9 Healthy Meals to Make in Minutes
These easy no-cook dishes can be pulled together in a flash
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People tend to gravitate toward no-cook meals in the summer, when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, but they’re actually ideal any time of year when you’re too busy to cook or don’t feel like standing in front of a stove or being left with a big mess to clean up.
In its purest sense, no-cook means mixing together raw foods and those that have already been cooked—such as leftover or rotisserie chicken, canned or premade beans, or hard-boiled eggs—into a tasty assembled dish. But to give you a little more flexibility, we also decided that heating ingredients in a microwave counted as not cooking, too. However you look at it, these nine easy ideas will have you eating a healthy meal in minutes.
Breakfast bowl: Top ¾ cup prepared bulgur with ½ cup milk. Add ½ cup frozen blueberries and a sprinkling of rolled oats. Heat in microwave and stir.
Microwave omelet: Spray a microwave-safe mug with cooking spray. Whisk 2 eggs in the cup. Add vegetables such as baby spinach and tomatoes (fresh or frozen). Microwave 1 minute on high. If egg is not yet set, continue cooking for 30-second intervals until it is set.
Top Microwave Ovens
Although multi-cookers and air fryers are all the rage, you can’t beat the speed and convenience of a microwave. CR tests both countertop and over-the-range microwaves to see how fast and evenly they heat, how well they defrost, how easy they are to use, and how quietly they operate. These are some of the microwaves that topped our ratings.
Healthy Dinner Hacks
Looking for healthier versions of your favorite comfort foods? These hacks will make dinner both delicious and nutritious.
Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the March 2020 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.