Healthy Chinese Vegetable Recipes

Find healthy, delicious Chinese vegetable recipes including Chinese broccoli and eggplant. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Chinese Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Baby Bok Choy

Rating: Unrated
1
All of the ingredients for this easy beef stir-fry recipe are cooked in one wok (or skillet), so not only is the meal-prep fast for this healthy dinner, cleanup is quick too. Look for Lee Kum Kee Premium oyster-flavored sauce in the Asian-foods aisle of your grocery store. It has the most concentrated oyster flavor.
By Grace Young

Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers

Here's an easy chicken recipe you'll definitely want to add to your dinner repertoire. A quick marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses flavor in this healthy version of a take-out favorite. Adding a little oil to finish the marinade coats the chicken and helps keep it from sticking to the pan.
By Grace Young

Dan Dan Noodles with Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
1
Skip takeout and make these delicious, healthy dan dan noodles with a sesame-soy sauce, shrimp and peanuts in just 30 minutes. The Sichuan preserved vegetables add a bright pop of tangy, slightly fermented flavor. Look for them at an Asian market if you want the most authentic flavor or use more commonly available kimchi.
By Dirk Van Susteren

Classic Sesame Noodles with Chicken

Rating: Unrated
3
Classic sesame noodles become a healthy meal with lean chicken and tons of veggies in this quick recipe for Asian noodles. Be sure to rinse the spaghetti until it's cold, then give it a good shake in the colander until it's well drained. Are you a spiralizing pro? Swap 5 cups of raw zucchini, carrot or other veggie “noodles” for the cooked pasta.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Turkey Ma Po Tofu

Rating: Unrated
8
Ma Po Tofu is a traditional Chinese recipe usually made with ground pork. This delicious, healthy version uses ground turkey to cut saturated fat and calories and adds mushrooms for extra veggies. Serve with brown rice and make it extra special with a drizzle of sesame oil just before serving.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spicy Tofu Hotpot

Rating: Unrated
11
Warm up a chilly evening with this light but satisfying one-pot meal. The tofu absorbs the flavors of this fragrant, spicy broth, making it anything but bland. Look for fresh Chinese-style noodles in the refrigerated case of your supermarket alongside wonton wrappers.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice

Rating: Unrated
1
Substituting riced cauliflower for rice trims calories and carbs in this veggie-packed dish. Use the vibrant flavors of traditional fried rice--ginger, scallions and tamari--to create a low-carb fried rice version of the classic take-out meal.
By Carolyn Casner

Moo Shu Vegetables

Rating: Unrated
52
This vegetarian version of the classic Chinese stir-fry, Moo Shu, uses already-shredded vegetables to cut down on the prep time. Serve with warm whole-wheat tortillas, Asian hot sauce and extra hoisin if desired.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stir-Fry

Rating: Unrated
31
This spicy vegetarian stir-fry is a great way to use green beans when they're bountiful and inexpensive at the supermarket. You can also try it with other vegetables, such as broccoli or peppers, just make sure to cut them into small pieces so that they cook quickly. Coating the tofu in cornstarch before you cook it gives it a light crust.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

General Tso's Chicken

Rating: Unrated
11
In this healthy version of a General Tso's Chicken recipe, we cut the fat and sodium in half from the original version by not frying the chicken and by using half as much soy sauce in this Chinese-takeout favorite. Serve with steamed baby bok choy or sautéed spinach and steamed brown rice.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Brothy Chinese Noodles

Rating: Unrated
36
This dish was inspired by Chinese Dan Dan noodles--ground pork and noodles in a spicy broth. We use ground turkey and omit the traditional Sichuan peppercorns for convenience, but add hot sesame oil. Use toasted sesame oil instead if you want mild noodles.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pork Chop Suey

Rating: Unrated
31
Chop suey is often made with bamboo shoots and water chestnuts--add them to this recipe if you wish. Serve with: Udon noodles.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Inspiration and Ideas

Chinese Braised Mushrooms & Tofu

Chinese Braised Mushrooms & Tofu

Rating: Unrated
13
Ma Po Tofu, a classic dish from the Sichuan province of China, inspired this recipe. The original is made with soft tofu and ground pork or beef with plenty of heat from dried chile peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Portobello mushrooms stand in for the meat in our vegetarian version and convenient jarred chile-garlic sauce gives it plenty of kick. Serve with brown rice.
Sichuan-Style Chicken with Peanuts

