Top 50 Healthy Recipes for Winter

August 27, 2019
Get fresh recipe inspiration with our top 50 recipes for winter. From healthy veggie-packed soups to casseroles and stews these recipes will help shake up your dinner table.Watch Video
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Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto & Shrimp

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Cut some carbs and use spiralized zucchini in place of noodles in this zesty pesto pasta dish recipe. Top with Cajun-seasoned shrimp to complete this quick and easy dinner.

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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Broccolini

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In this low-carb spaghetti squash lasagna recipe, garlicky broccolini, spaghetti squash and cheese are combined for a healthy take on a favorite casserole. This bakes right in the squash shells for a fun presentation. Serve with a big Caesar salad and some warm and crusty whole-grain bread.

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Sriracha-Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

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This recipe for spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites is a great vegetarian alternative to Buffalo wings. Roasted cauliflower stands in for chicken and provides more fiber and fewer calories. Serve this easy appetizer with carrot sticks, celery and your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing.

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Greek Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki

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Creamy tzatziki and crisp sliced cucumber add a refreshing twist to this easy Greek-inspired burger recipe loaded with feta, spinach and Mediterranean spices. No tzatziki? No problem! Make your own at home by combining plain Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon, dill and finely chopped cucumber.

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Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

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There's no pasta here, but this gluten-free and low-carb cauliflower "mac & cheese" is as comforting and creamy as your family's favorite cheesy dish.

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Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup

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Make a big batch of low-calorie veggie-packed soup with ease in this load-and-go crock pot recipe. After simmering away in the slow cooker, portion it into individual serving containers and store in the fridge or freezer for fast, healthy lunches or an easy, satisfying snack. This weight-loss vegetable soup fills you up without a lot of calories, plus it's an easy way to eat more vegetables.

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Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup

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In this healthy cauliflower soup recipe, roasting the cauliflower first adds depth and prevents the florets from turning to mush. A little tomato sauce and coconut milk give the broth a rich, silky texture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

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Cauliflower Chicken Fried "Rice"

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Get an extra serving of vegetables and cut back on carbs by replacing rice with riced cauliflower in this healthy chicken fried rice recipe.

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Butternut Squash Carbonara with Broccoli

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You've never had carbonara quite like this! Loaded with veggies, this spiralized veggie noodle recipe is a healthy copycat of a traditional carbonara recipe. Butternut squash gets spiralized into long, tender "noodles" for a lower-carb version of this creamy, cheesy pasta dish. Look for a squash with a large, straight neck to make the longest veggie noodles.

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Middle Eastern Chicken & Chickpea Stew

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This quick, protein-rich chicken stew recipe gets great flavor from cumin, lemon juice and garlic. Make a double batch and freeze it for a quick healthy dinner. Serve the stew with couscous and steamed broccoli.

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Slow-Cooker Honey-Orange Chicken Drumsticks

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This slow-cooker chicken recipe makes a perfect alternative to standard tomato-based barbecued chicken. Both kids and adults will devour these drumsticks, doused in a honey-sweetened sauce spiked with orange, ginger and garlic.

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Lemon-Garlic Marinated Shrimp

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Marinating precooked shrimp in garlic- and lemon-infused oil is a simple yet elegant appetizer.

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Slow-Cooker Moroccan Lentil Soup

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Like most soups, this Moroccan lentil soup recipe gets better with time as the complex seasonings have time to develop. Make it a day ahead if you can--this easy slow cooker/crock pot recipe variation makes it a cinch to get the soup cooking while you do other things.

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Cheese-&-Spinach-Stuffed Portobellos

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Here we take the elements of a vegetarian lasagna filling--ricotta, spinach and Parmesan cheese--and nestle them into roasted portobello mushroom caps. The recipe works best with very large portobello caps; if you can only find smaller ones, buy one or two extra and divide the filling among all the caps. Serve with a tossed salad and a whole-wheat dinner roll or spaghetti tossed with marinara sauce.

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Chickpea Curry (Chhole)

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Made with convenient canned beans, this quick and healthy Indian recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. If you want an additional vegetable, stir in some roasted cauliflower florets. Serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan.

