s Best Meat Sauce With Spaghetti, Bon Appétit’s Best Bolognese, Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Danae Halliday via Recipe Runner
5
A meatless pasta that’s actually satisfying
Every vegetarian understands how frustrating it is to go to a restaurant that advertises meatless options, only to sit down and realize that the only choices are french fries, a side salad, or plain pasta. At home that never needs to be the case. There are so many ways to turn pasta into a flavorful and truly satisfying meal, with plenty of protein to boot.
Recipes: Creamy Lemon Goat Cheese Pasta, Spinach and Tomato Pasta With a Poached Egg, Cacio e Pepe
Alex Overhiser via A Couple Cooks
6
A baked pasta dish
Baked pasta takes a bit more time to put together, but the second you take that bubbling, cheesy dish out of the oven, you’ll be thankful for the few extra steps. There are many types of baked pastas out there, from lasagna to baked ziti to mac ’n’ cheese. We don’t play favorites, so take your pick.
Recipes: Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta, Mac ’n’ Cheese With Greens, Baked Ziti with Sausage

Alex Lau via Bon Appetit
7
A bare-bones overnight oatmeal recipe you can customize
Really, all you need to do to make overnight oats is mix oats with yogurt or liquid and leave everything in the fridge for at least six hours. Here’s a good base recipe:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup yogurt (dairy or nondairy)
1/2 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
Honey or maple syrup, to taste
From there, you can add whatever mix-ins you want: Spices, dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, and nut butter all work. One delicious option: Add the dried fruit before the oatmeal sits overnight so that the fruit plumps up a little, but leave everything else separate until you’re ready to eat.
Recipes: Overnight Oats With Banana, Maple Syrup, and Tahini, Peanut Butter Overnight Oats, Blueberry Lemon Overnight Oats
Christine Byrne via Instagram
8
Quick sautéed greens
Leafy green vegetables are incredibly versatile. There are endless simple recipes out there that call for spinach, kale, collards, and other leafy greens. When you’re sick of salad and it’s not the right time of day for a smoothie, the fastest way to cook greens is by sautéing them in a little garlic and olive oil with nothing else but salt and pepper.
Recipes: 5-Minute Sautéed Spinach With Garlic and Lemon, Shredded Brussels Sprout Sauté, Sautéed Garlic Broccoli Rabe

Alex Lau via Bon Appetit
9
A smoothie that will keep you full for hours
You don’t need to follow a recipe to make a smoothie. As long as you add enough liquid, pretty much any combination of fruits, vegetables, and other mix-ins will blend into something drinkable. That said, smoothie lovers know that not all blends actually taste good. One trick is to let your bananas get as ripe as possible—dark brown skin and very soft flesh—then peel, chop, and freeze them. When blended, they add sweet flavor, creaminess, and texture. Below are a few simple recipes to get you started, and here are some tips for making an actually filling smoothie that, yup, still tastes great.
Recipes: Banana Almond Smoothie, Blueberry Orange Smoothie, Oaxaca Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Alex Overhiser via A Couple Cooks
10
A basic vinaigrette
A classically trained French chef will tell you that the perfect vinaigrette is four parts oil, one part acid, plus flavor from salt, herbs, and other add-ins. But you get to decide these things for yourself based on your own preferences. If you’re using a very acidic liquid like lemon juice or super-strong add-ins like raw garlic, using more oil will keep the vinaigrette from tasting too abrasive. If you’re using a milder liquid, like orange juice or flavored vinegar, equal parts liquid and oil might taste best. For the smoothest, most emulsified (that’s when the oil and liquid totally combine, and there’s no separation or oil puddles throughout) vinaigrette, either add oil super slowly to the liquid while you whisk, or make the whole thing in a blender. If that’s too fussy, just combine everything in a jar or bottle, screw the lid on tight, and shake everything until it’s combined. Voilà!
Recipes: Basic Vinaigrette, Citrus-Shallot Dressing, Sesame Miso Vinaigrette

