15 Gut-Healthy Dinners to Help Lower Cholesterol


Fiber is a multi-talented nutrient. Not only can it support beneficial gut bacteria, but it can also help reduce your body’s uptake of cholesterol. So when you eat these flavorful dinners that are low in saturated fats and packed with at least 6 grams of fiber per serving, you’re doing a lot of good for your digestive system and your cholesterol levels. Plus, these nutritious meals feature prebiotic-rich ingredients like garlic, legumes and potatoes, in addition to probiotic foods like yogurt and miso to go the extra mile for your microbiome. Healthy recipes like our One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta and Red Lentil Soup with Saffron are delicious and nourishing dinners you’ll want to make again and again.


One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless


This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is lively and vibrant and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Toasting the orzo before adding the broth adds another layer of flavor. Another dark leafy green like chopped kale or Swiss chard can stand in for the spinach, but may take longer to wilt in the pan. If you use a sturdier green, add it to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.




One-Skillet Salmon with Fennel & Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous

Sun-dried tomato pesto and lemon do double duty to season both the salmon and the couscous in this healthy one-pan dinner recipe. Serve the salmon with extra lemon wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.




Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale

Greg DuPree

Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying.




Red Lentil Soup with Saffron

Jacob Fox

This hearty red lentil soup uses spices common in Persian cuisine: turmeric, cumin and saffron. Enjoy it with a warm baguette or steamed rice.




Salmon Rice Bowl

Ali Redmond

Inspired by the viral TikTok trend, this salmon rice bowl makes for a tasty lunch or dinner. With healthy ingredients like instant brown rice, salmon and veggies, you’ll have a flavorful meal in just 25 minutes.




One-Pot Pasta With Spinach & Tomatoes

Caitlin Bensel

This one-pot pasta dinner is simple, fresh, and healthy—what’s not to love? Cooking the pasta right in the sauce saves time and cleanup while infusing the noodles with more flavor. This speedy recipe is also endlessly adaptable, and lends itself to plenty of easy ingredient swaps (make sure to check out the clever riffs below). Change up the spinach for any vegetables you have on hand such as sliced zucchini and mushrooms, or add leftover chicken or cooked and crumbled sausage. We’ve happily embraced whole-wheat spaghetti as a healthier alternative to white pasta; it works especially well in this one-pot application.




Tuna Poke

Poke (pronounced poke-ay), a Hawaiian word meaning “to chop” or “to cut,” refers to a traditional Hawaiian salad of diced raw fish in a simple, soy-based sauce with punchy seasonings like toasted sesame and chopped scallion greens. These tuna poke bowls feature seasoned brown rice and fresh veggies for a healthy, satisfying meal packed with protein and fiber.




Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless


This hearty sweet potato and black bean chili has a delightful balance of sweet and spicy flavors. Swap out regular chili powder for chipotle and ancho chile powder, or try using reduced-sodium taco or fajita seasoning for a unique twist.




Baharat Spiced Eggplant

Ryan Liebe

Baharat means “spices” in Arabic—and this Middle Eastern seasoning is loaded with them. The specific ingredients vary by region and even from family to family, but the warm, aromatic blend always starts with plenty of finely ground black pepper and includes paprika, cumin, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and often cardamom. You can make your own Baharat Spice Blend or buy it ready-made. Here, yogurt and cherry tomatoes cool the heat from the baharat and serrano peppers.




Chile-Garlic Salmon Bento Box with Avocado

Charlotte and Johnny Autry

Keeping salmon in your freezer means you always have something on hand for dinner, and—bonus!—you can cook it from frozen as we do here.




Mushroom Stew

Will Dickey

This mushroom stew is hearty and flavor-packed, with both fresh and dried mushrooms adding to the rich taste. Quinoa adds protein and a boost of fiber. This flavorful fall soup will be enjoyed by vegetarians and carnivores alike. 




Falafel Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki

This delightful vegetarian sandwich boasts tons of flavor from the yogurt sauce and quick-pickled veggies, and it’s only 400 calories! You can make the pickled vegetables, falafel mixture and tzatziki sauce ahead of time for easy meal-prep lunches or dinner later in the week.




Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon and Fennel

This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.




Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili

Ali Redmond

If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt.




Vegan Cauliflower Fettuccine Alfredo with Kale

In this date-night-worthy vegan fettuccine Alfredo recipe, cooked cauliflower transforms into a rich, luscious sauce when it’s blended with softened cashews. A high-speed blender will give you the creamiest results. Opt for whole-wheat fettuccine to add fiber to this vegan pasta recipe.




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