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  6. 32 Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You'll Want to Make This Spring

32 Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You'll Want to Make This Spring

Leah Goggins headshot
Leah Goggins Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD March 05, 2022
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
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a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing

One look at the fresh fruits and veggies in the produce department is enough to get us excited about spring—that's why we packed these delicious dinners with ingredients like spinach, broccoli, asparagus and peas for lots of fresh flavor. Plus, a focus on complex carbs, like whole grains, and heart-healthy levels of saturated fat and sodium means you can trust that these meals can fit into a diabetes-friendly eating plan with ease. Recipes like our Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing and Spinach-Mushroom Frittata with Avocado Salad are tasty enough to keep on the menu all season long.

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Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing
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For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

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Greek Grilled Salmon Kebabs with Tzatziki & Green Beans

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This easy grilled salmon recipe is sure to help you win your next backyard BBQ. Lemon, garlic and herbs make a simple, flavorful marinade for the healthy fish souvlaki (souvlakia is the Greek word for kebabs), and the yogurt-based tzatziki sauce is one of the traditional pleasures of Mediterranean cuisine. A side of Greek-style green beans completes this healthy dinner recipe that's as suited to entertaining as it is to family meals.

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Chinese Crispy Noodles with Tofu & Peanut Sauce

Chinese Crispy Noodles with Tofu & Peanut Sauce
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This peanut-tofu noodles dish is inspired by chow mein, a Chinese-American dish featuring fried noodles. Pan-crisping the noodles here mimics the crunch of the traditional dish, but limits the saturated fat. Look for Chinese noodles or lo mein noodles in the Asian or international aisle of major grocery stores.

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Spinach-Mushroom Frittata with Avocado Salad

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Frittatas are like omelets, only easier--and they taste great hot, warm or cold. This vegetable-packed version is spiked with Mediterranean flavor and paired with a cool salad of lemony cucumbers and tomatoes with creamy avocado. This easy recipe is perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner!

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Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Ep. 9: Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Credit: Joy Howard
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Broccoli—just like pasta—makes a tasty pairing with sharp Cheddar. Here, we've combined all three ingredients in a homey casserole that's baked in a cast-iron skillet. Replacing some of the pasta in the dish with vegetables makes it more nutritious and helps you cut down on carbs.

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Easy Jamaican Jerk Chicken Legs with Cabbage Slaw

Milas easy jamaican jerk chicken with steamed cabbage
Credit: Joy Howard
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A complex marinade including ginger, lime, cinnamon and habaneros makes these oven-baked drumsticks delightfully savory with a spicy kick. A simple cabbage slaw, which comes together in minutes, is the perfect accompaniment.

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Chicken Sausage & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken Sausage & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
Credit: Jamie Vespa
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This one-pan pasta combines tasty chicken sausage and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. It's a quick and easy weeknight dinner everyone is sure to love. This recipe is a variation on our Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan, which is a super-popular recipe developed by Devon O'Brien.

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Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios

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Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup!

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Grilled Chicken with Farro & Roasted Cauliflower

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You can find farro in most grocery stores, near the rice. If you can't find farro, you can use wheat berries or brown rice instead; cook according to package directions.

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Sheet-Pan Orange-Apricot Drumsticks

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In this easy sheet-pan dinner, a sweet-and-savory glaze and a colorful medley of vegetables transform ordinary drumsticks into a satisfying meal.

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Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame

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Bursting with nutrient-rich produce, this California-inspired salad is a delicious and satisfying way to get your vitamins. We love the unique combination of blueberries, edamame, and goat cheese.

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Stir-Fried Green Beans with Steak & Peanuts

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Fish sauce, a pungent Southeast Asian condiment, gives this easy stir-fry a flavor punch, but you can use reduced-sodium soy sauce instead. Add more or less crushed red pepper to adjust the heat.

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Sheet-Pan Harissa Chicken & Vegetables

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This one-pan dinner gets a hit of flavorful heat from harissa, the popular North African chile-and-garlic paste. We use harissa paste from a tube for this recipe. It's got a concentrated chile flavor that makes an excellent spice rub for chicken and adds a subtle punch of heat to a refreshing herbed yogurt sauce.

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Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom Pizzas with Arugula Salad

Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom Pizzas with Arugula Salad
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Roasted portobello mushrooms stand in for pizza crust in these comforting individual "pizzas." An easy arugula side salad makes a vibrant accompaniment.

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Spring Veggie Wraps

Spring Veggie Wraps
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A tangy tahini-ginger-soy mixture both marinates the tofu and serves as a sauce for this colorful veggie wrap recipe. Look for spinach tortillas for an additional pop of green.

