Healthy Diabetes-Friendly Potluck Recipes

August 27, 2019
Heading to a party or potluck? Make one of EatingWell’s diabetes-friendly recipes that everyone will love, such as macaroni salad with creamy avocado dressing or classic marinara meatballs. Just don’t expect leftovers of these crowd-pleasing favorites.
Start Slideshow

1 of 23

Macaroni Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Give classic pasta salad a fresher, more flavorful spin. This fast pasta dish calls for avocado to replace some of the mayonnaise, which makes it extra creamy. Whole-wheat elbow macaroni and fresh vegetables lighten up this healthy pasta salad that you'll be making all summer long.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 23

Baked Beans with Ground Beef

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

3 of 23

Vegan Creamy Coleslaw

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Classic coleslaw goes vegan in this easy barbecue side dish recipe. Eggless or vegan mayonnaise's mild flavor is indistinguishable from regular mayo in this coleslaw flavored with Dijon and cider vinegar. Look for it in the condiment section of large grocery stores or natural-foods stores.

Advertisement

4 of 23

Chicken & Spring Vegetable Tortellini Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Store-bought tortellini and frozen peas keep things quick in this healthy 30-minute meal. Jazzed-up bottled salad dressing helps you go even faster. Look for one with 200 mg or less of sodium and 3 g or less of sugar per serving.

5 of 23

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These flourless cookies get their volume from whipped egg whites (like a meringue) instead of grains, making them gluten-free and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. A chocolate chip in each bite adds to the rich chocolate flavor.

6 of 23

Cauliflower-Potato Salad with Horseradish Dressing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Yep, there's cauliflower in this potato salad. It cuts down on the carbs and calories, and is a perfect match for our tangy horseradish dressing.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 23

Sesame Sugar Snap Peas

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This super-quick vegetable side dish comes together in no time. Fresh snap peas need only a few minutes in a hot skillet-just enough time to whip up a simple soy-ginger glaze.

8 of 23

Apple Slaw with Poppy Seed Dressing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Apples contribute a touch of sweetness to a traditional cabbage slaw, and pecans give it a delicious crunchy finish. To save time, substitute 3 cups prepared coleslaw mix for the sliced cabbage and shredded carrots.

9 of 23

Orzo Chicken Salad with Avocado-Lime Dressing

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The creamy quick-blend dressing is just the thing to top this inspired Southwest pasta salad. Both can be made a day ahead.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 23

Fresh Sweet Corn Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

We love fresh summer corn when it's in season, but frozen corn makes a great year-round substitute in this quick and easy side dish.

11 of 23

Chocolate-Covered Prosecco Strawberries

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Turn strawberries into a bite-size cocktail in this easy, festive recipe. Just soak the fruit in prosecco or your favorite wine overnight before dipping in chocolate for a classic treat with a boozy upgrade everyone will love.

12 of 23

Classic Deviled Eggs

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

We love the taste of dill relish in the filling of this deviled egg recipe, but if you like a sweeter deviled egg‚ opt for sweet relish instead. Our secret to healthy, creamy deviled eggs with fewer calories is to swap out half the full-fat mayo for nonfat Greek yogurt.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 23

Orange Fruit Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy melon, clementines and mango on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, purple and green) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

14 of 23

Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Seek out several varieties of heirloom tomatoes for this simple salad. Sweeter and juicier than conventional tomatoes, they add the perfect pop of color.

15 of 23

Roasted Baby Zucchini with Lemon Labneh

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This easy vegetable side dish shines alongside roasted or seared steak, chicken, shrimp or firm fish, such as cod or salmon. Sumac lends punchy, fruity, sour-lemon notes to this fast and simple recipe. Find ground sumac spice online, in specialty markets and in well-stocked grocery stores.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 23

Key Lime Mason Jar Cheesecakes

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These mini mason jar desserts are not only adorable; they also keep portion sizes in check! These beauties can be prepped in under 20 minutes.

17 of 23

Quick Broccoli Slaw

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Use up unused broccoli stems by making your own broccoli slaw instead of using the bagged slaw in this easy potluck favorite. Trim and peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler, then cut 3 cups of matchsticks with the julienne blade on a mandoline or by hand.

18 of 23

Spinach, Asian Pear & Chicken Salad

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Fragrant, crunchy Asian pears add a refreshing melon-like flavor to the healthy chicken salad recipe. Look for the large, brown, apple-shaped fruit in well-stocked supermarkets near other specialty fruit.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 23

Cider-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Everyone loves Brussels sprouts when they're drizzled in a tangy-sweet sauce. Plus, bacon! Serve with chicken, pork or steak and roasted potatoes.

20 of 23

Watermelon Fruit Pizza

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This refreshing fruit dessert pizza recipe swaps classic cookie crust with a healthier watermelon "crust." Topped with yogurt sauce, your favorite berries and mint, this fresh dessert can easily be doubled for a party or halved for every day.

21 of 23

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they're still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that's typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 23

Classic Marinara Meatballs

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

You can't go wrong with these classic marinara meatballs filled with applesauce, zucchini, and green onions.

23 of 23

Raspberry-Prosecco Pops

View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These pops are like a frozen Bellini, except the peach puree is swapped for raspberry in this frozen dessert recipe. Feel free to use leftover Prosecco here--the bubbles don't make it through the freezing process, but the flavor is delicious.

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next