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Our 20 Best Recipes of 2021

Leah Goggins headshot
Leah Goggins November 07, 2021
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Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Credit: Jamie Vespa

From saucy skillet dinners to simple vinaigrettes, these are the top 20 recipes people clicked on most in 2021. Featuring a range of soups, sides and entrées, these recipes kept us healthy, satisfied and satiated all year long. Recipes like our Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach & Mushroom Quiche are so delicious, we plan to keep them in rotation next year, too.

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Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Credit: Jamie Vespa
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A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe—the flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the shallots and the actual tomatoes help to add delicious flavor to the creamy sauce. Served with perfectly cooked salmon, you really can't go wrong with this easy 20-minute weeknight meal. This recipe is a variation on our insanely popular Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce recipe by Carolyn Malcoun.

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Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Chicken Cutlets with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce
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Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.

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Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette

Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
Credit: Eva Kolenko
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While a 1-to-2 acid-to-oil ratio is common for vinaigrette, shifting it to 1-to-1½ yields a dressing with a brighter flavor and fewer calories. That means for every ½ cup of acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, use 3/4 cup of oil. Here's a good all-purpose take on the formula.

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Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

Spinach & Mushroom Quiche
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This healthy vegetarian quiche recipe is as simple as it gets. It's a quiche without the fussy crust! It's filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Enjoy it for breakfast or brunch, or serve it with a light salad for lunch.

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American Goulash

American Goulash
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American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot.

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Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts

Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts
Credit: Jacob Fox
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Brussels sprouts get crispy and flavorful in the oven when they're "smashed" and seasoned with Parmesan cheese and everything bagel spice.

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Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry

Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry
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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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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
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This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken

Creamy-Chicken-Noodle
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This rich-tasting but better-for-you creamy chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time--look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you're really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
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This healthy pound cake recipe isn't just delicious--it also only requires one bowl to make. For the best cake texture, be sure to beat the sugar and butter together long enough in Step 2 to look creamy--the time it takes to get there varies according to the type of electric mixer you have. Serve with brunch or alongside a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup
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This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker recipe simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken is the key to making rich soup without adding broth.

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Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
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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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One-Pan Chicken & Asparagus Bake

One-Pan Chicken & Asparagus Bake
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In this chicken and asparagus recipe, we use one baking sheet to whip up dinner quickly, veggies included. Pounding the chicken thin helps it cook quickly alongside the carrots and potatoes, with asparagus rounding out the meal. This is one quick dinner recipe you'll be returning to again and again.

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Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup
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This easy carrot soup recipe is a great way to use up a bag of carrots that were forgotten in your produce drawer. The carrots cook together with aromatics like onions, garlic and fresh herbs before being puréed into a silky smooth soup that's delicious for dinner or packed up for lunch.

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Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta
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If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

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Easy Italian Wedding Soup

Bowl of Easy Italian Wedding Soup on a gray cloth background
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Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.

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One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach
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Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.

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Grilled Red Snapper

grilled red snapper
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This simple grilled snapper has clean flavors and a nice char flavor from the grill. It's well seasoned but not overly spicy. Serve along with grilled veggies or a fresh green salad to make it a meal.

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Spicy Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

Mexican Cabbage Soup
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Based on a popular weight-loss plan, this healthy cabbage soup recipe gets tons of flavor and a metabolism-boosting kick from spicy chiles.

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Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots Broccoli
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In this easy and healthy dinner recipe, sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thighs come with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken. The honey-soy-garlic marinade for the chicken does double duty as an irresistible sauce to drizzle over everything. Lining your baking sheet with foil will protect your pan from the sticky honey-soy-garlic sauce, so cleanup will be a breeze too. If you can't find small carrots, cut medium carrots in half lengthwise.

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    1 of 20 Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
    2 of 20 Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
    3 of 20 Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
    4 of 20 Spinach & Mushroom Quiche
    5 of 20 American Goulash
    6 of 20 Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts
    7 of 20 Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry
    8 of 20 Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
    9 of 20 Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken
    10 of 20 Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
    11 of 20 Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup
    12 of 20 Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
    13 of 20 One-Pan Chicken & Asparagus Bake
    14 of 20 Carrot Soup
    15 of 20 Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta
    16 of 20 Easy Italian Wedding Soup
    17 of 20 One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach
    18 of 20 Grilled Red Snapper
    19 of 20 Spicy Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup
    20 of 20 Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

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