Healthy Japanese Recipes for Weeknights

Updated September 23, 2019
Enjoy Japanese food in the comfort of your own home with these easy and delicious recipes that are perfect for busy weeknights. From soups to noodles, these recipes are loaded with flavor, fiber-rich veggies and protein. Eat up!
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Miso Vegetable Soup

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Tofu, rice and plenty of vegetables transform miso soup from a light accompaniment into a dish that's substantial enough to leave you feeling satisfied.

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Edamame & Salmon Stir-Fry with Miso Butter

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One bite of this healthy stir-fry recipe and you'll start thinking about what else you can stir miso butter into. Spread the miso butter on roast chicken or toss it with steamed vegetables. Serve with rice noodles or brown rice.

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Chicken Yakitori with Broccoli

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Yakitori--chicken skewers common in Japan--get a thick soy glaze before and after grilling for maximum flavor in this healthy dinner recipe. Double or triple the recipe for a fun party appetizer. Serve with steamed short-grain brown rice or over rice noodles drizzled with the extra sauce.

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Pork & Turnip Miso Ramen

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Ramen gets a healthy makeover in this “spiralized” vegetable noodle recipe. We swap noodles made from mild turnips for ramen noodles, but other vegetables, such as zucchini or yellow squash, would also make noodles perfect for this Asian-inspired recipe. Serve with sriracha hot sauce for a kick.

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Spinach Salad with Japanese Ginger Dressing

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This spinach salad tossed with spunky ginger dressing was inspired by the iceberg salads served at Japanese steakhouses across the U.S. Add shrimp for lunch or a light supper.

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Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl

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Here's the quintessence of Japanese home cooking: an aromatic, protein-rich broth served over rice. Admittedly, Japanese cooking leans heavily on sugar--for a less traditional taste, you could reduce or even omit the sugar.

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Smoked Salmon Maki Rolls

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Skip the rice and just use seaweed to make these healthy sushi rolls filled with smoked salmon, avocado, carrot and cucumber. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

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Inside-Out California Rolls with Mango & Spicy Mayo

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Skip the takeout and try this easy sushi recipe at home. A twist on the classic California roll, these are as much fun to make as they are to eat. Rolling with the rice on the outside takes a little extra dexterity but the eye-catching sushi-bar results make it worth it.

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Miso Soup Cup of Noodles with Shrimp & Green Tea Soba

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Green tea soba noodles, or cha soba, are buckwheat noodles made with powdered green tea, which imparts a subtle grassy note and pretty color. You can find them in Japanese markets or online. Regular buckwheat soba noodles work just as well in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar noodle soup.

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Chicken Katsu with Creamy Slaw

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This crispy Japanese chicken recipe comes complete with a creamy warm slaw on the side. Serve with steamed brown rice or buckwheat soba noodles to round out the meal. We like to use chicken cutlets made with dark-meat chicken thighs—they have more than twice the immune-boosting zinc of white-meat chicken breasts.

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Shrimp Hand Rolls with Coconut-Curry Dipping Sauce

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Set out all the ingredients for these healthy hand rolls so diners can have fun making their own. Look for bean thread noodles—sometimes labeled vermicelli, mung bean or cellophane noodles—along with sheets of nori (seaweed) in the Asian section of most supermarkets.

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Miso Soup with Clams & Spinach

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The round, rich taste (also known as umami) of miso soup perfectly complements plump, briny clams. For the base of the soup you can use just water and miso, which you can find at most supermarkets. But if you can find dashi granules, they're worth adding for a more intense umami taste.

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Chipotle-Sesame Noodles with Steak

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Ramen noodles are tossed with a chipotle-soy sauce in this healthy sesame noodle recipe. Be sure to rinse the noodles until they're cold, then give them a good shake in the colander until they're well drained. Are you a spiralizing pro? Swap 5 cups of raw zucchini, carrot or other veggie “noodles” for the cooked pasta.

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