Christine Byrne
11
No-frills avocado toast
There’s no wrong way to make avocado toast, and when it comes to toppings, anything goes. But don’t get so distracted by the extras—a poached egg here, a sprinkle of za’atar there—that you overlook the basics. Make sure your avocado is perfectly ripe (which I know can be tough when they seem to go from rock-hard to totally rotten in a single day) and choose your favorite crusty bread. Drizzle everything with a little olive oil for extra luscious flavor, and always season with salt and pepper.
Recipes: Simple Avocado Toast, Hummus Avocado Toast, Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Toast
Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
12
A bowl of oatmeal
There are three kinds of oats you see in the supermarket. Steel-cut oats are oats in their most whole form. These take at least 30 minutes to cook, which means they’re best suited to slow-cooker oatmeal recipes, or weekend breakfasts when you have more time. They also have a chewier, denser texture and less volume than other types. Rolled oats have been pressed but not ground. These take about five minutes to cook on the stove, and they make an oatmeal that’s fluffy but still a little chewy. Instant oats are rolled oats that have been ground up a little. They cook in about a minute, and the result is a thick, soupy porridge without much texture.
If you eat lots of oatmeal already, you probably know which kind is your favorite. If not, you might as well stock up on all three and experiment with them in different recipes. Really, the key to a good bowl of oatmeal is the right mix of toppings and add-ins. It’s hard to go wrong with a handful of fruit and some nuts, but you can also try a few unexpected combos, like the recipes below.
Recipes: Pumpkin Pecan Egg White Oatmeal, Savory Oatmeal with Cheddar and Fried Egg, Egg White Oatmeal with Strawberries and Peanut Butter

Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
13
A chicken dinner you can make on a sheet pan
If you’re looking for healthy dinner recipes, you should bookmark every single one of the sheet-pan chicken dinners listed below. The trick to sheet-pan dinners is that you don’t have to add all the ingredients at once. Chicken takes a little while to cook, as do potatoes and winter squash, so always put them in the oven first. Nonstarchy vegetables will take 15 to 20 minutes to cook, and leafy greens will only take a few, so don’t add them to the sheet pan until your chicken and root veggies are about that far from being done.
Recipes: Sheet Pan Chicken With Sweet Potato Wedges and Roasted Broccoli, Sheet Pan Chicken Breast With Butternut Squash and Crispy Broccoli, Sheet Pan Chicken Breast With Potatoes and Garlicky Mustard Greens
Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
14
A vegetarian sheet-pan dinner that’s more than just vegetables
A sheet pan of roasted vegetables is delicious, but if you eat just veggies for dinner, you’ll probably feel full for about half an hour, then hungry and gassy for the rest of the night (thanks to all that fiber and not enough fat or protein). Instead of doing that to yourself, try adding plant-based proteins like tofu, tempeh, or chickpeas to your sheet. If that’s not in the cards, serve up your roasted vegetables with some scrambled eggs, cheese toast, or something else that rounds out the meal.
Recipes: Sheet Pan Tempeh With Fennel and Cinnamon Kabocha, Sheet Pan Tofu With Vegetables and Crispy Chickpeas, Sheet Pan Roasted Kabocha, Tofu, and Chickpeas

Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
15
Sheet-pan salmon
Salmon has a higher fat content than white fish like tilapia or cod, so it’s better for sheet-pan cooking because it doesn’t dry out in the oven. (And that fat can help make it filling, as a bonus.) It also cooks much more quickly than chicken, which makes it the perfect choice for when you don’t want to deal with anything on the stovetop but you also don’t have much time.
Recipes: Sheet Pan Salmon and Cabbage With Farro, Sheet Pan Salmon With Chard, Apple, and Quinoa, Sheet Pan Salmon, Fennel, and Butternut Squash
Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
16
Skillet chicken thighs
Pan-roasting chicken thighs in a skillet is an amazing thing because rendering the fat (what happens when you start chicken thighs on the stove and much of the fat melts to liquid) both crisps the skin and coats whatever other ingredients you have in the pan. Yum.
Recipes: Skillet Chicken Thighs With Sweet Potato and Asparagus, Skillet Chicken Thighs With Potato, Apple, and Spinach, Skillet Chicken Thighs With Peaches, Arugula, and Quinoa

Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
17
A kale salad that doesn’t suck
Maybe you don’t like kale salad. (Totally fair; it’s not for everybody!) Or maybe you just don’t like kale salad yet, because you’ve never had a good one. The trick is to massage the dressing into the kale leaves for a minute before you add the other toppings so that everything softens and the bitterness has a chance to mellow out. The type of kale you choose matters too. Curly kale, which is the most common kind, is really fibrous and a little too much for some people. Tuscan kale, also called dino kale or lacinato kale, is softer and better suited to raw salads. Here’s exactly how to make a kale salad that doesn’t suck.
Recipe: Fall Harvest Apple Kale Salad, Kale Salad With Dates, Parmesan, and Almonds, Kale Salad With Carrot-Ginger Dressing
Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
18
A frittata you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Think of a frittata as a puffed omelet that you bake in the oven. Or a crustless quiche. Either way, it’s an easy, inexpensive way to get protein and veggies, and frittatas are completely customizable. Another great thing about them is that one frittata cooked in a large skillet makes several servings, which means you cook once and have heat-and-eat leftovers for three more meals.
Recipes: Spiced Chickpeas and Greens Frittata, Kale, Potato, and Onion Frittata, Easy Veggie Frittata

Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
19
Fish with perfectly crispy skin
It’s too bad that so many people are afraid to cook fish at home. Yes, it takes a little bit of practice and has a stronger smell than chicken or beef. But it’s also super quick to make and easy to pair with all kinds of veggies and grains. One delicious way to do it is by searing it in a hot pan. If you’re cooking a thick filet, you might have to sear it and then put the fish (still in the pan) in the oven so that it cooks all the way through. Thinner white fish and salmon will cook through on the stovetop. The key to skin that’s crispy, not soggy? A very, very hot pan.
Recipe: Crispy-Skinned Fish, Farro Fennel Salad With Salmon and Feta, The Easiest Crisp Pan-Seared Fish Recipe
Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
20
A quick veggie fried rice
If you get takeout from Asian cuisines like Thai or Chinese often (or even just sometimes), you probably know the dilemma of having lots of rice leftover after all of your entrées are finished. Instead of throwing it away, give that rice new life by stir-frying it with your favorite vegetables. You can use fresh or frozen veggies as long as they’re cut up into small pieces. Cooking a scrambled egg in a little bit of butter or oil in your skillet before you make the fried rice also supposedly helps keep the rice from sticking to the pan. Plus, protein!
Recipe: Veggie Fried Rice, Extra Vegetable Fried Rice, Favorite Fried Rice

Andrew Purcell, Carrie Purcell
21
A big batch of whole grains to use throughout the week
If you love to meal prep, you may have already realized that grain bowls are your friend. Cooking a big batch of grains (or two) at the start of the week makes it easier to pack a lunch or throw together a midday meal at home without firing up the stove. Don’t limit yourself to just a couple of different grains; the next time you’re at the grocery store, pick out a few that you don’t eat often and see how they taste in your favorite recipes. Here’s how to cook every whole grain perfectly.
Alex Lau via Bon Appetit
22
A go-to banana bread recipe
Bananas are great for snacks and smoothies, but sometimes it’s hard to use up the whole bunch before they turn dark brown and mushy. That’s why banana bread exists. Perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack, banana bread is a pretty simple baking recipe to make and will make your house smell fantastic for several hours.
Recipe: Bon Appétit’s Best Banana Bread, Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Brown Butter Glazed Banana Bread

Sommer Collier via A Spicy Perspective
23
A pot (or crockpot) of chili
Chili is its own category of recipe: It’s thicker than a soup but distinctly different from a stew, and you just know it when you see it. Depending on where you’re from, you might have a strict idea of what chili should or shouldn’t be. But the bottom line is that a pot of chili can feed you for a couple of people for days on end. You can make it meatless, or with whatever kind of meat you prefer. You can also let it simmer on the stove, or just throw everything into a crockpot overnight.
Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Chili, Five-Ingredient Chili, Quinoa Black Bean Chili,
Marcus Nilsson via Bon Apetit
24
The ultimate roast chicken
Cooking a whole bird may seem intimidating, but roasting a chicken is actually very simple. Season it with whatever you like—spice rubs and herbs are great, but so is just salt and pepper—then throw it on a sheet pan or cast-iron skillet and let the oven do the work. Here’s a comprehensive roast chicken guide that answers every question you could possibly have.

Lisa Lin via Healthy Nibbles
25
A customizable stir-fry recipe
A good stir-fry can be a lifesaver on busy weeknights. Once you master the steps, everything else—the veggies and proteins you use, as well as what you serve alongside it—is customizable. This tofu recipe is a great way to learn the basics. And if you need a go-to stir-fry sauce recipe, you’ll find that below too.
Recipe: Kung Pao Tofu, Steak, Snap Pea, and Asparagus Stir-Fry, Stir-Fry Sauce

Christine Byrne is a registered dietitian who specializes in disordered eating. She owns Ruby Oak Nutrition, a private practice in Raleigh, North Carolina that helps folks recover from eating disorders and heal their relationship with food. She received a B.A. in creative writing from Northwestern University and an M.P.H.... Read more

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Topicshealthy recipes recipes meal prep cooking

A sheet of roasted vegetables

Perfect scrambled eggs that will impress anyone

Actually, perfect eggs every style

Pasta with a basic meat sauce

A meatless pasta that’s actually satisfying

A baked pasta dish

A bare-bones overnight oatmeal recipe you can customize

Quick sautéed greens

A smoothie that will keep you full for hours

A basic vinaigrette

No-frills avocado toast

A bowl of oatmeal

A chicken dinner you can make on a sheet pan

A vegetarian sheet-pan dinner that’s more than just vegetables

Sheet-pan salmon

Skillet chicken thighs

A kale salad that doesn’t suck

A frittata you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Fish with perfectly crispy skin

A quick veggie fried rice

A big batch of whole grains to use throughout the week

A go-to banana bread recipe

A pot (or crockpot) of chili

The ultimate roast chicken

A customizable stir-fry recipe