34 Diabetes-Friendly Sunday Dinners for Weight Loss

November 01, 2020

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For Sunday’s menu, make a diabetes-friendly dinner recipe. These recipes meet the requirements for low saturated fat, sodium and calories, so it’s easy to eat nutritiously. Each of these dinners is also high in fiber, which is important if you’re looking to slim down. Recipes like California Turkey Burgers & Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Instant Pot Goulash are satisfying, flavorful and can help you follow a diabetes-friendly diet with ease.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls

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Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked on the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make and the cleanup is easy too.

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Chilean Lentil Stew with Salsa Verde

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This healthy vegetarian recipe is hearty and satisfying. Don't skip the parsley relish (salsa verde)--it's easy to make and lends a tangy accent that balances the flavors of the lentil stew. We prefer French green lentils for this stew, as they don't fall apart while cooking; however, regular brown lentils (found in most supermarkets) will also work.

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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.

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Chicken & Vegetable Penne with Parsley-Walnut Pesto

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Homemade pesto may seem daunting, but in this quick pasta recipe you can make a simple sauce in minutes while the pasta water comes to a boil. You can substitute frozen green beans and cauliflower for fresh; in Step 4, cook the frozen vegetables according to package directions before tossing with the pasta and pesto.

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California Turkey Burgers & Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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Inspired by an option at the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger, this turkey burger recipe keeps the carbs in check with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. The side of sweet potato fries bakes while you prep the burgers, so this entire healthy dinner is ready in under 30 minutes.

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Instant Pot "Corned" Beef & Cabbage

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In this healthy corned beef and cabbage recipe, we cut back the sodium but kept the classic flavor profile of this St. Patrick's Day staple. An Instant Pot (or other multicooker) tenderizes the beef quickly, making this easy to pull off even on a weeknight.

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Baked Halibut with Brussels Sprouts & Quinoa

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Fish plus two sides? It seems fancy but this healthy dinner comes together in just 30 minutes.

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Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Root Vegetables & Barley

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Be sure to use bone-in chicken here--it enhances the flavor of the broth, and the bones are easy to remove after cooking. This healthy chicken soup can be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

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Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta

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This entire healthy pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there's only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach.

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Instant Pot Goulash

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Your Instant Pot (or other multicooker) cuts hours off the cooking time of this Hungarian beef stew recipe. This Instant Pot goulash, a saucy dish flavored with caraway and smoked paprika, is served over whole-wheat egg noodles that cook while your multicooker works its magic. It's comfort food at its best!

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Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara

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Fresh pasta cooks up faster than dried, making it a must-have for fast weeknight dinners like this luscious yet healthy meal. Eggs are the base of the creamy sauce. They don't get fully cooked, so use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs if you prefer.

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Broccolini, Chicken Sausage & Orzo Skillet

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We love this quick skillet meal for busy evenings. The sausage and orzo simmer together in chicken broth, resulting in a creamy, risotto-like dish in under 30 minutes.

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Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole

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This easy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare, meaning that seared steak can be a weeknight meal. Cooking herbs in the pan with the steak releases their aroma, infusing it into the meat while creating a crispy garnish. After the steaks and herbs are pan-seared, the escarole is cooked in the same skillet, so this healthy dinner requires minimal cleanup too.

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Zucchini-Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Tahini-Ranch Sauce

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This vegan burger recipe is one you'll want to make again and again. Savory chickpea and zucchini patties are topped with a creamy, herb-flecked tahini ranch sauce, juicy tomato slices and peppery arugula for a satisfying and healthy homemade veggie burger. Serve them on buns or stuff them in pitas. We recommend making extra sauce--it's a great dip for veggie sticks and, thinned with a little water, it makes a wonderful salad dressing.

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Eggplant Tortilla Casserole

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This layered casserole is inspired by classic cheese enchiladas, minus the fuss of rolling and stuffing individual tortillas. You'd never guess that within this comforting Tex-Mex casserole hides a layer of thinly sliced eggplant. The thin slices become tender when roasted and add a subtle savory note.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

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This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.