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Spinach & Cheese Breakfast Skillet

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Eating a big healthy breakfast‚ like this 700-calorie hash-and-egg recipe‚ may help lower your levels of ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger, and reduce snack cravings later in the day. Plus, research shows eating the bulk of your daily calories earlier in the day could help you lose weight. If you're looking for a lighter breakfast, this recipe can serve two.

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Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl

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This chipotle-flavored burrito bowl recipe is even better than takeout and just as fast. Loading it with vegetables and using quinoa in place of rice adds nutrition for a healthy dinner.

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Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

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Roasting isn't usually the first cooking method you think of for cauliflower but the results are quite delicious. The florets are cut into thick slices and tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and herbs. Wherever the flat surfaces come into contact with the hot roasting pan, a deep browning occurs that results in a sweet, nutty flavor.

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Hasselback Caprese Chicken

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Using the hasselback technique (cutting crosswise slits every half-inch along the chicken breast) cooks the chicken faster and ensures you get a burst of flavorful gooey filling with each bite. This quick one-pan high-protein and veggie-packed dinner is easy to make and the whole family will love it.

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Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

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Sure, the slow cooker's great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.

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Spicy White Chili

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Top this spicy chili with hot sauce if you love the heat.

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Wine & Tomato Braised Chicken

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Here chicken thighs cook in a simple herb-infused tomato-and-wine sauce. The bone-in thighs give it plenty of hearty flavor, and since you cook them without the skin, it keeps the dish healthy. There's plenty of sauce, so serve it over pappardelle or brown rice. Steamed broccoli or sautéed broccoli rabe tossed with olive oil and a splash of lemon juice complete the meal.

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Brazilian Black Bean Soup

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Brazil's cuisine often features smoky, grilled meats, but this healthy vegetarian bean soup recipe is completely meat-free. Instead, blackened jalapeños, fire-roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika provide the Brazilian flair. A little molasses adds a sweet-toasty note, and the kale, while not traditional, bumps up your daily veggie count.

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Almond-Crusted Chicken Strips

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Give these oven "fried" chicken strips a try, and you may just find the perfect healthy swap for restaurant chicken fingers.

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Chipotle Ranch Chicken Casserole

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Simplify weeknight dinnertime by transforming leftover slow-cooked chicken (see associated recipe, below) into an easy, cheesy casserole.

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Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Known as Tuna-Pea Wiggle to some, this family-friendly tuna noodle casserole tends to be made with canned soup and whole milk, which means high fat and sodium. We remedy this by making our own creamy mushroom sauce with nonfat milk thickened with a bit of flour. Look for whole-wheat egg noodles--they have more fiber than regular egg noodles (but this dish will work well and taste great with either).

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Chicken Stew with Turnips & Mushrooms

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In this healthy chicken stew recipe, we save prep time by using pre-sliced mushrooms and pre-chopped kale (found near packaged fresh greens). If you don't like turnips, potatoes are an easy substitution.

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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

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Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.

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Broccoli-Cheddar-Chicken Chowder

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In this healthy broccoli-Cheddar-chicken chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened chicken broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own homemade creamy broccoli, Cheddar and chicken chowder, you'll save up to 300 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium per serving compared to many store-bought or restaurant chowders.

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Inside-Out Lasagna

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Here we take basic lasagna ingredients--ricotta cheese, pasta and tomatoes--and skip the layering and long baking time to make a super-quick and satisfying meal for the whole family. To cut down on prep time, look for presliced mushrooms. For meat lovers, brown some crumbled turkey sausage along with the onions and garlic. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and whole-grain baguette.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

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Here we toss nutty roasted sprouts with a quick sun-dried tomato pesto.

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Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

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Sun-dried tomatoes and Romano cheese pack a flavorful punch along with the tantalizing aroma of fresh marjoram in this rustic Italian-inspired dish. Serve with sautéed fresh spinach or steamed broccolini.

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Southwestern Three-Bean & Barley Soup

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Serve this zesty bean and barley soup garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired.

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Delicata Squash & Tofu Curry

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This easy tofu curry, made with pretty delicata squash and hearty greens, cooks up in one skillet. To speed up the prep, use bagged chopped kale. Delicata squash's thin skin is tender when it's cooked, so there's no need to peel--another time saver. Serve with quinoa or brown rice.

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Slow-Cooker Black Bean-Mushroom Chili