Healthy Chorizo Sausage Recipes

For this easy slow-cooker split pea soup, look for raw smoky, spicy chorizo. If you can't find raw chorizo, Italian sausage or merguez makes a fine substitute.

Chorizo lends this soup inspired by ingredients popular around the Mediterranean a smoky paprika flavor, and since it's sautéed first, much of the fat is drained away. Be sure to buy dry-cured, salami-style Spanish chorizo, not soft, raw Mexican-style sausage by the same name.

A staple in South American cuisine, homemade empanadas can be served as a main dish or a side. We keep this simple by focusing on the empanada filling and instead of making the dough from scratch, we achieve flaky empanadas with the help of refrigerated pie crust.

This recipe follows the Spanish and Portuguese tradition of pairing mild white fish with full-flavored cured sausage--just a bit gives the whole dish a rich, smoky flavor. Make it a meal: Enjoy with steamed green beans and roasted potatoes tossed with thyme and coarse salt.

Don't toss those stems! Rainbow chard is sold in bunches with a mix of yellow, pink, and pale green stems that add a pop of color, a bit of crunch, and an extra dose of fiber.

This mouthwatering pork tenderloin is stuffed with chorizo, cheese and spinach. Once you master stuffing a pork tenderloin--you just cut the tenderloin almost in half lengthwise, pound it, fill it and tie it closed with kitchen string--you won't want it any other way. Serve with sautéed red peppers tossed with capers, parsley and sherry vinegar and roasted potatoes. To double this recipe, use 2 skillets or brown the tenderloins one at a time.

Inspired by feijoada, Brazil's national dish, this black bean stew can be served over rice to soak up all the flavors.