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Salmon Tostadas with Citrus-Kale Slaw

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Citrus-chili marinated wild salmon takes center stage in this tostada recipe that's bursting with citrus-dressed kale and chunks of creamy avocado.

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Chicken Chili Verde

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Prepared salsa verde adds tang to this fast weeknight chili recipe and pairs beautifully with the rich caramelized chicken and creamy beans. Don't shy away from the poblano peppers. They offer a mild heat but deliver a depth of flavor you can't find in regular green bell peppers.

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Vegan Lasagna

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Silken tofu seasoned with cheesy-tasting nutritional yeast makes a flavorful vegan substitute for ricotta and Parmesan. Whole-wheat noodles and lots of veggies make this version healthier than a typical lasagna.

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Lamb & Lentil Shepherd's Pie

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This twist on a traditional Shepard's Pie recipe uses lentils and is garnished with fresh mint.

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Falafel Burgers

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Pureed chickpeas, seasoned with the characteristic flavors of falafel, make excellent veggie burgers. We use a two-stage method for cooking the patties, first browning them in a skillet and then finishing them in the oven. Garnish the burgers with tzatziki or tahini sauce (see associated recipes), pickled red onions, lettuce and tomatoes.

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Turkey & Brown Rice Chili

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This hearty turkey chili recipe takes just 35 minutes to prep. While it's cooking, you'll have time to throw together a green salad and warm up some crusty bread to complete the meal.

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Veggie-Filled Meat Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

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Zucchini noodles (or "zoodles") are all the rage as they're a healthy, gluten-free alternative to pasta. In this recipe, crisp-tender zoodles and sautéed mushrooms are served with a meaty tomato sauce. You'll be serving up more vegetables and we promise--nobody will miss the pasta!

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Slow-Cooker Chile-Orange Chicken Tacos

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A taco night favorite! Boneless chicken breasts cook low and slow in a chipotle-orange sauce until they're pull-apart tender, then are paired with a fresh avocado-orange salsa.

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Crispy Chickpea Grain Bowl with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Our favorite part of these vegetarian grain bowls is the tangy lemon vinaigrette, which ties together a satisfying combo of quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, and roasted chickpeas and kale. Whip them up for easy meal-prep lunches or a healthy and satisfying dinner.

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Pork Paprikash with Cauliflower "Rice"

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Cut carbs and calories by using cauliflower "rice" instead of regular rice in this 30-minute pork paprikash recipe.

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Spiced Lamb with Chickpeas

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This Indian-inspired lamb recipe is full of vegetables and exotic tasting spices. Served over chickpeas, it's a delicious and filling meal.

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Chicken Pasta Primavera

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Ready in under an hour, this pasta and veggie dish is perfect for any night of the week!

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Dijon Turkey with Apple-Sage Wheat Berries

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The turkey tenderloin in this recipe marinates in a Dijon mustard and sage mixture while the wheat berries cook in the slow cooker. Then they're both combined with apple wedges and cooked just a bit longer with the marinade. Delicious!

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Curried Shrimp with Cauliflower and Chickpeas

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In this delicious main dish, cauliflower is slow-cooked with curry powder and aromatic vegetables, and shrimp and chickpeas are added in towards the end of the cooking time. Served over brown basmati rice and sprinkled with cilantro and peanuts, this dish will get a thumbs up from anyone eating it!

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Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts

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This easy sheet-pan recipe brings together many fall favorites into a hearty dinner.

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Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema

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Avocado cuts some of the sour cream in our quick crema loaded with cilantro, for a healthier taco sauce that takes these shrimp tacos to the next level. Shrimp cook up super-fast, making them the ultimate taco filling for a fast weeknight dinner that's also impressive and delicious enough for a weekend dinner party.

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Seafood Enchiladas

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Seafood enchiladas are topped with a creamy but light sauce for rich flavor without all the extra calories.

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Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon, and Fennel

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This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.

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