25 Diabetes-Friendly Fall Dinners You'll Want to Make Forever
These recipes are all about highlighting delicious fall flavors and produce, like sage, sweet potatoes, winter squash and more. Each dinner focuses on complex carbohydrates and is low in saturated fat and sodium, so you can stick to a diabetes-appropriate diet while you enjoy your favorite fall dishes. Recipes like our Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry and Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens are healthy, tasty meals you'll want to make all season long.
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Roast Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
This sheet-pan dinner combines chicken thighs and sweet potatoes for a healthy dinner that cooks up fast in a very hot oven. Serve with a fall salad of mixed greens, sliced apples and blue cheese.
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Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry
This comforting and creamy slow-cooker soup is loaded with earthy, umami flavor from the mushrooms and soy sauce. Puréeing only some of the slow-cooker mushroom soup gives the dish complex texture and eye appeal. Garnish with additional black pepper and chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
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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Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime--inspired by Mexican street corn--makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor.
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Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens
This hearty salad comes together with little effort, since the squash and chicken can roast together on the same sheet pan. Prep the dressing and the salad greens while the chicken is roasting.
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Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon
Salmon and walnuts are both great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Pair this easy salmon recipe with a simple salad and a side of roasted potatoes or quinoa.
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Curried Sweet Potato & Peanut Soup
In this flavorful soup recipe, sweet potatoes simmer in a quick coconut curry, resulting in a creamy, thick broth punctuated by notes of garlic and ginger. We love peanuts for their inexpensive price and versatile flavor. They're also a great source of protein--1 ounce has 7 grams.
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Creamy Mustard Chicken
In this healthy, creamy mustard chicken recipe, thin-sliced chicken breasts (sometimes labeled chicken cutlets) cook quickly and are delicious smothered in a velvety, light mustard sauce and garnished with fresh chopped sage. If you can't find chicken cutlets, cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into 4-ounce pieces and place between pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet, rolling pin or heavy skillet until flattened to about 1/2 inch thick.
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Irish Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables
In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can--its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you'd like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment--Ploughmans chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.
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Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts
This easy sheet-pan recipe brings together many fall favorites into a hearty dinner.
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Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
Got leftover cooked chicken or turkey? Cook up a pot of soup! This recipe is a healthier twist on a classic creamy turkey and wild rice soup that hails from Minnesota. Serve with a crisp romaine salad and whole-grain bread.
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Chicken & Sweet Potato Grill Packets with Peppers & Onions
Cook your whole meal in a packet on the grill with this easy veggie-loaded recipe. The Mexican-inspired seasoning makes the chicken and veggies taste great served with warm tortillas and your favorite taco toppings for a healthy dinner.
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Four-Bean & Pumpkin Chili
This healthy vegetarian chili has a fragrant touch of cinnamon for added flavor. Let diners top it with whatever suits their taste.
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Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms
Sliced Brussels sprouts and mushrooms cook quickly and cling to the pasta in our fall version of pasta primavera. Look for presliced mushrooms to cut prep time. Serve with a tossed salad.
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Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips
The spice blend in this healthy beef stew recipe--cinnamon, allspice and cloves--may conjure images of apple pie, but the combo is a great fit in savory applications too. Serve over creamy polenta or buttered whole-wheat egg noodles.
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Roasted Autumn Vegetables & Chicken Sausage for Two
In this sheet-pan dinner recipe, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, garlic and sausage all roast on one pan. Pick whatever variety of chicken sausage you prefer but we're partial to the flavor of chicken-apple in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of whole-grain mustard.
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Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes
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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Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Chicken and sweet potatoes unite with the delicious taste of rosemary in this easy, one-skillet meal. Because we use parcooked and unseasoned sweet potatoes, the cooking time is much shorter--making this recipe perfect for weeknight cooking.
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Rice Noodles with Butternut Squash & Five-Spice Shrimp
Noodle dishes like this one are often served as part of a Chinese New Year's celebration to symbolize a long, healthy life. In this easy recipe, butternut squash adds another layer of meaning with a golden color evocative of a prosperous year to come.
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Chicken, Arugula & Butternut Squash Salad with Brussels Sprouts
Hot roasted vegetables lightly wilt the arugula in this healthy dinner salad recipe. Keep prep time minimal with leftover chicken, precut butternut squash and trimmed Brussels sprouts.
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Pumpkin Seed Salmon with Maple-Spice Carrots
Because this one-pan meal is ready in just 35 minutes, it's a good choice for a healthy recipe after you've had a long day at the office. Maple-spiced carrots cook alongside pepita-crusted salmon fillets and deliver amazing taste and nutrition in a dinner the whole family will devour.
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Smoked Turkey, Kale & Rice Bake
This hearty one-skillet dinner is loaded with celery, kale, tomatoes and quick-cooking brown rice. It's easy to make the recipe vegetarian by substituting smoked tofu for the turkey.
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Persian-Style Butternut Squash Soup
Swap out your basic butternut squash soup for this fragrant version that includes sweet potato and a medley of spices like cinnamon, cumin, coriander and saffron. A drizzle of maple syrup and a few drops of orange water brighten the flavors, while a sprinkle of sumac adds a pop of color and a tangy edge. This healthy butternut squash soup would be a wonderful starter for your Thanksgiving meal.
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Baked Frittata with Butternut Squash, Kale & Sage
This easy frittata recipe is full of fall flavors, thanks to creamy butternut squash, plenty of fresh sage, and earthy lacinato kale.
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Corn Chowder with Bacon
Pureeing some of the corn-and-potato mixture in a blender gives this soup rich creaminess without much cream. Red bell pepper imparts a beautiful golden hue to the chowder (and is a great source of vitamin C). For a final touch, a little bacon crumbled over this easy corn chowder recipe goes a long way.