Healthy Curry Main Dish Recipes

Yellow curry paste is generally spicier than green but not as spicy as red, making it just right for this easy stir-fried chicken thigh recipe. Sizzling the curry paste in oil before making the curry gives it a boost in complexity.

Here, coconut milk adds creaminess while keeping the dish vegan. Serve over basmati rice or with a side of naan.

In this quick shrimp recipe, shrimp is paired with a coconut curry and tender eggplant. Red, yellow or green curry works well in this quick dinner. To keep it fast, serve with precooked brown rice to sop up the sauce.

Biryanis are rice-based casseroles that combine a saucy meat, vegetable or legume curry with basmati rice, whole spices, nuts and raisins. This particular dish is a nutritional powerhouse, thanks to the mustard greens and chickpeas. Look for the specialty spices--cardamom pods, saffron and garam masala--in the spice section of well-stocked supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Masabacha is a thick stew that in this case serves as the backbone to a hearty and healthy breakfast bowl. But the real star here is the silky whipped tahini sauce, made by simply pureeing tahini and water with garlic and lemon juice until the mixture is transformed into a light, spreadable sauce. Serve with warm pita and some vegetables for dipping.

Fresh ginger and pungent curry add big flavor to this one-pot meal.

Combine precooked lentils (often located in the produce section of your grocery store) with an Indian-style simmer sauce for a super-fast and flavorful curry. Serving it over riced cauliflower bumps up the vegetable count and keeps carb servings in check. This 3-ingredient dinner (not counting salt, pepper and oil) is really as easy as it gets. To be mindful of the salt, look for simmer sauces with less than or close to 350 mg sodium per ¼-cup serving.

This easy Thai-inspired coconut curry shrimp is loaded with vegetables and gets tons of flavor from prepared green curry paste and coconut milk. The sweet and spicy sauce gets sopped up by a bed of hot brown rice. Serve with a crunchy Asian slaw to round out the meal.

Pep up your morning routine with this not-so-old-fashioned savory oatmeal recipe with cashews, curry powder and raisins. If you need a little sweetness, try drizzling honey on top. Short on time in the morning? Try our overnight oatmeal variation.

At once comforting and exotic-tasting, this rich chicken coconut curry stew will warm you on chilly winter evenings. Chunks of potato, lean chicken and loads of veggies make it a meal in a bowl. Enjoy with a fruity white wine like Gewurztraminer or Chenin Blanc to tame the heat. Using “lite” coconut milk instead of full-fat in this healthy curried coconut chicken stew recipe trims roughly two-thirds the fat and calories without sacrificing flavor.

Curry quick enough for a weeknight supper--especially if you use precut cauliflower and baby spinach.

Massaman curry is a traditional Thai-style curry, popular for being milder in flavor and rich in taste. When students in Georgia were challenged to use local ingredients to come up with a creative dish that could be easily made in cafeterias, this recipe was a finalist. The kids wanted to cook their rice in milk with turmeric to give it a creamy texture and golden color, but they swapped in rice milk to keep the dish dairy-free. Regular milk works just as well. Adapted from Georgia Farm to School.

This recipe pairs curry-coated scallops and brown rice seasoned with cilantro, scallions and lemon. For this recipe you'll need 3 cups cooked brown rice. Serve with roasted carrots tossed with cumin and coriander.

This recipe maintains the terrific flavor of classic chicken curry but uses only 2 tablespoons of oil.

A white wine reduction intensifies the flavor of the garlic and onions in this chicken curry recipe. Served over brown rice with wilted spinach, it's a dish your whole family will enjoy.

This dish is best done at the last minute so the snap peas keep their crisp texture. The pink of the shrimp and the green peas make it as pretty as it is tasty.

This tofu curry recipe has a rich and spicy tomato-based sauce studded with cubes of pressed, baked tofu. Serve with brown rice and naan bread to sop up any remaining sauce.

This flavorful vegetarian Thai red curry recipe matches sweet potatoes with fresh dandelion greens and asparagus, though you can substitute cauliflower florets, cubed Asian eggplant, squash or carrots. If you're using cauliflower or eggplant, add them earlier, when the potato is only partially cooked, as they will take longer to cook than asparagus. Classic Thai red curry is flavored with lime leaves and Thai basil. If you find them, use them, but even without them the vegetable curry will still be a knockout.

This simple recipe of clams cooked in a spicy Thai red curry sauce takes advantage of prepared Thai curry paste, which is available at well-stocked supermarkets and Asian-foods stores. We call for red curry paste but use whatever type you prefer. This recipe also works with about 4 pounds of mussels. Serve with crusty bread to soak up any leftover sauce.

This recipe for two pairs curry-coated scallops and brown rice seasoned with cilantro, scallions and lemon. Serve with roasted carrots tossed with cumin and coriander.

Salmon and eggplant team up in this one-skillet curry flavored with coconut milk, basil and lime. We love the flavor of Thai yellow curry paste in this dish, but any type of curry paste can be used--be sure to taste as you go because curry blends vary in flavor and heat. If you don't have curry paste, curry powder works well here. Serve with fragrant brown rice, such as basmati or jasmine.

This classic Indian-inspired dish typically takes several hours to make, but we simplified it by skipping the traditional yogurt marinade and letting the pressure cooker infuse the tikka masala flavor into lean chicken breasts. Cayenne adds heat, while a splash of cream keeps the spice in check (add less cayenne if you want it less spicy). Serve over rice and with a piece of naan to soak up the sauce.

If you're looking for a basic Thai green curry recipe, start here. Green is the hottest type of curry paste; to take this chicken recipe down a notch, try red Thai curry paste (considered “medium” heat) or mild yellow curry paste. If you have a shellfish allergy, compare curry paste ingredient lists--some brands contain shrimp and some don't.

Thai flavors--curry paste, fish sauce, lime and coconut milk--and a cabbage and cilantro slaw update this healthy slow-cooker pulled-pork sandwich recipe. A smaller slow cooker (such as a 4-quart model) is ideal for this healthy crock pot pulled-pork recipe. Look for red curry paste in jars in the Asian section of the supermarket.