18 Simple Heart-Healthy Recipes to Make with Pantry Staples

March 19, 2020

These heart-healthy recipes make the most of pantry staples. Feel free to swap out ingredients with the grains or vegetables you have on hand, any combination will be delicious! These recipes meet the American Heart Association’s guide for low sodium and reduced saturated fat, so you easily eat for a healthy heart. Recipes like Chickpea Potato Curry and Peanut Butter Energy Balls are tasty and great for any meal or snack throughout the day.

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Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls

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Meal-prep a week's worth of delicious and satisfying high-fiber lunches with just 5 simple ingredients and 20 minutes. In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad--shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store--this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019

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Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon

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Wondering what to do with leftover salmon? This is a delicious and easy way to turn it into another weeknight-friendly, quick dinner. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water--its starch thickens the lemon-garlic pasta sauce and makes it silky-smooth. Source: EatingWell Magazine, November 2019

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Skillet Chicken Potpie

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A store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies and precooked chicken simplify the prep for this easy potpie. This healthy dinner recipe is comfort food at its best. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine, Fall 2019

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Chickpea & Potato Curry

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This fast Indian-style curry comes together with ingredients you most likely have on hand, like frozen peas and canned tomatoes and chickpeas. Plus, using these spices shows how simple it is to make a curry sauce for an easy vegetarian recipe. Serve with whole-wheat naan to sop it all up. Source: EatingWell Magazine, November 2019

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Honey-Mustard Chicken with Asparagus Farrotto

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Risotto gets a whole-grain upgrade by swapping in farro (a type of wheat) for the white rice. The farrotto adds a chewy bite and nutty flavor, plus 4 extra grams of fiber per serving. Source: EatingWell Magazine, April 2020

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Waffle with Nut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Chips

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Top a whole-grain freezer waffle with nut butter, banana slices and chocolate chips for a decadent-tasting and healthy breakfast or snack you can whip up when you're short on time. This high-protein, high-fiber breakfast may be ready before your coffee is finished brewing. Source: EatingWell Magazine, September 2019

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Spaghetti & Zucchini Noodles with Basil-Walnut Pesto

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Basil is the backbone of this vibrant no-cook basil-walnut pesto sauce. Toss in some leftover roast chicken or pork with these zucchini noodles for a heartier meal. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine, Spring 2020

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Kale & Roasted Sweet Potato Hash

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This one-pan hash makes an easy fall dinner or a simple dish for a healthy brunch. You can even poach the eggs ahead of time--slip them into steaming-hot water to rewarm them just before serving. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine, Winter 2020

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Turkey, Pasta & Vegetable Soup

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This simple, clean turkey soup is full of vegetables and shredded turkey, making it perfect for after the holidays when you have leftovers on hand. Don't forget to save your Parmesan rinds! Adding one to a soup like this adds a rich umami flavor. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020

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Sheet-Pan Chili-Lime Salmon with Potatoes & Peppers

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Busy weeknights beg for something simple like this salmon sheet-pan dinner. Like the name suggests, it's all cooked on one pan. The potatoes get a head start, followed by sweet bell peppers and finally chili-coated salmon fillets. It's a complete meal with easy cleanup! Source: EatingWell.com, February 2020

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Peanut Butter Energy Balls

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These healthy peanut butter and chocolate energy balls deliver a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates to help fuel you up whenever you need a little boost. They're no-bake and easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand, like oats and nut butter. Feel free to experiment with different mix-ins--for example, dried fruit or chopped nuts--in place of the chocolate chips and coconut. Source: Eatingwell.com, August 2019

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Vegan Black Bean Burgers

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These easy vegan black bean burgers have a healthy dose of fiber thanks to the combination of black beans and quinoa. Cumin and chipotle chile powder give these vegan burgers a Southwestern spin. Using your hands to combine the mixture creates a soft, uniform texture. Source: EatingWell.com, February 2020

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Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale

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This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup. Source: EatingWell.com, March 2019

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Baked Banana-Nut Oatmeal Cups

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Muffins meet oatmeal in these moist and tasty grab-and-go oatmeal cups. Feel free to swap out the pecans for any other nut--walnuts would be great--or omit them altogether. Make a batch on the weekend and keep them in your fridge or freezer for quick and easy breakfasts all week. Reheat in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Source: EatingWell.com, June 2019

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Whole-Wheat Pizza with the Works

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With pizza-style Canadian bacon and a four-cheese blend to boost the seasonings, this mouthwatering pizza is loaded with flavor but has only 216 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

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Air-Fryer Crispy Chickpeas

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Air-fried chickpea snacks are intensely flavored and incredibly crunchy. Drying the chickpeas is essential to a good crunch, so don't skip this step. If you have time, leave them out on the counter to dry for an hour or two before frying. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2019

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Baked Broccoli-Cheddar Quinoa Bites

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These savory muffin-like quinoa bites are low in carbs and a good source of protein--plus we love their cheesy flavor. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine, Summer 2019

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Pear-Spiced Oatmeal

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This healthy breakfast combines hearty oatmeal with fresh pears, ginger, and cinnamon. It's ready in just 15 minutes and will keep your hunger at bay through lunch. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

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