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There’s something comforting about enjoying a warm bowl of mac and cheese or a creamy casserole while watching the leaves change color. With at least 15 grams of protein per serving, these satisfying dishes will make your kitchen cozy while aligning with your nutrition goals. Recipes like our Skillet Mac Cheese with Zucchini Pimiento and our Sloppy Joe Casserole are flavorful, nostalgic meals that will help you get in the nutrients you need.
Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce
In this easy chicken enchiladas recipe, we make a white sauce from chicken broth and sour cream that coats corn tortillas rolled up with shredded chicken, onion, peppers and spices. Poblano peppers tend to be mild, but if you really want to cut the heat, use a green bell pepper instead.
Skillet Chicken Parm
We skipped breading in this healthy one-dish chicken Parm recipe to save time. There’s still plenty of gooey cheese, and the garlic, pepper flakes and oregano lend big flavor. Serve with pasta or in a hoagie roll with the sauce (there’s lots of it) spooned on top. In sandwich form, it’s easily wrapped in foil and eaten on the go. Excerpted from The Dinner Plan by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion, published by ABRAMS © 2017.
Pulled Pork with Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce
Try this pulled pork as a baked potato topping: the vinegar-based sauce brightens up the earthy potatoes.
Collards & Portobello Grilled Cheese
Meaty portobello mushrooms and sautéed collards turn this easy grilled cheese recipe into a healthy meal. If you don’t have Dijonnaise on hand, make your own by stirring 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard into 3 tablespoons mayonnaise.
Skillet Mac & Cheese with Zucchini & Pimiento
Sweet and mild pimiento peppers add a little zest to this skillet mac and cheese, while zucchini boosts the veggie count. Here we boil the pasta a little less than usual, until just shy of al dente, so it doesn’t overcook in the oven.
Broccoli, Beef & Potato Hotdish
This easy casserole, full of ground beef, roasted broccoli and topped with hash browns, was inspired by the classic Minnesota Tater Tot hotdish. Roasting the broccoli before adding it to the casserole gives the whole dish a much more complex and exciting flavor, but it’s by no means necessary. If you want to keep it simple, skip roasting the broccoli (Step 2) and use 6 cups frozen broccoli, thawed, in its place (omit 1 tablespoon oil, as well).
Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard
Tossing chicken tenders with cornmeal gives these chicken nuggets great crunch without deep-frying. Blackberries (or raspberries, if you prefer) combined with whole-grain mustard make for a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and carrots.
Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese
Fiber-rich sweet potato is used as the base for the cheese sauce in this healthy, homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. The bright orange color tricks your eyes into thinking this healthy macaroni and cheese recipe is loaded with cheese, but there’s actually only about half as much cheese as compared to a traditional recipe.
Chicken-Spaghetti Squash Bake
In this version of a chicken-and-broccoli casserole, spaghetti squash takes on a creamy texture when baked with cream of mushroom soup.
Cheesy Meat and Potato Casserole
Plan ahead to make extra pork chops (see associated recipe, below) for this easy, cheesy casserole.
Chili-Cheese Nachos
Make nachos a healthy dinner when you top them with an easy 30-minute chili. Serve this healthy recipe with sliced scallions, avocado, fresh tomatoes and sour cream, if desired.
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Like sloppy Joes? Then you’ll love this sloppy Joe casserole recipe. This kid-friendly dinner has the classic sloppy Joe flavors kids love, while parents will like all the veggies that are packed in to make it a healthy meal.
Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner idea. The flavorful oil they’re packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.
Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders
Crispy, Parmesan-flecked chicken tenders dipped in marinara sauce is an easy dinner the whole family will love. Dipping them in a mixture of plain yogurt with chopped fresh basil would be tasty too. Serve with sautéed green beans and roasted sweet potato wedges.
Taco-Stuffed Zucchini
These stuffed zucchini boats are filled with all your favorite taco ingredients like seasoned meat, cheese and avocado. They’re perfect for a low-carb alternative on taco night or a great kid-friendly way to sneak in more vegetables.
Turkey and Bean Chili
This mild-flavored chili is lower in sodium than most canned chilis or chili seasoning blends.
Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells
Our stuffed shells are filled with spinach, sautéed onions and part-skim ricotta and topped with prepared marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. The shells hold and reheat well, which makes them great for entertaining.
Pantry Peanut Noodles
Choose your own adventure with these noodles! They’re delicious with peanut butter and tahini alike. Plus, you can use whatever frozen vegetables you have on hand and finish the dish off with any herbs still thriving in your garden or hanging out in your crisper.
Instant Pot Orange-Jalapeño Chicken Wings
These sweet-hot tender Instant Pot chicken wings boast a balance of orange and lime. They’re very tangy and very sticky, so be sure to serve with lots of paper towels!
Rib Roast with Dijon-Sour Cream Sauce
This classic rib roast is seasoned with rosemary and marjoram and served with an incredibly simple–yet divine–mustard and sour cream sauce.
Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
Chipotle chiles, black beans and pepper Jack cheese give a flavorful boost to these quinoa-stuffed peppers. We’ve sped things up by steaming the peppers and using quick-cooking quinoa. We like the look of tri-colored quinoa, but any quinoa you have on hand will work. If possible, choose peppers that will stand upright.
Baked Cavatelli Casserole
This easy to make, comforting dish will keep you warm on a cold day.
Mushroom Ravioli & Chicken Piccata
This weeknight-friendly version of classic chicken piccata calls for mushroom ravioli, but regular cheese ravioli works too. Look for presliced mushrooms to cut down on prep time, and use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken here to cut down on cook time in this fast and easy dinner.
Pork & Bok Choy Stir-Fry
In this zippy pork stir-fry we cut the bok choy into long, thin strips to mimic the long noodles. We like Japanese soba noodles because they are made with buckwheat, which gives them a nutty flavor and a boost of fiber. You can also use mild-flavored rice noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti. Serve with sliced cucumbers dressed with rice-wine vinegar and a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Italian-Style Turkey & Penne Skillet
This delicious one-skillet pasta meal-for-two is ready in just 35 minutes! Turkey–seasoned with a spicy Italian-seasoning blend–is served with tomato sauce and wilted spinach over multi-grain pasta.
Classic Mac & Cheese
No sneaky ingredients here, just delicious comfort food. You can enjoy this super-cheesy mac and cheese in the same time it takes to cook the boxed version. Whole-wheat noodles add fiber, while sharp Cheddar adds richness. A hefty twist of black pepper balances the cheese’s salty tang.