Healthy Holiday & Occasion Dinner Recipes

Serve this rich vegan mushroom gravy with cauliflower steaks, over mashed potatoes or vegetables, with pan-fried tofu or--if you're not a vegetarian or vegan--with turkey or chicken.

Grab your crock pot for this delicious and easy slow-cooker vegetarian chili with beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, bell peppers and sweet potatoes. The recipe requires just 20 minutes of active time: after a bit of chopping, you just dump the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do the work. Adding a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of cilantro just before serving brightens up the flavors. Top it with some shredded cheese, if you'd like, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan. Either way, this healthy chili is sure to become a go-to when you want a satisfying and healthy dinner.

A sports bar favorite comes home with these deliciously crispy chicken wings, which require just 10 minutes of active prep time, thanks to the air fryer. In fact, one of EatingWell's recipe testers declared this air-fryer Buffalo wing recipe "a reason to buy an air fryer." Add a spicy sauce, carrot sticks, celery sticks and ranch dressing for dipping and you have a healthy take on wings that's sure to score.

These healthy Mediterranean cauliflower rice bowls topped with feta, olives, veggies and grilled chicken are impressive yet take just 30 minutes to make.

Roasting carrots brings out their sweetness, which is enhanced further with a tangy balsamic and maple glaze. Serve them straight-up for an easy weeknight side dish or garnish with chopped hazelnuts for holiday meals and dinner parties.

These roasted cabbage wedges with honey and balsamic vinegar make an attractive and healthy side dish that's also very easy to prepare. You can use red or green cabbage--or make a double batch with one of each for a pretty presentation.

This steamed clams recipe is a winner when entertaining for its low stress factor. (Stuffing clams is a lot of work!) Serve this easy healthy recipe with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.

This grilled zucchini recipe is perfect for summertime bumper crops of zucchini. The tomato-mint relish would be great on all sorts of grilled vegetables.

A mix of cool, crunchy vegetables gives this healthy salad satisfying bite for a perfect potluck side.

Need a new chicken dinner idea? Try this grilled chicken and vegetable dish from chef Rick Bayless. Grilling the chicken and summer vegetables is a no-brainer, but in colder months, you may wish to move indoors and roast the chicken, along with some root vegetables. Whatever the weather, it's worth seeking out piloncillo for the beer glaze. This unrefined sugar used in Mexican cooking is made from evaporated cane juice. Its complex caramelized flavor balances any bitterness in the beer. Look for it in Latin markets and online.

These grilled chicken wings get that wonderful mix of sweet and spicy flavors from honey and harissa. Most grills cook unevenly, so it's important to keep these wings moving around to ensure crispy skin without burning. Traditional chicken wing sides--carrots and celery--cook right alongside the chicken for a quick dinner on the grill.

Portobello mushrooms stand in for meat patties in this recipe for veggie burgers with all the fixings. Mushrooms are a source of glutamate, a naturally occurring compound that gives the fungi their umami flavor. But to really give these "patties" a savory boost, we brush them with steak sauce. Add a simple side salad or some grilled veggies for a satisfying and easy dinner on the grill.

A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavors.

Cilantro and pumpkin seeds stand in for traditional pesto ingredients in this easy salad recipe. Look for peaches in July and August, when they are at their peak. Serve the salad along with grilled chicken or fish for a healthy dinner that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

These healthy salmon burgers call for canned salmon, which makes them an economical and easy dinner. The quick-pickled cucumbers in this recipe are a great introduction to the world of pickling. If you enjoy them, you can make additional batches by following Steps 1 and 2.

Pressed for time? This one-dish side combines potato salad and green beans, so all you need to add is a main dish. Use multicolored baby potatoes, if available, to add even more color to this salad. Serve this salad along with grilled chicken or fish for a healthy dinner that's full of summer flavors.

Don't toss those stems! Broccoli stems are high in fiber and mildly sweet in flavor. Peeled and thinly sliced, they lend a sweet crunch to this healthy broccoli salad. An herb-filled buttermilk green goddess dressing and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds make this salad really special.

For this easy grilled pork tenderloin recipe, both the pork and the salsa ingredients are cooked on the BBQ, so you don't have to heat up the kitchen to prepare a healthy summer dinner. Grilling stone fruit caramelizes its sugars, enhances its sweetness and infuses it with smoky flavor. Any combination of peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots will work in this salsa--use 3 medium fruit total or about 4 to 5 small fruit. Try the salsa on chicken or fish too.

This scrumptious and healthy salad combines elements of Caesar salad, pasta salad and chicken salad for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes (and most of the prep can be done ahead). Use your blender to whip together the tangy buttermilk-based dressing, which would also be great on a salmon or chickpea salad.

This healthy summer salad is bursting with Mediterranean flavors and takes just 10 minutes to prepare. Serve it alongside grilled chicken, pork or fish or as part of a vegetarian spread. If you can't find Campari tomatoes or Persian cucumbers, feel free to swap them for whatever variety looks the best at your farmers' market.