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Goddess Veggie Bowls with Chicken

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Dark green dinosaur kale contrasts with the warm tones of bell peppers and tomatoes in these hearty chicken and veggie bowls.

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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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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.

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Buttermilk Fried Tofu with Smoky Collard Greens

Buttermilk Fried Tofu with Smoky Collard Greens
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Dipping tofu in buttermilk makes the coating stick for a crispy pan-fried tofu, reminiscent of fried chicken. Spicing up the collards with paprika coats them with smoky flavor while keeping this dish vegetarian. And this quick, easy and healthy dinner comes together in just 25 minutes, so it's great for busy weeknights.

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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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Sesame-Garlic Beef & Broccoli with Whole-Wheat Noodles

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A savory marinade with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil infuses flavor into sirloin steak pieces in this healthy beef and broccoli stir-fry recipe. Tip: Partially freeze the beef for easier slicing.

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Lemon Chicken Pasta

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In this easy lemon chicken pasta recipe, we love the combination of lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs. This healthy dinner is made with rotisserie chicken, quick-cooking spiralized zucchini and baby zucchini, so you get a complete meal in just 10 minutes.

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Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans

Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans
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Sweet-salty hoisin sauce and nutty sesame team up in this easy meal that's cooked on one baking sheet. Serve this sesame chicken with brown rice and sliced cucumbers, drizzled with sesame oil and rice vinegar.

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Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema

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Pile vegetables and black beans onto crisp tostadas and top them off with lime crema for a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love. Charring the vegetables under the broiler infuses them with smoky flavor while cooking them quickly.

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Cabbage Lo Mein

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Jam-packed with a colorful medley of vegetables, this classic noodle dish relies on a bold sesame-soy sauce to tie all the flavors and textures together.

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Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce

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This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.

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Shrimp and Pea Pod Stir-Fry

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Pea pods were made for stir-fry dishes. This subtly flavored recipe calls for snow peas, but you could easily substitute snap peas. Serve with brown rice for a balanced and nutritious meal.

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Salmon and Asparagus

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This quick-and-easy recipe is loaded with bold flavors and combines heart-healthy salmon with roasted or grilled asparagus. We recommend roasting or grilling the salmon and asparagus together to save time. To ramp up the flavor in this dish, use a dab of extra-virgin olive oil, snipped fresh parsley, finely shredded lemon peel, and ground black pepper.

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Baked Fish Tacos with Avocado

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Instead of deep-frying, the fish fillets in this quick-and-easy 5-ingredient recipe are coated with a flavorful seasoning blend and baked. Several varieties of flaky white fish can be used for these tacos. When you go to the market to purchase fish, the best strategy is to be flexible and choose the variety that looks freshest that day.

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Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

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In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.

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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
Credit: Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila
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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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Chipotle-Orange Broccoli & Tofu

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Chipotle peppers add kick to this tofu and broccoli stir-fry recipe. If you're shy about spice, cut back on the amount or leave them out completely. Serve over brown basmati rice.

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    1 of 32 Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing
    2 of 32 Greek Grilled Salmon Kebabs with Tzatziki & Green Beans
    3 of 32 Chinese Crispy Noodles with Tofu & Peanut Sauce
    4 of 32 Spinach-Mushroom Frittata with Avocado Salad
    5 of 32 Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese
    6 of 32 Easy Jamaican Jerk Chicken Legs with Cabbage Slaw
    7 of 32 Chicken Sausage & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
    8 of 32 Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios
    9 of 32 Grilled Chicken with Farro & Roasted Cauliflower
    10 of 32 Sheet-Pan Orange-Apricot Drumsticks
    11 of 32 Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame
    12 of 32 Stir-Fried Green Beans with Steak & Peanuts
    13 of 32 Sheet-Pan Harissa Chicken & Vegetables
    14 of 32 Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom Pizzas with Arugula Salad
    15 of 32 Spring Veggie Wraps
    16 of 32 Goddess Veggie Bowls with Chicken
    17 of 32 One-Pan Chicken & Asparagus Bake
    18 of 32 Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon
    19 of 32 Buttermilk Fried Tofu with Smoky Collard Greens
    20 of 32 Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
    21 of 32 Sesame-Garlic Beef & Broccoli with Whole-Wheat Noodles
    22 of 32 Lemon Chicken Pasta
    23 of 32 Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans
    24 of 32 Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema
    25 of 32 Cabbage Lo Mein
    26 of 32 Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce
    27 of 32 Shrimp and Pea Pod Stir-Fry
    28 of 32 Salmon and Asparagus
    29 of 32 Baked Fish Tacos with Avocado
    30 of 32 Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens
    31 of 32 Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
    32 of 32 Chipotle-Orange Broccoli & Tofu

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    32 Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You'll Want to Make This Spring
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