26 Dinners to Lower Cholesterol & Support Healthy Aging

February 21, 2021

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As you get older, it’s important to enjoy a diet that’s packed with healthy nutrients. That’s why these dinner recipes are high in fiber, a key nutrient that can help remove excess cholesterol from your body. Delicious recipes like Chilean Lentil Stew with Salsa Verde and Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole also support a healthy heart by being low in saturated fat and sodium.

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Chicken & Cucumber Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

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We love the crunch from sliced cucumber and jicama in these savory chicken lettuce wraps. Serve with the simple peanut sauce for an easy dinner recipe that will impress kids and adults alike.

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Turkish Seared Tuna with Bulgur & Chickpea Salad

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This healthy tuna recipe combines many of Turkey's most beloved foods and flavors--fresh fish, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs and chickpeas. Cooking for two? Flake the two leftover tuna steaks and mix them into the remaining bulgur salad, then serve over lettuce for lunch the next day.

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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

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You'll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

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These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.

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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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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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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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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 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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White Bean Soup (Fassoulatha)

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A simple, rich stew of white beans. Serve with Mediterranean Tuna Panini.

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Ancho Chicken Breast with Black Beans, Bell Peppers & Scallions

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In this healthy chicken recipe, the meat is rubbed with ancho chile powder, a spice made from dried poblano peppers. It adds mild heat and subtle smokiness to the rub on the chicken, but you can use regular chili powder here instead. This recipe makes an extra 1/2 cup of the black bean mash--try it wrapped into a burrito for lunch or as a taco filling (see Tips, below).

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Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes, Beans & Almond Pesto

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Looking at a tangle of spaghetti squash tricks your brain into thinking you're about to eat a serving of eggy noodles, when in fact, you get a nice calorie and carb savings in this healthy recipe. Giving tomatoes a stint in a hot oven makes them candy-sweet.

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Baked Penne Florentine

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This comforting and flavorful vegetarian dish is packed with protein.

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Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes

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Tons of spice, corn and bell pepper give this healthy one-pot chicken chili recipe Southwestern flair. Serve with your favorite hot sauce, tortilla chips and a cold beer.

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Chicken with Bell Pepper & Hominy Stir-Fry

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Hominy is made by soaking dried corn kernels in lime to remove the tough hull and germ. The result looks like puffed-up corn, perhaps most notably enjoyed in the Mexican soup posole. In this healthy chicken stir-fry recipe, the hominy is added along with the vegetables to make a hearty dinner. Look for hominy in cans in the Latin section of large supermarkets. You'll need one 29-ounce can or two 15-ounce cans to get 2 cups. Toss leftovers into soup or salad.

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Ratatouille with White Beans & Polenta

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Tons of lightly cooked vegetables combine with white beans in this hearty vegetarian dinner recipe. It can also be served over bread, like bruschetta.

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Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

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This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.

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Bean & Butternut Tacos with Green Salsa

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Beans and roasted butternut squash make an outstanding vegetarian taco filling. For the best flavor, use fresh, good-quality chili powder and Mexican oregano. Look for both at Latin markets or in the bulk spice section at well-stocked natural-foods stores.

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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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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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Kumquat Tagine

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A tagine is a slow-cooked Moroccan stew (traditionally served over couscous)--but here it's quicker and (dare we say it?) tastier, thanks in large part to the bright spike of kumquats.

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Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage

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Though traditional stuffed cabbage recipes are made with meat, here Savoy cabbage leaves are stuffed with a combination of rice, mushrooms, onions, garlic and herbs for a healthy vegetarian stuffed cabbage recipe. The stuffed cabbage leaves gently bake in a simple tomato sauce. This easy stuffed cabbage recipe can be made ahead of time and baked just before serving.

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Southwestern Vegetable Chowder

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In this healthy vegetable chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened vegetable broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own creamy vegetarian 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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Cauliflower, Pancetta & Olive Spaghetti

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Don't ditch your pasta-cooking water! The flavorful liquid retains a touch of the pasta's starch, which helps your sauce cling to the pasta in this healthy pasta recipe.

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Roasted Root Veggies & Greens over Spiced Lentils

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This earthy bowl of lentils bursting with Middle Eastern flavors is topped with leftover roasted root veggies from a large batch for an easy weeknight dinner. Keep it vegan or add a drizzle of plain yogurt for extra richness.

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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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