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

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

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

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

Spicy Tofu Hotpot

Rating: Unrated
5
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

Spicy Vegetable Lo Mein

Rating: Unrated
1
Skip takeout and make a healthier Chinese lo mein at home that's packed with vegetables. Make sure you drain your noodles well before adding them, as wet noodles will turn your stir-fry into a soggy mess. For a less spicy option, omit the sriracha hot sauce.
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

Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stir-Fry

Rating: Unrated
13
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

Moo Shu Vegetables

Rating: Unrated
23
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

Brothy Chinese Noodles

Rating: Unrated
14
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

General Tso's Chicken

Rating: Unrated
6
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

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

Pork Chop Suey

Rating: Unrated
13
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

Pork & Snap Pea Lo Mein

Pork & Snap Pea Lo Mein

Rating: Unrated
5
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.
Dan Dan Noodles with Seitan, Shiitake Mushrooms & Napa Cabbage

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.
Turkey Ma Po Tofu

Turkey Ma Po Tofu

Rating: Unrated
5
Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken & Baby Bok Choy

Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken & Baby Bok Choy

Sesame Noodles with Baked Tofu

Sesame Noodles with Baked Tofu

Chinese Braised Mushrooms & Tofu

Chinese Braised Mushrooms & Tofu

Rating: Unrated
5

Beef Chow Fun

Rating: Unrated
4

Brown sugar added to black bean-garlic sauce is what gives this stir-fry its unmistakable Chinese takeout flavor. The recipe for beef chow fun works equally well with tofu for a vegetarian meal or boneless, skinless chicken breast. Serve with sliced cucumbers tossed with rice vinegar, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.

All Healthy Chinese Vegetable Recipes

Shrimp with Broccoli

Rating: Unrated
4
Here's an example of international cooking at its fastest and best: a speedy Asian take-out favorite given an update with the Italian sparkle of basil, garlic and lemon.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chinese Pork & Vegetable Hot Pot

Rating: Unrated
6
The richly flavored red braises characteristic of Chinese cooking make warming winter meals that can be adapted to a slow cooker. Typically, seasonings of anise, cinnamon and ginger distinguish these dishes. Pork shoulder becomes meltingly tender during the slow braise. Serve over noodles or brown rice, with stir-fried napa cabbage.
By Patsy Jamieson

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

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

Rice Noodles with Butternut Squash & Five-Spice Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
1
Noodle dishes like this one are often served as part of a Chinese New Year's celebration to symbolize a long, healthy life. In this easy recipe, butternut squash adds another layer of meaning with a golden color evocative of a prosperous year to come.
By Raghavan Iyer

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

Dan Dan Noodles with Pork & Snow Peas

Rating: Unrated
1
In this Asian dan dan noodle recipe, lean pork loin and snow peas are stir-fried and tossed with a chile-soy sauce. Topped with peanuts and sesame seeds, this Chinese noodle recipe is a healthy, homemade alternative to takeout.
By Dirk Van Susteren

Scallop & Shrimp Dumplings

Rating: Unrated
1
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

Chinese Chicken & Noodle Salad

Rating: Unrated
9
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 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

Sichuan-Style Chicken with Peanuts

Rating: Unrated
10
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.
By Grace Young

Easy Fried Rice

Mixed frozen vegetables make this healthy fried rice recipe quick, easy and economical. If you don't have leftover cooked rice on hand, be sure to thoroughly cool your rice before adding it to the wok--if it's too warm, it creates too much steam and sticks to the wok. To quickly cool warm rice, spread out on a large baking sheet and refrigerate while you prep the rest of your ingredients, about 15 minutes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baked Tofu Stir-Fry with Cabbage & Shiitakes

This healthy vegetarian tofu stir-fry recipe is made with less oil by cooking the ingredients on two large sheet pans in the oven instead of in a wok. Flavored with savory black bean-garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil and Chinese rice wine, this quick stir-fry recipe makes a delicious, low-fuss weeknight dinner.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spicy Beef with Shrimp & Bok Choy

Rating: Unrated
13
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

Three-Cup Chicken

While there are dozens of variations on this classic Taiwanese Three-Cup Chicken recipe, the “three-cup” in the title refers to the fact that this healthy chicken recipe is almost always made with equal parts soy sauce, Chinese rice wine and rice vinegar (and usually sesame oil). The sauce for Three-Cup Chicken develops a wonderfully pungent flavor from toasted Sichuan peppercorns and star anise; look for them in Asian markets or online from penzeys.com. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice.
By Kathy Gunst

Chinese Seafood Soup

Rating: Unrated
1
If you have large sea scallops, cut them in half horizontally before adding to the soup.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Kung Pao Tofu

Rating: Unrated
3
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 Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
4
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

Lion's Head Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
3
This is a famous dish along the Yangtze, with regional variations. In Shanghai, the sauce will be sweet and sour. In Chongqing, it will be hot and spicy. And in Wuhan…well, it will depend on the season and the mood of the chef.
By Ying Chang Compestine

Velvet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

Rating: Unrated
5
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 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

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Brown Rice

Rating: Unrated
4
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

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

Lapsang Souchong Chicken with Bok Choy

In this healthy chicken recipe, dried Chinese Lapsang Souchong tea lends a smoky flavor to the meat. Look for it near other teas or in the bulk section. Grind it in a spice grinder before using. Serve with steamed brown rice or rice noodles drizzled with sesame oil.
By Carolyn Malcoun
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