22 Anti-Inflammatory Dinners That Aren't Salmon

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Published on February 27, 2024

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing

You won’t want to miss out on these flavorful and nutritious dinners. While salmon is a great go-to main, this collection is chock-full of dishes that feature other inflammation-fighting foods, including leafy greens, dark green and deep orange veggies and other omega-3-rich fish. That way, your anti-inflammatory meal rotation is more diverse, while helping you combat inflammation’s pesky symptoms like digestive issues, joint stiffness and mental fog. Recipes like our Spaghetti with Creamy Lemon-Spinach Sauce and Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing make sure that what you eat at night is delicious and helps you feel your best.

01 of 22

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli

One-pot garlicky shrimp & broccoli recipe cooked and ready in a stainless steel pan — Diana Chistruga

Shrimp and broccoli cook quickly in this easy, one-pot recipe, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Serve this healthy shrimp recipe over whole grains or rice.

02 of 22

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken — Jason Donnelly

Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.

03 of 22

Spaghetti with Creamy Lemon-Spinach Sauce

a recipe photo of the Easy Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Give your veggie servings a boost with this easy spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe. Loosely inspired by the flavors of classic pesto, this vibrant pasta packs in plenty of spinach and basil with a garnish of nutty walnuts and savory Parmesan cheese. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and a green salad on the side.

04 of 22

Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna

a recipe photo of the Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Spicy baby arugula pairs with crisp Persian cucumbers and celery in this refreshing salad. Italian Castelvetrano olives offer a mild, buttery flavor that doesn't compete with the flavor of the tuna. If you want more punch from your olives, Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives work well too.

05 of 22

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Broccoli

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots Broccoli

This sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thigh recipe comes with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken for the perfect weeknight dinner.

06 of 22

Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Smoked Mozzarella

Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Smoked Mozzarella

This healthy riff on lasagna rolls uses strips of zucchini instead of lasagna noodles for a vegetable-packed dinner that's fun for the whole family. This is a great recipe for kids to help make--let them get their hands dirty rolling the zucchini ribbons with the cheesy filling. Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to quickly slice the zucchini into uniform thin strips--this will ensure easy rolling and even cooking.

07 of 22

Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing

For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

08 of 22

Ash-eh Reshteh (Persian Bean & Pasta Soup)

A beauty image of the Ash-eh Reshteh served in a bowl — Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco

Ash-eh reshteh is a hearty bean and noodle soup that’s packed with fresh herbs. The vegetarian soup is often made for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, but it’s delicious any time.

09 of 22

Minestrone Soup

a recipe photo of the Minestrone Soup — Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl,

This fresh and simple minestrone soup is the perfect recipe for chilly days. Adding the ingredients in stages allows this quick-cooking soup to develop deep flavors in a short time. Cooking the pasta in the soup is an easy and efficient way to add body. This minestrone soup would work with different veggies (think peas, cabbage or winter squash) or another type of canned bean, like creamy cannellini beans or even chickpeas.

10 of 22

Sheet-Pan Shrimp, Pineapple & Peppers with Rice

Sheet Pan Hawaiian Shrimp — Greg Dupree

This incredibly easy seafood dinner uses fresh pineapple and a teriyaki-style sauce a sweet-and-tangy flavor profile. The pineapple also concentrates as it bakes and helps keep the rice mixture from becoming too dry. Rather than spreading the rice to the far edges of the sheet pan, keep it closer to the center and layer the vegetables and shrimp on top. This way their juices seep right into the rice, and the teriyaki drizzle coats every bite.

11 of 22

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Chicken

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Chicken

This healthy summer dinner subs zoodles for pasta to help use up your zucchini bounty--as well as slash calories and carbs. Once the spiralized zucchini has time to soak up the herby pesto sauce, this chicken and pesto pasta makes particularly good leftovers.

12 of 22

Shrimp & Fish Stew

a recipe photo of the Shrimp & Fish Stew served in a bowl — Christine Ma

This hearty shrimp and fish stew is inspired by cioppino, an Italian-American dish that originated in San Francisco. Serve with crusty bread to soak up every last bit of the savory broth.

13 of 22

Coconut Stew with Spinach & Beans

a recipe photo of the Coconut Stew with Spinach & Beans — Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl

Sweet potatoes add sweetness and body to this stew flavored with ginger, cumin, coriander and turmeric (which gives it its vibrant yellow color). Unseeded chiles add extra heat, but you can seed them to mellow the spiciness. You want the potatoes cooked until they're tender, but not falling apart in the stew—the carryover heat will continue to cook them as the stew sits off the heat.

14 of 22

Baked Halibut with Brussels Sprouts & Quinoa

Baked Halibut with Brussels Sprouts & Quinoa

Fish plus two sides? It seems fancy but this healthy dinner comes together in just 30 minutes.

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Spicy Chili Oil Noodles with Zucchini & Carrots

a recipe photo of Garlic Chili Oil Veggie Noodles — Matthew Francis

Making your own chili oil is more time-intensive than using store-bought, but it’s worth it for the fresh flavors in this dish. The goal here is to infuse the oil with tons of aromatics like bay leaves, star anise, peppercorns and chili flakes to create a spicy base for the sauce. Spiralized zucchini and carrot add crunch, color and nutrients to the dish.

16 of 22

Pesto Tuna Noodle Casserole

a recipe photo of the Pesto Tuna Noodle Casserole — Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl

A creamy pesto sauce with sweet shallots and wilted spinach gives a light and bright spin to classic tuna noodle casserole. Albacore tuna is an ideal choice, as it holds its texture well once mixed in, although any water-packed tuna will do the job. For the best results, we recommend using refrigerated pesto for its fresh flavor which enhances the overall dish.

17 of 22

Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup

Side view photo of 3 jars of Anti-Inflammatory Eat-the-Rainbow soup after broth is added with lid on top. — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This vibrant and wholesome soup recipe helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers. Simply add the broth and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water.

18 of 22

Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

Spicy Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and tomato, this healthy cabbage soup recipe packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunch or dinner all week.

19 of 22

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Diet Stew

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Diet Stew in White Bowl

With a focus on vegetables, fiber-rich legumes and healthy fats, this slow-cooker stew fits the bill for those following the Mediterranean diet. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale. A drizzle of olive oil to finish pulls together the flavors of this easy vegan crock pot stew.

20 of 22

Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

overhead shot of vegan grain bowl with edamame, beets and avocado — Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey

This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

21 of 22

Slow-Cooked Beef with Carrots & Cabbage

In this main-dish recipe, the pot roast is slow-cooked with carrots and low-sodium beef broth. Toward the end of the cooking time, shredded cabbage is added in to round out the meal. Each of the two servings has just 215 calories.

22 of 22

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.

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