Top 7 Main Dish Recipes

Creamy Tomato Pasta

This isn't the most orthodox pasta recipe, but it is a good one. Simply choose a long pasta – bucatini or spaghetti works well – buy a jar of your favorite tomato sauce (low sugar and no added tomato paste are the most healthy and flavorful), some cream cheese, and you'll have dinner ready in 20 minutes or less.

Adding cream cheese to tomato sauce gives the dish a creamy tang that is just delicious. It also makes it easy for kids to enjoy because sometimes jarred tomato sauces have too much garlic or spices and the cream cheese tones those flavors down.

Make this pasta vegan by skipping the cream cheese and replacing it with 1/2 cup of unsweetened cashew milk and 1/2 cup of vegan cream cheese.

For a complete meal, make some garlic bread and toss a kale salad with lemon dressing.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

If you're not used to using the microwave when cooking, this is a great opportunity to make this appliance your new ally. Make a honey-mustard and onion sauce in the microwave, season your chicken with salt and pepper, cover with the sauce, and bake between 35 and 40 minutes at 375 F.

The juicy and flavorful chicken goes well with rice, like our aromatic coconut rice. Use the same oven time and temperature to make some balsamic roasted vegetables and sit down for a healthy dinner in 40 minutes or less.

If you want to make rice in the microwave, simply put 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir and microwave on high for 10 minutes, stir again and microwave 5 more. Times vary depending on the power of the appliance but start with less time than you think is needed to avoid overcooking the rice and drying it up.

Red and White Tortellini

This fabulous recipe uses all the tricks of a seasoned cook who knows what it's like to be pressed for time. Buy the frozen ravioli of your choice and one jar of red sauce (no added sugar) and one of Alfredo sauce. Place the ravioli on a baking pan and pour the red sauce on top plus the 1/2 cup of water that you just used to "clean" all of the remaining red sauce from the jar. Do the same with Alfredo sauce plus the 1/4 cup of milk used to clean the jar. Bake and eat!

You could make this vegetarian dish for carnivores by adding meatballs on top before baking. When the pasta is cooked after 55 minutes covered and 15 uncovered, add parmesan on top and serve.

Keep the red-and-white theme with a side Caprese salad and offer some crusty bread and butter.

Classic Meatloaf

Meatloaf is an American staple that is too irresistible not to try and make your own. Juicy lean beef and veggies baked in a sturdy loaf are part of most people's happy childhood memories.

For this recipe, use good quality beef, eggs, onions, and tomato sauce. Add any spices of your choice like cayenne, chili flakes, garlic powder, or Italian herbs. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes and let rest for 10 more before slicing it.

Meatloaf goes really well with mashed potatoes. If you want a lighter version, try mashed cauliflower. Make a colorful melon salad and sit down to a beautiful family-style dinner. Offer BBQ sauce or homemade green ketchup to pour on the meatloaf.

This recipe uses oatmeal and not breadcrumbs so it's gluten-free.

Pot Roast

This flaky and tender beef roast cooks in the oven for 3 hours. So even if time-consuming, most of the cooking happens without you having to do anything. Just sauteé the onions, brown your meat, reduce the red wine and place everything in the oven with beef broth, and herbs.

You have the option to add potatoes after 2 hours of cooking or leave it untouched for the whole 3 hours of oven time. If you choose to skip the potatoes in the roast, bake some candied sweet potatoes in the same oven to serve as a side dish. Add other vegetables to your roast, like turnips and peppers, so you won't have to worry about making a vegetable dish.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

This easy and old-fashioned recipe might have many steps, but it's fairly easy to make and you won't regret it for a minute when your family starts asking for seconds. Place chicken, veggies, and broth in the crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low until the chicken is ready. Drop dollops of biscuit dough into the soup and cook on high for 25 more minutes. That's it.

Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy with a belly-warming classic bread basket with bacon yeast rolls and softened butter.

Honey Orange Fish Fillets

Honey and orange make a beautiful and tasty glaze on tender fish. Make the marinade and let the fish soak up the flavors for 30 minutes. After that, you just have to broil it for 10 minutes. Brush extra marinade to coat it while it cooks.

This pescatarian-friendly dish is also egg-free and gluten-free and as simple as it gets. Make an asparagus risotto as a side, and slice some fresh baguette.