Healthy Meat Main Dish Recipes

You don't have to be on a low-carb or Keto diet to jump on the "chaffle" trend--chaffles are flourless waffles made from eggs and cheese. They may be gimmicky, but they're also delicious. For our chaffle sandwiches, we've added some crumbled bacon to the batter and used the chaffles to make sandwiches, filled with avocado and tomato. Enjoy a sandwich as a low-carb breakfast that also happens to be gluten-free.

This healthy version of the classic Filipino noodle dish pancit bihon has plenty of vegetables, along with chicken and pork. And since it comes together in about a half-hour, this traditional party food can do double duty as an easy weeknight dinner.

Think of these loaded portobello mushrooms as a low-carb version of a stuffed potato--Cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions and bacon melted into portobello mushroom caps for a delicious and satisfying dinner. Serve them with a green salad to round out the meal.

Your Instant Pot is the perfect appliance to turn to if you want tender, juicy beef brisket done quickly. Here, we cut the brisket in half so it can fit inside the pot. After it's seared, it's cooked with plenty of onions that add body once blended into the flavorful, rich sauce. If you are making this brisket for Passover, look for products (like ketchup) that are labeled "Kosher for Passover."

In this easy shepherd's pie recipe, we keep the carbs in check by using creamy mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. The ground beef filling is cooked in the same skillet used for baking the pie, making assembly (and cleanup) a breeze.

In the south of France, lamb is often grilled on a bed of fresh rosemary and anointed with citrus juice. This lamb chop recipe takes inspiration from that tradition with a wet rub made with lots of garlic plus rosemary and blood orange. Besides being a beautiful garnish, the charred blood oranges are served to squeeze over the lamb for a final flourish of citrus flavor.

These steamed dumplings are often served with a garlicky yogurt sauce, but chef Naseema Kashefi, of the L.A.-based New Arrivals Supper Club, adds a swirl of tomato sauce to the mantu for a colorful, flavorful counterpoint.

Typically deep-fried, these beef kebabs are browned in a skillet then baked: simpler and healthier, without sacrificing a crisp crust and tender interior. The mixture is pretty fragile; use a spatula or 2 spoons (not tongs) to gently turn the kebabs in the pan. Recipe adapted from New Arrival Supper Club chef Rabia Ahmadi.

This recipe proves roasting then saucing with vibrant flavors is the best way to cook beef tenderloin. Double pomegranate--juice and molasses--lends fruity tartness to the sauce.

You'll recognize the classic Chinese flavor pairing of sesame, soy and white pepper on these sweet and sour pork chops. White pepper is more mild and earthy than black pepper, but either will work here.

Strands of tender squash replace pasta for a more flavorful version of spaghetti pie casserole. Not to mention, spaghetti squash is a low-carb alternative to pasta and saves more than 150 calories per serving compared to a traditional recipe. A sprinkling of nutty fontina cheese melts into a gooey topping.

In this healthy corned beef and cabbage recipe, we cut back the sodium but kept the classic flavor profile of this St. Patrick's Day staple. An Instant Pot (or other multicooker) tenderizes the beef quickly, making this easy to pull off even on a weeknight.

These crispy breaded air-fryer pork chops don't require a lot of oil to create a deep-fried crispy crust. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce or alongside roasted veggies. Want to double the recipe? Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to cook the pork chops in batches, but that's easy to do.

This meal features dense and tender lamb meatballs, creamy and refreshing cucumber raita--a traditional Indian sauce made with yogurt and vegetables--and whole-wheat couscous, a grain-like pasta that can be found at most supermarkets. Garnish these slow-cooker meatballs with fresh dill sprigs, and serve with lightly toasted pita, if desired.

A tagine is a North African dish of spiced, braised meat. Our version features slow-cooker lamb simmered with apricots, cinnamon and barley and topped with cilantro and golden raisins just before serving. The result is a dish brimming with varied flavors, textures and colors. Garnish with fresh cilantro and crushed red pepper, if desired.

Both the meat and the sauce are versatile and could work in other applications: Use the slow-cooker lamb for a stew or drizzle the sauce on grilled chicken. If mint is polarizing for your crowd, use parsley. A salad and couscous with toasted sliced almonds make nice accompaniments. Garnish with additional fresh mint leaves, if desired.

With the glamour of a fancy entrée yet all the ease of slow-cooker prep, this is ideal to serve to dinner guests or family for Sunday supper. Let the braised lamb shanks and sauce be the star of the meal, and serve with blanched beans or roasted carrots.

Garlic-seasoned slow-cooker pork loin, port-and-tomato-based sauce and creamy mashed potatoes all made with less than 30 minutes of hands-on prep--who could ask for more? Garnish with additional fresh rosemary sprigs, if desired.

With minimal hands-on prep and only a couple hours in the slow cooker, you end up with incredibly flavorful, spice-rubbed pork and a bean-and-corn side dish, which easily converts to a next-day salsa. We promise this isn't like any slow-cooker pork tenderloin you've ever had.

The name of this recipe says it all: It's an easy, mostly hands-off jerk pork dish that comes together in a snap. The cayenne provides a little heat, but mostly the slow-cooker pork shoulder gets its flavor from the cinnamon and allspice. The bright salsa-pineapple topping cools the dish off and gives it a pretty, dinner-party-worthy appearance. Serve the meat alone, or pile it on buns for sandwiches or shredded atop nachos. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.