25 Easy Low-Carb Dinners You Can Make in 20 Minutes

By

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Updated on September 2, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Lisa Valente, M.S., RD

Chicken Cutlets with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Following a low-carb diet has never been easier (or more delicious). We have pulled together 20 of our favorite dinner recipes that will be on the table in 20 minutes or less. Not to mention, these dinners are loaded with vegetables and also serve up healthy proteins and fats. Quick dinners like the Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad have fewer than 15 grams of carbs per serving so that you can meet your nutrition goals without sacrificing time or flavor.

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Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Chicken Cutlets with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner idea. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.

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Salmon with Curried Yogurt & Cucumber Salad

Three ingredients you probably already have on hand—curry powder, yogurt and lemon juice—meld into a mouthwatering sauce that transforms simple grilled salmon. This healthy and easy dinner recipe comes together in just 20 minutes.

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Goat Cheese & Fresh Herb Omelet

The secret to this easy omelet recipe is choosing a really great goat cheese. Luckily, most supermarkets have great chèvre—Vermont Creamery and Laura Chenel are straightforward varieties you're likely to find. If you've got access to funky local options, bust them out for this quick breakfast recipe. Aside from the goat cheese, eggs and herbs, you need just a few pantry ingredients and 20 minutes for one of the best omelets you can make.

04 of 25

Antipasto Baked Smothered Chicken

We like the touch of heat that pepperoncini gives to this briny chicken, but if you really want to turn up the spiciness, swap them for hot cherry peppers.

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20-Minute Creamy Lemon-Feta Skillet Chicken

20-Minute Creamy Lemon-Feta Skillet Chicken — Brie Passano

Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are smothered in a creamy sauce accented by briny feta cheese, lemon and fresh herbs in this ultrafast one-skillet dinner.

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Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal.

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20-Minute Chicken Cutlets & Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Tomato Sauce

20-Minute Chicken Cutlets & Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Tomato Sauce

This low-carb chicken dinner whips up in only 20 minutes, thanks to thin-cut chicken breast and packaged zucchini noodles. If you have a spiralizer and want to make your own zucchini noodles, use two medium zucchini.

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Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole

Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole

This easy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare, meaning that seared steak can be a weeknight meal. Cooking herbs in the pan with the steak releases their aroma, infusing it into the meat while creating a crispy garnish. After the steaks and herbs are pan-seared, the escarole is cooked in the same skillet, so this healthy dinner requires minimal cleanup too.

09 of 25

Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Homemade poppy seed dressing pairs beautifully with tender spinach, crunchy almonds and juicy berries for a fantastically refreshing and easy spring salad. To make ahead, whisk dressing, combine salad ingredients and store separately. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving. To make it a complete meal, top with grilled chicken or shrimp.

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Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Serve these saucy, ultra-quick chicken cutlets over your favorite pasta. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite.

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Skillet Pork Chops with Peas, Carrots & Pearl Onions

This superfast one-dish dinner is full of classic flavor and is such a crowd-pleaser that you'll want to work it into your regular weeknight dinner rotation. We call for bone-in pork chops to maximize flavor, but boneless pork chops are a fine substitution. To round out this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

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15-Minute Broiled Cod with Tomatoes & Herbed Mayonnaise

15-Minute Broiled Cod with Tomatoes & Herbed Mayonnaise — Brie Passano

Cod broils quickly in this healthy dinner recipe that's done in only 15 minutes. Sliced tomatoes on top give it a pop of color, while your favorite chopped herbs flavor the mayonnaise that tops the fish.

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Sweet & Sour Pork with a Sesame Crust

Sweet & Sour Pork with a Sesame Crust

You'll recognize the flavors of sesame, soy and white pepper from the beloved restaurant dish that inspired this recipe for sweet and sour (boneless) pork chops. White pepper is more mild and earthy than black pepper, but either will work here.

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Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Salad

Shaving the vegetables for this easy salad recipe makes them deliciously tender-crisp without having to cook anything and helps them stand up to the bright homemade vinaigrette and salty Parmesan cheese.

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Zucchini Noodle 'Pasta' Salad

a bowl of zucchini noodles and vegetables

This healthy zucchini noodle salad has all the flavors you love in a classic pasta salad, but we've swapped in zoodles for wheat pasta, which makes the salad lighter, lower in carbs and gluten-free. Serve it with grilled chicken or fish for a light and healthy summer dinner.

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Grilled Short Ribs & Cherry Tomatoes with Chimichurri

Short ribs lend themselves to braising—but don't stop there. You can get surprisingly tender results on the grill too. Here, the ribs are used in an easy dinner recipe that's ready in just 20 minutes. Hailing from South America, chimichurri is a fresh herb sauce that gets a little heat from crushed red pepper.

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One-Pan Chicken with Basil-Anchovy Butter & Shishito Peppers

Don't skip the anchovies in this healthy chicken thigh recipe. Their fishiness blends in, adding salty, umami flavor so that even skeptics of the salty little fish won't protest. And this healthy skillet dinner is cooked in one pan and takes just 20 minutes to prep—in case you need more selling points for this recipe.

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Tarragon Scallops on Asparagus Spears

Tarragon Scallops on Asparagus Spears

In this 15-minute recipe, crisp and tender asparagus spears serve as a vibrant base for lemon- and tarragon-flavored sea scallops.

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Baked Lemon-Pepper Chicken

Looking for a quick, easy dinner to add to your go-to chicken recipe collection? This baked lemon-pepper chicken recipe is it. Chicken breasts are cooked in a skillet, then finished in the oven with lemon slices that soften and become part of the sauce, with a touch of maple syrup and butter to carry the flavor. It's so simple and delicious, you'll be making this healthy dinner again and again.

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Kale Salad with Balsamic & Parmesan

a bowl of kale topped with Parmesan cheese — Jason Donnelly

In this healthy kale salad recipe, you massage the dressing into the kale, tenderizing the leaves and infusing the salad with sweet balsamic flavor. Creamy pine nuts and salty Parmesan cheese added at the end balance the flavors. Enjoy this salad on its own as a side dish, or add cooked chicken, shrimp or steak to make it a full meal.

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15-Minute Shrimp & Coconut Curry with Eggplant

15-Minute Shrimp & Coconut Curry with Eggplant — Brie Passano

In this quick shrimp recipe, shrimp is paired with a coconut curry and tender eggplant. Red, yellow or green curry works well in this quick dinner. To keep it fast, serve with precooked brown rice to sop up the sauce.

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Miso-Maple Salmon

White miso paste packs an umami punch to this healthy salmon recipe. But being the mildest and sweetest variety of the gluten-free fermented paste, it won't overpower this dish. Use any leftover salmon (within three days) to make our Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon, Easy Scallion-Salmon Dip or Spicy Salmon Cakes.

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Easy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles

Easy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles — Diana Chistruga

Enjoy classic shrimp scampi lightened up with zucchini noodles in place of pasta. The tomatoes add some sweetness and color, while the cheese contributes nuttiness and richness.

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Broccoli Salad with Ranch Dressing

broccoli salad with ranch — Crystal Hughes

This broccoli salad with ranch dressing has plenty of contrast from the sweet golden raisins with hits of salty bacon. The broccoli is fresh and crisp, and it's all tied together with your favorite store-bought (or homemade!) ranch dressing.

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Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad

Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules of meat cookery, but in this recipe, we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.

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