Diabetic Diet Recipes and Menus

Featured Recipes

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

This cheesy lasagna is full of spicy Italian turkey sausage, whole-wheat noodles, mushrooms and spinach. A serving of this version has about one-third the fat and saturated fat, and only half the calories of the original. Use soy-based sausage for a hearty vegetarian variation.

» Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

Asian Tofu Salad

The best thing about tofu - besides its nutritional value - is the way it carries other flavors, such as the tanginess of this sesame dressing. Serve this warm salad with crunchy breadsticks and a tall glass of iced jasmine tea.

» Asian Tofu Salad

Fennel-Crusted Salmon on White Beans

Delicious warm white beans and fennel are topped with succulent fennel-seed-crusted salmon for a double hit of flavor. For an extra-fresh look, set aside some additional chopped fennel fronds to use as a garnish.

» Fennel-Crusted Salmon on White Beans

Mustard-Maple Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is about as lean as it comes so it's a great healthy option, but it shouldn't be overcooked as it can dry out. Maple and mustard make a sweet-and-savory mahogany-colored sauce. A delicate note of sage gives it a wintery touch. Fresh thyme or rosemary also work if you prefer. Serve with barley, roasted squash and a Pinot Noir.

» Mustard-Maple Pork Tenderloin

Flemish Beef Stew

For this slow-cooker interpretation of Carbonnades Flamandes, a Flemish stew made with beer, if you can't find a brown ale, use a strong, dark beer (but not a stout).

» Flemish Beef Stew

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup

Classic comfort food is yours, in just slightly more than half an hour. Serve with some crusty whole-grain bread and top with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

» Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup

Red Curry with Vegetables

Red Thai curry paste, which flavors this dish, is a convenient blend of chile peppers, garlic, lemongrass and galanga (a root that's similar in flavor to ginger). It can pack a lot of heat, so be sure to taste as you go. Look for the curry paste in jars or cans in the Asian section of the supermarket or specialty store. Make it a Meal: Ladle the stew over rice to soak up every bit of the delicious sauce.

» Red Curry with Vegetables

Options abound in this collection of diabetes-appropriate recipes.

“It’s time to debunk the myth of the ‘diabetic diet,’” says EatingWell nutrition editor and author Joyce Hendley. If you have diabetes, you don’t have to eat special foods or be excluded from what “everyone else” is eating. Current guidelines for diabetes are, in fact, the same as those for the population at large. “Everyone else,” says Hendley, “should be taking their cue from what’s on your plate.”

Most of our diabetes-appropriate recipes are low in calories (and between 1 to 2 1/2 carbohydrate servings), but any EatingWell recipe can fit into your diet. That’s because they are based on core principles:

* No food is a magic bullet or forbidden fruit
* Variety and sensible portions are key
* Whole foods trump processed foods
* Plant foods should be embraced, along with low-fat dairy, fish, lean meats and poultry
* Unsaturated “good fats” and interesting seasonings keep food tasty and healthy; saturated and trans fats weigh it down

Enjoy these delicious diabetes-appropriate recipes and menus. For further exploration, see our EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook.