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We love these healthy takes on the comforting recipes we grew up eating at grandma’s house. From savory main dishes to classic sides and sweet baked goods, these recipes are sure to spark a little nostalgia. Plus, each recipe focuses on complex carbs, like whole grains, and is lower in saturated fat and sodium, so they easily fit into adiabetes-friendly, heart-healthy eating pattern. Recipes like our Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips and Skillet Chicken Potpie are so deliciously cozy, they’ll have you scraping your plate.
01of 26Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & TurnipsView RecipeThe 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.
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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.
02of 26Skillet Chicken PotpieView RecipeA store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies and precooked chicken simplify the prep for this easy potpie. This healthy dinner recipe is comfort food at its best.
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Skillet Chicken Potpie
A store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies and precooked chicken simplify the prep for this easy potpie. This healthy dinner recipe is comfort food at its best.
03of 26Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie ChickenView RecipeThis creamy rotisserie chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time–look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you’re really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.
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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken
This creamy rotisserie chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time–look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you’re really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.
04of 26Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with MarshmallowsView RecipeThe genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they’re still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that’s typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.
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Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they’re still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that’s typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.
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Roast Chicken with Cider Gravy
Carson Downing
06of 26Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & CheeseView RecipeAli RedmondBroccoli—just like pasta—makes a tasty pairing with sharp Cheddar. Here, we’ve combined all three ingredients in a homey casserole that’s baked in a cast-iron skillet. Replacing some of the pasta in the dish with vegetables makes it more nutritious and helps you cut down on carbs.
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Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Ali Redmond
Broccoli—just like pasta—makes a tasty pairing with sharp Cheddar. Here, we’ve combined all three ingredients in a homey casserole that’s baked in a cast-iron skillet. Replacing some of the pasta in the dish with vegetables makes it more nutritious and helps you cut down on carbs.
07of 26Zucchini Banana BreadView RecipeShredded zucchini and mashed banana complement each other and ensure that this wholesome loaf stays nice and moist. The banana adds sweetness to this quick-bread mashup for just the right flavor without too much added sugar.
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Zucchini Banana Bread
Shredded zucchini and mashed banana complement each other and ensure that this wholesome loaf stays nice and moist. The banana adds sweetness to this quick-bread mashup for just the right flavor without too much added sugar.
08of 26Chicken & Mushroom Shepherd’s PieView RecipeThe 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.
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Chicken & Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie
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.
09of 26Instant Pot Potato SoupView RecipePhotographer: Dera Burreson, Food stylist: Josh HakeRusset potatoes turn tender and soft in minutes in a pressure cooker, so you can make this comforting soup quickly on busy weeknights. Garnish with the classic potato soup fixings–bacon, scallions and melted Cheddar cheese.
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Instant Pot Potato Soup
Photographer: Dera Burreson, Food stylist: Josh Hake
Russet potatoes turn tender and soft in minutes in a pressure cooker, so you can make this comforting soup quickly on busy weeknights. Garnish with the classic potato soup fixings–bacon, scallions and melted Cheddar cheese.
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Baked Beans with Ground Beef
11of 26Spiced Pumpkin CookiesView RecipeThe deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter–and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie–fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.
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Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
The deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter–and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie–fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.
12of 26Linguine with Creamy White Clam SauceView RecipeRipe tomato and fresh basil give this quick recipe tons of flavor. Serve this healthy pasta dinner with crusty garlic bread and steamed green beans.
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Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce
Ripe tomato and fresh basil give this quick recipe tons of flavor. Serve this healthy pasta dinner with crusty garlic bread and steamed green beans.
13of 26Instant Pot Beef BourguignonView RecipeUse your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker for this easy beef bourguignon recipe. If desired, serve this stew with whole-wheat egg noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.
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Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
Use your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker for this easy beef bourguignon recipe. If desired, serve this stew with whole-wheat egg noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.
14of 26Slow-Cooked Ranch Chicken and VegetablesView RecipeThis creamy, veggie-packed chicken dinner comes together easily in your slow-cooker-and makes enough for another night’s casserole (see associated recipe)!
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Slow-Cooked Ranch Chicken and Vegetables
This creamy, veggie-packed chicken dinner comes together easily in your slow-cooker-and makes enough for another night’s casserole (see associated recipe)!
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Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)
16of 26Roast Chicken with Parmesan-Herb SauceView RecipeA store-bought rice blend and quick-cooking chicken breast help get this healthy chicken recipe on the dinner table fast. Check the label to avoid excessive sodium or other undesirable ingredients. Other herbs, such as rosemary and sage, are also delicious in this recipe.
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Roast Chicken with Parmesan-Herb Sauce
A store-bought rice blend and quick-cooking chicken breast help get this healthy chicken recipe on the dinner table fast. Check the label to avoid excessive sodium or other undesirable ingredients. Other herbs, such as rosemary and sage, are also delicious in this recipe.
17of 26Chicken-Noodle CasseroleView RecipeFlavorful Chicken-Noodle Casserole comes to life with this diabetic-friendly recipe. Select light sour cream to lower fat and calorie content.
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Chicken-Noodle Casserole
Flavorful Chicken-Noodle Casserole comes to life with this diabetic-friendly recipe. Select light sour cream to lower fat and calorie content.
18of 26Lemon BreadView RecipeThis moist lemon bread is perfect for breakfast or a tasty dessert. It’s delicious on its own or topped with the optional lemon-sugar glaze.
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Lemon Bread
This moist lemon bread is perfect for breakfast or a tasty dessert. It’s delicious on its own or topped with the optional lemon-sugar glaze.
19of 26Classic Deviled EggsView RecipeWe love the taste of dill relish in the filling of this deviled egg recipe, but if you like a sweeter deviled egg' opt for sweet relish instead. Our secret to healthy, creamy deviled eggs with fewer calories is to swap out half the full-fat mayo for nonfat Greek yogurt.
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Classic Deviled Eggs
We love the taste of dill relish in the filling of this deviled egg recipe, but if you like a sweeter deviled egg' opt for sweet relish instead. Our secret to healthy, creamy deviled eggs with fewer calories is to swap out half the full-fat mayo for nonfat Greek yogurt.
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Pork Paprikash with Cauliflower “Rice”
21of 26Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Root Vegetables & BarleyView RecipeBe sure to use bone-in chicken here–it enhances the flavor of the broth, and the bones are easy to remove after cooking. This healthy chicken soup can be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
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Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Root Vegetables & Barley
Be sure to use bone-in chicken here–it enhances the flavor of the broth, and the bones are easy to remove after cooking. This healthy chicken soup can be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
22of 26Slow-Cooker JambalayaView RecipeThis hearty jambalaya is bursting with chicken, smoked turkey sausage, and shrimp. It takes just 25 minutes to prep in the morning and then your slow cooker will work its magic and deliver a tasty meal at the end of the day.
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Slow-Cooker Jambalaya
This hearty jambalaya is bursting with chicken, smoked turkey sausage, and shrimp. It takes just 25 minutes to prep in the morning and then your slow cooker will work its magic and deliver a tasty meal at the end of the day.
23of 26Three-Bean ChiliView RecipeThis 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.
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Three-Bean Chili
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.
24of 26Cinnamon Streusel RollsView RecipeYou don’t have to make a special trip to the bakery when you can whip up a batch of these heavenly cinnamon streusel rolls at home.
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Cinnamon Streusel Rolls
You don’t have to make a special trip to the bakery when you can whip up a batch of these heavenly cinnamon streusel rolls at home.
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Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions
Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser
26of 26Basic MeatloafView RecipeWhile meatloaf purists focus on the meat, we like to look at meatloaf as a way to pack extra veggies and whole grains into a meal, as we do in this healthy, classic meatloaf recipe.
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Basic Meatloaf
While meatloaf purists focus on the meat, we like to look at meatloaf as a way to pack extra veggies and whole grains into a meal, as we do in this healthy, classic meatloaf recipe.
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