Recipes Everyday Cooking Quick and Easy Main Dishes 16 Easy Dinners to Make with a Jar of Salsa By Carl Hanson Carl Hanson Carl Hanson is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes who has been writing about food and wine for nearly 20 years. He enjoys creating content that informs, entertains, and assists busy home cooks get nourishing meals on the table for their families. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on October 13, 2020 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo by Snacking in the Kitchen. Salsa, it's for so much more than tortilla chips. It's the tasty little secret to super-fast meals, adding big flavor to recipes without piling on the calories. Salsa is actually very healthy. The tomatoes and chile peppers are power houses of nutrition. In fact, a recent study found that people who frequently eat spicy foods tend to live longer. Research has also shown that the chile peppers may have anti-cancer properties and may help protect against obesity. In these simple dishes, salsa steals the show. Prefer to make your own salsa? Here are some top-rated homemade salsa recipes to choose from. Either way, these simple healthy dinner recipes are ready in under an hour. 01 of 17 Quick and Easy Mexican Chicken View Recipe Photo by Baltimore Tom. Rave Review: "I have been making this Mexican chicken for years now and it is a family favorite." -- cara1997 02 of 17 Cilantro Garlic Lime Sauteed Shrimp View Recipe Rave Review: "Delicious, easy, full of fresh flavor and tender shrimp, thoroughly enjoyed. Used a red jalapeno instead of a red chile pepper, which gave a kick of heat, and added more lime juice. Definitely will be made again." -- lutzflcat 03 of 17 Easy Taco Casserole View Recipe Photo by Snacking in the Kitchen. Rave Review: "Awesome recipe, a definite keeper! I've made this twice, once with mayo and the next time with sour cream. Turned out wonderful both times but think we preferred the mayo over sour cream. The mayo made it more tangy." -- Dae 04 of 17 Fantastic Chicken Burgers View Recipe Rave Review: "My family loved this recipe - I made them as sliders. Served topped with salsa and guacamole. yummy!" -- lengland 05 of 17 D's Taco Pizza View Recipe Rave Review: "If you like tacos, you'll like this! To save time, I opted for purchased salsa. Was a hit with everyone!" -- Holly R. 06 of 17 Fast Chicken Over Black Beans and Rice View Recipe Rave Review: "Very good, cheap and easy! Something I can whip up fast after work. I did add more salsa (almost double) and threw in a little cayenne for an extra kick!" -- Von424 07 of 17 Black Bean and Salsa Soup View Recipe Photo by bd.weld. bd.weld Rave Review: "This recipe is so fast and delicious I couldn't believe it. The best thing is you can make it as spicy as you like depending on your salsa." -- JANEBALFOUR 08 of 17 Salsa Chicken View Recipe Photo by Rock_lobster. Rave Review: "Very easy and very quick, yet it tastes so good people will think you slaved for hours over this dish!" -- Jillian 09 of 17 Black Bean Breakfast Bowl View Recipe Rave Review: "It has everything in it I love. Nice Southwestern breakfast that is easy to make, healthy, and will keep you satisfied all day long." -- Sherri 10 of 17 Meatloaf...a Little Southwest Style View Recipe Rave Review: "Meatloaf was awesome! I added some jalapenos, black olives and muschrooms to spice it up and give it a little zing." -- eagle10 11 of 17 Ground Chicken Taco Burgers View Recipe Rave Review: "Totally great! I did add bread crumbs as well. Very moist burger with lots of flavour from the taco seasoning. Great too with the avocado and salsa." -- Stacey 12 of 17 Baked Black Bean and Spinach Flautas View Recipe This healthy vegetarian flautas recipe features a jar black bean and corn salsa, a couple cans of black banes, fresh spinach, and Monterey Jack cheese. KIMBERMARIE calls it, "A vegetarian take on a classic Mexican dish. These delicious flautas are baked until crispy using cooking spray instead of vegetable oil to "fry" the tortillas. Topped with plain Greek yogurt for a wholesome and tasty alternative to sour cream." 13 of 17 Chicken and White Bean Chili View Recipe Rave Review: "DELISH! This was so good, it was eaten before I could even get a pic! I made a half batch, but wished I had made a full batch. I used a medium roasted tomato and chipotle salsa, and the flavors were perfect!" -- LilSnoo 14 of 17 Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole View Recipe Photo by Ashley Nicholson. Rave Review: "Layers of rice, chicken breast, a creamy soup and salsa mixture and two kinds of cheese add up to a simply yummy salsa casserole! This recipe is a family favorite because it's delicious and easily made with ingredients found in the pantry." -- Gweneth 15 of 17 Instant Pot® Salsa Chicken View Recipe Instant Pot Salsa Chicken | Photo by Tammy Lynn. Rave Review: "This was awesome. So I made this a couple days ago and it was wonderful. I'm making it again tonight with green salsa peppers and onions and eating on tortillas with cheese like fajitas." -- Karen Sanchez 16 of 17 Baked Chicken with Salsa and Sour Cream View Recipe Rave Review: "This is one of my most favorite ways to make chicken. I use a homemade taco seasoning mix and serve this with Spanish rice and homemade refried beans. This also excellent filling for tortillas. When I make this I ALWAYS double it." -- Sarah Jo 17 of 17 More Quick Dinners with Basic Ingredients naples34102 15 Quick Meals That Start With a Can of Black Beans 18 Deliciously Different Things to Do with 1 Pound of Ground Beef 12 Quick, Delicious Dinners to Make with Canned Cannellini Beans Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit