Healthy Recipes Recipes for Specific Health Condition Healthy Diabetic Recipes Diabetic Dinner Recipes 20 Diabetes-Friendly Dinners You Can Make Ahead For Busy Weeks By Danielle DeAngelis Danielle DeAngelis Instagram Twitter Website Danielle DeAngelis is a rising journalist and current Fellow for EatingWell.com. Through her previous experiences as a news writer, she has focused on covering sustainability and human interest stories. Her passions of reading, writing and eating local all guide her in her position at EatingWell. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 8, 2022 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos You can make these healthy dinner recipes in advance to make mealtimes during busy weeks a breeze. Just whip up these meals and store them in your fridge or freezer for days to come. With complex carbs like whole grains and legumes, low amounts of saturated fat and sodium counts within our recipe parameters, these dishes fit well into a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. Recipes like our Chicken & Mushroom Shepherd's Pie and Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce taste just as delicious when reheated. 01 of 20 Chicken & White Bean Soup View Recipe Once again, rotisserie chickens can really relieve the dinner-rush pressure-especially in this Italian-inspired soup that cries out for a piece of crusty bread and a glass of red wine. 02 of 20 Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips View Recipe 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. 03 of 20 Chicken & Mushroom Shepherd's Pie View Recipe The creamy chicken filling is spiked with sherry and the potatoes are mashed with olive oil in this healthy shepherd's pie recipe. To make individual pies, use six 10-ounce ramekins. Serve with a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and crusty bread. 04 of 20 Three-Bean Chili View Recipe This rib-sticking bean chili is richly flavored with cumin, chili, paprika, oregano and an assortment of peppers. Use whatever beans you have in your pantry. 05 of 20 Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce View Recipe Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you're serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce. 06 of 20 Four-Bean & Pumpkin Chili View Recipe This healthy vegetarian chili has a fragrant touch of cinnamon for added flavor. Let diners top it with whatever suits their taste. 07 of 20 Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad View Recipe This scrumptious and healthy salad combines elements of Caesar salad, pasta salad and chicken salad for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes (and most of the prep can be done ahead). Use your blender to whip together the tangy buttermilk-based dressing, which would also be great on a salmon or chickpea salad. 08 of 20 Eggplant Tortilla Casserole View Recipe 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. 09 of 20 Chicken-Spaghetti Squash Bake View Recipe In this version of a chicken-and-broccoli casserole, spaghetti squash takes on a creamy texture when baked with cream of mushroom soup. 10 of 20 White Turkey Chili View Recipe This healthy white turkey chili recipe is gorgeous, with flecks of green from zucchini, oregano and green chiles. To keep the saturated fat low, we use one pound of ground turkey and add whole-grain bulgur to boost the volume and fiber in this chili recipe. After all the ingredients are added to the pot, we like to slowly simmer our chili for close to an hour to develop the best flavor, but if you're in a hurry, reduce the liquid by half and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. 11 of 20 Zucchini-Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Tahini-Ranch Sauce View Recipe This veggie 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 these vegan burgers 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. 12 of 20 Chicken-Sausage & Kale Stew View Recipe A splash of vinegar is a long-standing chef's trick for soups. Added just before you serve the soup, vinegar brightens the taste considerably. Use your favorite style of chicken sausage to add variety to this dish. 13 of 20 Baked Frittata with Butternut Squash, Kale & Sage View Recipe This easy frittata recipe is full of fall flavors, thanks to creamy butternut squash, plenty of fresh sage, and earthy lacinato kale. 14 of 20 Pesto Chicken & Cannellini Bean Soup View Recipe This healthy, Italian-inspired chicken soup recipe is loaded with fiber-rich vegetables and beans and gets an extra boost of flavor from a swirl of pesto at the end. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients. 15 of 20 Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas View Recipe In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables. 16 of 20 Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes, Beans & Almond Pesto View Recipe 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. 17 of 20 Pork & Pineapple Tacos View Recipe Plan ahead so you can use your slow cooker to prepare the pulled pork for these tacos. This recipe is a better-for-you twist on the classic tacos al pastor. Pork loin is a lean cut that's a healthier option than traditional pork shoulder, which has more fat. 18 of 20 Slow-Cooker Stout & Chicken Stew View Recipe Chicken thighs can take plenty of cooking without getting tough or drying out, which makes them perfect for the slow cooker. Here we braise them in Guinness stout along with hearty vegetables, with just the right amount of bacon for added savoriness. 19 of 20 Lentil Bowls with Fried Eggs & Greens View Recipe Lentils are a quick and easy protein. We like French green lentils, which hold their shape when cooked. 20 of 20 Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls View Recipe This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit