7-Day DASH Diet Dinner Meal Plan

The DASH diet has been shown to help lower blood pressure, lose weight, and improve overall health. Here are seven dinner dishes to try this week to get started.

Since the 1990s, the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has offered a healthy and straightforward approach to eating. Initially created to help lower high blood pressure, research shows it also helps to lower the risk of adverse cardiac events, stroke, diabetes and obesity, according to a 2021 report in the National Library of Medicine's resource, StatPearls.

The guidelines are simple: Load up on fruits and veggies, choose whole grains over refined, include calcium-rich low-fat dairy items and eat modest amounts of lean meat and fish. With this 7-day meal plan, we make it even easier to follow the DASH Diet with a week's worth of healthy and delicious dinners.

Read More: The DASH Diet: The Best Diet You (Probably) Haven't Tried

Day 1

Chicken & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt Sauce

Greek Chicken & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt Sauce

Chicken & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt Sauce: Cucumbers do double duty in this healthy chicken pita recipe—they're grated to lend a refreshing flavor to the quick cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced to provide cool crunch tucked into the pita. These Mediterranean-style stuffed pitas make for a healthy dinner and are just as delicious for lunch the next day (wait to assemble the sandwich just before serving so the pita doesn't get soggy).

Meal-Prep Tip: Cook up an extra 12 ounces of chicken to use in the Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables recipe on Day 4.

Day 2

Chhole (Chickpea Curry)

chickpea curry (chhole)

Chhole (Chickpea Curry): Made with convenient canned beans, this quick and healthy recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. Seriously—it's ready in only 15 minutes. If you want to add in even more veggies, stir in some roasted cauliflower florets. Serve this warming curry over brown basmati rice or with warm naan bread to round out the meal.

Day 3

Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing

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Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing: Curly kale forms the base of this superfood veggie salad but you could use chard or spinach as alternatives. We add in a multitude of chopped veggies, like broccoli, cabbage and carrots, top it with rich salmon for protein and finish with a drizzle of creamy yogurt dressing to bring it all together.

Day 4

Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables

Lemon-Tahini Coucous with Chicken & Vegetables

Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables: When you want pasta in no time, couscous is your best friend! The tiny pasta balls cook up in minutes, and absorb all the water so you don't have to fuss with draining. Tossed with plenty of sautéed vegetables plus leftover chicken, it's a fast and tasty meal in a bowl that's perfect as an easy dinner recipe.

Day 5

Big Beautiful Summer Salad

Salad with radish corn edamame and chickpeas

Big Beautiful Summer Salad: This gorgeous, healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Alter this salad however you wish, depending on what's fresh at the grocery store and in season. Serve with a chunk of whole-wheat baguette drizzled with olive oil for an easy weeknight dinner.

Day 6

Noodle-Less Lasagna

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Noodle-Less Lasagna: Slices of roasted eggplant and zucchini act as the noodles in this healthy veggie-packed lasagna recipe. Layered with classic lasagna fillings, like crushed tomatoes, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and Italian herbs and spices, this delicious lasagna recipe makes for a healthy dinner you'll turn to time and time again.

Day 7

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp

overhead shot of pasta with shrimp in a blue bowl

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp: In this healthy take on a creamy pasta recipe, whole-milk yogurt is used in place of cream to create a silky smooth sauce that will leave you craving for more. Lemon and fresh basil brighten up the whole-wheat pasta and complement the shrimp. The addition of peppery arugula greens and Parmesan cheese round everything out in this quick dinner recipe.

Watch: How to Make 15-Minute Chickpea Curry

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