Sichuan-Style Chicken with Peanuts

Rating: Unrated
19
The piquant Sichuan Sauce (which doubles easily) works well with almost any stir-fry but particularly enhances dishes with meat, fish and poultry. When stir-frying chicken, always spread the pieces in the wok and let them cook undisturbed for 1 minute before stirring. This allows the chicken to sear and prevents sticking. To smash the ginger, use the side of a cleaver or chef's knife.
Baked Tofu Stir-Fry with Cabbage & Shiitakes

Baked Tofu Stir-Fry with Cabbage & Shiitakes

Spicy Vegetable Lo Mein

Spicy Vegetable Lo Mein

Rating: Unrated
1
Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken & Baby Bok Choy

Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken & Baby Bok Choy

Spaghetti Squash Lo Mein

Spaghetti Squash Lo Mein

Rating: Unrated
1

Pineapple Pork Fried Rice

Rating: Unrated
2

This one dish meal is bursting with texture and taste. Fresh pineapple, crisp-tender carrots and celery, and pungent ginger combine with pork in this homemade fried rice recipe that's ready in 45 minutes, start to finish.

All Healthy Chinese Vegetable Recipes

Vegetable Fried Rice

Rating: Unrated
24
Nothing could be easier than this light version of fried rice. We've used instant brown rice, but if you have leftover cold rice or can pick some up at a Chinese restaurant on the way home, use that instead and skip Step 1.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Watercress with Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce

Rating: Unrated
1
In this healthy Asian vegetable stir-fry recipe, watercress is cooked then tossed with traditional Chinese oyster sauce. Use a salad spinner so the watercress is dry to the touch, or the stir-fry will become too wet. If the watercress is young and tender, stir-fry the whole stems. If the stem ends are woody and tough, discard them.
By Grace Young

Chinese Chicken & Noodle Salad

Rating: Unrated
17
This delicious Chinese-inspired salad is crisp, crunchy and cool with shredded cabbage, carrots and chicken breast tossed with toasted ramen noodles and slivered almonds. The dressing is an addictive orange, sesame, ginger and soy combination--you may want to double the dressing and save some for a salad the next day.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spicy Beef with Shrimp & Bok Choy

Rating: Unrated
21
Oyster sauce and rice wine give this speedy stir-fry a rich flavor that balances the clean, sweet crunch of bok choy. Make It a Meal: Rice noodles or brown basmati rice and a Tsing Tao beer will make you feel like you're eating in your favorite Chinese restaurant.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Broccoli with Black Bean-Garlic Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
The bold taste of black bean-garlic sauce mellows into a rich and warming glaze in this fast Asian-style dish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Scallop & Shrimp Dumplings

Rating: Unrated
8
People along the Yangtze River enjoy dumplings with a variety of fillings, from seafood to red meat, eggs to vegetables. In Wuhan, dumplings may be served at any meal. Crisp, pan-fried dumplings don't have to be loaded with fat. Cooking them in a mix of water and oil makes them crisp on the bottom, tender and juicy inside.
By Ying Chang Compestine

Kung Pao Tofu

Rating: Unrated
26
Tofu and lots of fresh vegetables are stir-fried in just a bit of oil in this traditional Chinese dish. In the Sichuan province of China where this dish originates, the tofu wouldn't be deep-fried like it is so often in America. Similarly, in our version of this takeout favorite we stir-fry the ingredients in only a little bit of oil.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sichuan-Style Tofu with Mushrooms

Rating: Unrated
2
Because of the high moisture content of tofu, it can go from a stir-fry to a braise in seconds. We also recommend salting and drying the tofu in paper towels so oil doesn't splatter during frying.
By Grace Young

Spicy Pork & Green Bean Stir-Fry

This vibrant, lip-tingling Sichuan stir-fry is ready in just 20 minutes. Reddish-brown Sichuan peppercorns--which are technically a dried berry husk--have a tart and slightly woodsy flavor beneath their slow-burning heat. Look for them in Asian markets or the bulk section of natural-foods stores.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Dan Dan Noodles with Seitan, Shiitake Mushrooms & Napa Cabbage

Rating: Unrated
1
Sichuan peppercorns add a touch of floral heat to this mushroom-and-cabbage-loaded riff on dan dan noodles. Look for protein-rich vegetarian seitan--processed wheat gluten with a meaty texture-- near refrigerated tofu in large supermarkets or natural-foods stores. The actual weight of the seitan in a package varies depending on whether water weight is included. Look for the undrained weight on the label.
By Dirk Van Susteren

Dan Dan Noodles with Spinach & Walnuts

Rating: Unrated
2
In this riff on Asian dan dan noodles, spinach and red bell peppers are tossed with a sesame-chile-soy sauce and topped with walnuts. If you want to bump up the protein, add tofu, seitan or even chopped egg.
By Dirk Van Susteren

Velvet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

Rating: Unrated
12
Velvet chicken is a classic Chinese cooking technique that keeps the meat juicy and succulent, and the chicken stays creamy-white rather than getting browned as in most stir-fries. Baby bok choy is about 3 inches in length and stir-fries quickly. If you can't find it, use regular bok choy cut into 2-inch segments.
By Grace Young

Sichuan-Style Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
6
Chinese cooks typically stir-fry shrimp in their shells for a more flavorful dish. You can do the same, but we recommend first removing the tiny legs. While rice may seem like the logical side, braised greens, such as chard or spinach, are actually just as traditional.
By Grace Young

Napa Cabbage & Carrots with Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
Napa--also known as Chinese cabbage--is the preferred cabbage in this healthy Asian stir-fry recipe because it's much sweeter and more tender than green cabbage. If napa cabbage isn't available at your grocery store, try Savoy cabbage or bok choy.
By Grace Young

Chinese Sweet & Sour Tofu Stir-Fry with Snow Peas

This healthy sweet and sour tofu stir-fry is easy to whip together on weeknights. Just be sure to plan ahead so that you can freeze the tofu in advance. It gives the tofu a meatier texture and helps it absorb the sauce.
By Grace Young

Chinese Seafood Soup

Rating: Unrated
2
If you have large sea scallops, cut them in half horizontally before adding to the soup.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Shrimp & Chinese Chive Wonton Soup

This recipe for homemade wontons makes it easy to make a healthy version of the famous Chinese wonton soup at home. Look for wonton wrappers in the refrigerated section of your supermarket near the fresh noodles or tofu and go for the square ones (not round). Leftover wrappers can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.
By Grace Young

Sichuan Ramen Cup of Noodles with Cabbage & Tofu

The Sichuan province in the southwestern corner of China is known for its fiery dishes. Here, the richness of tahini tempers the spicy chile paste in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar soup recipe. You can grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, or crush them with the bottom of a heavy skillet.
By Sarah DiGregorio

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Marinated in Spicy Soy Sauce

Rating: Unrated
19
Crisp on the outside and buttery-tender on the inside, these sweet and spicy soy sauce-marinated pork tenderloin medallions make for a delicious, healthful and elegant entree. Serve with snow peas, brown rice and Sour Mango Salad on the side.
By Corinne Trang

Stir-Fried Chile Beef & Broccoli

Rating: Unrated
7
This quick stir-fry features broccoli and flank steak in a flavorful sauce. This dish is typical of many traditional Chinese stir-fries--the sauce just clings to the beef and vegetables but is not enough to spoon over rice. Marinating beef is essential for ensuring the meat is flavorful. The meat does not marinate overnight, as in traditional Western recipes. The moment the beef is combined with the seasonings it is ready to be stir-fried.
By Grace Young

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Brown Rice

Rating: Unrated
12
In about the time it takes to order and pick up Chinese takeout, you can make this much healthier version of sweet & sour chicken. Our version loses all the saturated fat that comes from deep-frying, along with the extra sugar and salt. If you prefer, use tofu instead of chicken, and use your favorite vegetables; just be sure to cut them into similar-size pieces so they all cook at about the same rate.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chongqing Chicken

Traditionally, Chongqing chicken is made by encasing the meat in crunchy batter, like popcorn chicken but better. To make it at home, we decided to mimic the effect with a simple cornstarch dredge and just a little oil, sparing you both time and the stress of deep-frying. Practiced eaters focus their chopsticks on the meat, avoiding the many chiles and Sichuan peppercorns that give the dish its tongue-tingling character, but we encourage you to risk the lovely agony.
By JJ Goode

Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli

In this Asian stir-fried vegetable recipe, a touch of sugar is added to balance the bitterness of Chinese broccoli. Serve with Asian-marinated meat and brown rice for a healthy weeknight dinner.
By Grace Young

Pork & Snap Pea Lo Mein

Rating: Unrated
13
Lo mein is a Chinese restaurant takeout favorite that's easy to make at home. This lo mein recipe features lean pork loin chops and snap peas, but snow peas or asparagus work well too. Serve with shredded radish and cabbage tossed with rice vinegar.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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