Having home-cooked meals on hand is a huge help when it comes to eating healthy throughout the week. But after a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is spend your evening in the kitchen. Before you give up and reach for the take out menu, check out these 4 ingredient meals. They’ll make cooking at home quick, easy, and most importantly, satisfying!
These 14 tasty recipes are your answer to fast and healthy weekday meals. They’ll mean fewer trips to the grocery store, less time in the kitchen, and a hassle-free way to to eat delicious food throughout the week.
Some of these recipes include optional add-ins (such as extra seasonings), but even without them, they’re full of flavor. You’ll be surprised how a small handful of ingredients can be transformed into an exciting and nourishing meal that you’ll want to eat again and again.
14 Healthy 4 Ingredient Meals
From breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert and snacks, we’ve got you covered with these 4-ingredient healthy recipes. You probably have many of the ingredients on hand already! These recipes make four servings each and they keep well in the fridge, so extra portions can be packed up as meal prep for the week.
Breakfast
1. Asparagus and Mushrooms Topped with Poached Eggs
Ingredients: Mushrooms, asparagus spears, eggs, whole-grain bread
Poached eggs aren’t just for weekend brunch. The fiber in whole-grain bread will help keep you feeling full, and the crisp asparagus and sautéed mushrooms make for a flavorful veggie topping.
Want to get a little bit fancier? Restaurants use vinegar to help eggs set to perfection, so if you have some on hand, add a splash to the water when you’re poaching the eggs. Get the recipe here.
2. Avocado Toast with Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients: Avocado, lime or lemon juice, whole-grain bread, pumpkin seeds
Elevate traditional avocado toast by adding some crunchy pumpkin seeds on top. Toasting the seeds quickly on the stove top helps enhance their nutty flavor.
Have some extra pumpkin seeds left after you make the toast? No need to waste them! Store the seeds in an airtight container and add them to soups or salads. Get the recipe here.
3. Chicken and Spinach Scramble with Avocado
Ingredients: Eggs, baby spinach, cooked chicken breast, avocado
This is one powerhouse breakfast. It packs a whopping 48 grams of protein per serving, thanks to the eggs and the chicken.
And, by using a mix of whole eggs and egg whites, it cuts down on the cholesterol to make this dish extra heart-healthy. Get the recipe here.
Lunch
4. Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients: Sesame oil, lean ground turkey, mushrooms, lettuce leaves
We gave classic Asian lettuce wraps a makeover by using lean ground turkey and mushrooms to make a nutritious filling.
Fresh Bibb (or Butter) lettuce make for crunchy, low-calorie wraps. They’ll hold in all the delicious filling, no forks required. Get the recipe here.
5. Greek Chicken Bowls
Ingredients: Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, cooked chicken breast, crumbled feta cheese
Fresh tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, and creamy feta cheese is all you need to get the flavors of a delicious Greek Salad. And the addition of lean chicken breast makes for a heartier lunch that will tide you over until dinner! Get the recipe here.
6. Zucchini Boats
Ingredients: Zucchini, lean ground turkey, pico de gallo, shredded cheddar cheese
This dish makes you feel like you’re eating tacos for lunch — only healthier! We slashed some carbs by replacing tortillas with nutritious baked zucchini.
But don’t worry, these zucchini boats are still bursting with flavor, thanks to the fresh pico de gallo and melted cheddar cheese. Get the recipe here.
7. Spinach Salad with Strawberries
Ingredients: Baby spinach, chicken breast, strawberries, walnut halves
This salad can compete with those served in restaurants, and it comes together in mere minutes. You can cook up some raw chicken yourself, or you can move things along even faster by picking up some pre-cooked chicken for this dish.
Meal prepping for the week? If your strawberries are really juicy, pack them separately from the spinach so the leaves don’t wilt before lunch the next day. Get the recipe here.
Dinner
8. Ground Turkey and Rice with Green Beans
Ingredients: Sesame oil, lean ground turkey, green beans, cooked brown rice
Stir fry from restaurants is usually loaded with salt, fat, and unnecessary additives. We gave the classic stir fry a healthy twist by using crisp green beans, lean ground turkey and a bit of sesame oil for natural flavor.
We also used brown rice instead of white rice, to sneak some extra whole grains in there. Get the recipe here.
9. Garlic Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients: Olive oil, shrimp, garlic, zucchini
This healthier take on shrimp pasta swaps in low-calorie zucchini noodles instead of pasta. Better yet, the fresh garlic quickly infuses the shrimp with mouthwatering flavor.
Both the shrimp and zucchini noodles cook up in minutes, so this dinner is less than 30 minutes away. Get the recipe here.
10. Veggie Kabobs with Chicken
Ingredients: Onions, yellow bell peppers, zucchini, chicken breast
Easy chicken recipes make for some of the best healthy weeknight meals. These kabobs are piled high with cubed chicken breast and crisp zucchini and bell peppers. If you have other veggies that you love, like squash, tomatoes, or mushrooms, you can add those instead!
The assembled skewers can be grilled on the barbecue, on a stove-top grill pan, or even broiled in the oven. Get the recipe here.
11. Hawaiian Salmon
Ingredients: Salmon steaks, pineapple, shallots, cilantro
Requiring barely any prep time, this is must-try dish for salmon lovers. This recipe cleverly uses parchment paper packets to steam the salmon, which keeps it moist without using any oil.
Chopped pineapple also helps keep the salmon juicy, while adding a fresh and slightly sweet finish to the roasted fish. Get the recipe here.
Dessert and Snacks
12. Balsamic Strawberry Parfaits
Ingredients: Strawberries, honey, balsamic vinegar, reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt
Fresh strawberries and balsamic vinegar make for a surprisingly delicious sweet and savory combination. Greek yogurt makes for an extra creamy, high-protein, indulgent treat without any unnecessary fat.
For best flavor, let the balsamic and strawberries meld together for 30 minutes before serving, although it’s not absolutely necessary. Get the recipe here.
13. Tropical Fruit Salad with Coconut
Ingredients: Pineapple, blueberries, kiwi, shredded coconut
When you have pre-sliced fruit on hand, it makes for a fast and healthy treat when you’re craving something sweet. The combination of pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, and coconut will whisk you off to tropical paradise, no matter where you are or what time of day it is. Get the recipe here.
14. Drop Biscuits
Ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt, whole milk, plain Greek yogurt
Who knew four ingredient baking was even possible? These drop biscuits prove it can be done. This recipe even keeps things light by using Greek yogurt instead of butter.
If you’re feeling creative and have a few extra ingredients on hand, the variations on these biscuits are endless. Fresh herbs or shredded cheese can be easily mixed in before baking. Get the recipe here.
Photographs by Anguel Dimov
