15+ Best Dinner Recipes for Healthy Aging

Aging is simply a fact of life and it’s not something to be afraid of! To help keep you feeling your best as you age, it’s important to eat a variety-filled diet that contains the nutrients your body needs to thrive. These highly-rated dinner recipes meet our parameters for healthy aging since each dish has at least 20% of the daily value for nutrients like fiber, calcium, protein and/or vitamin D. Try options like our Buffalo Cauliflower Grain Bowl or Loaded Cabbage Steaks for a nourishing meal that tastes great and supports your goals.

Roasted Cabbage Caesar Salad with Chicken

Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

This warm and inviting salad swaps crunchy romaine lettuce for sweet roasted cabbage in a fun twist on Caesar salad. To make this main-dish cabbage salad vegetarian, opt for vegetarian or vegan Worcestershire, leave out the anchovy paste from the dressing, and use cubed tofu in place of the chicken.

Buffalo Cauliflower Grain Bowl

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower

This Buffalo cauliflower grain bowl is a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional Buffalo wings, packing plenty of gut-healthy fiber and plant-based protein. It features a variety of fresh and colorful vegetables on a bed of precooked brown rice to keep prep speedy. Feel free to swap out the rice for another whole grain.

Loaded Cabbage Steaks

Photographer: Hannah Hufham, Food Stylist: Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist: Tucker Vines

Melted cheese, bacon, scallions and a touch of sour cream are perfect toppings to add to a nicely seared cabbage steak in this low-carb twist on a classic loaded baked potato. To make this meal vegetarian, leave out the bacon, or swap it out for veggie bacon or roasted mushrooms. Roast any extra cabbage you may have separately, or store it and save it for another use.

Marry Me Chickpeas

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle, Food Stylist: Renu Dhar

We put a vegetarian spin on Marry Me Chicken, a dish typically consisting of chicken coated in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce, by swapping in fiber-packed chickpeas as the main ingredient. From the creamy chickpeas to the umami-laden sun-dried tomatoes, you’ll want to sop up every last bit of sauce. To riff on this recipe, you could swap the chickpeas for white beans, like cannellini or navy.

Pistachio-Crusted Halibut

Ali Redmond

A layer of pistachios combined with panko breadcrumbs on top of the halibut fillets provides a delicious crunch and a pop of vitamin B6, a nutrient important for blood sugar regulation. We like the firm texture and mild flavor of halibut, but cod, haddock or tilapia can be used in its place.

Chicken Parmesan alla Vodka

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

This recipe combines chicken Parmesan with creamy vodka sauce for a delicious twist on your favorite dish. To make this cozy meal more weeknight-friendly, make the vodka sauce ahead of time.

Easy Tofu Curry

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Baking the tofu for this protein-packed tofu curry adds texture and helps the tofu hold its shape once added to the sauce. The curry itself is smooth and creamy, with warmth from the spices and some kick from Madras curry powder and jalapeño. If you want to dial down the spice level, swap out the Madras curry powder for regular curry powder.

Winter Chicken Parmesan

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Warm up to this chicken Parmesan with a winter twist featuring butternut squash! Each cutlet is slathered in butternut squash pasta sauce with the traditional ooey-gooey mozzarella cheese melted on top. If you can’t find butternut squash pasta sauce, marinara is an easy swap. For an extra serving of veggies, the chicken is topped with roasted butternut squash, mushrooms and kale. You can swap out the mushrooms and kale for other cold-weather favorites like Brussels sprouts, cabbage or even broccoli.

Creamy Spinach Pasta with White Beans

Here, we whir up fresh spinach and kale with cream cheese and Gruyère for the luscious sauce that highlights this rich pasta dish. Paired with beans, it makes a filling vegetarian meal.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta Bake

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayliss

This creamy and flavorful fall pasta bake comes together quickly, thanks to rotisserie chicken and jarred sun-dried tomatoes that flavor the sauce. This easy pasta bake is perfect for feeding a crowd. If you’re watching your sodium, you can cook and shred your own chicken in place of the rotisserie chicken.

Grilled Zucchini & Halloumi Pitas

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

This grilled halloumi pita features tender-crisp zucchini, fresh tomatoes and smoky halloumi cheese. You can prepare this sandwich inside using a grill pan, or outside using a gas grill. You can grill halloumi cheese just like you would any other protein (it doesn’t melt); letting it cook undisturbed makes it release from the grill pan easily.

Mustard-Dill Grilled Salmon & Vegetables

Photographer: Carson Downing, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

In this easy recipe, the salmon is cooked on a cedar plank, one of the most foolproof ways of grilling. We call for zucchini, tomatoes and onion, but feel free to use your favorite vegetables instead.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This timeless chicken Caesar salad features a zesty dressing made with Greek-style yogurt. Our dressing calls for anchovy paste, which adds that signature savory flavor Caesar salad is known for. Any leftover anchovy paste can be used to enhance vinaigrettes, dips or sauces. You can use whole anchovies, if you prefer, but you’ll need to blend them or mash them with the flat side of a large chef’s knife before adding them to the dressing.

Lemongrass-&-Coconut Poached Salmon

Photographer: Rachel Marek, Prop stylist: Holly Dreesman, Food stylist: Gabriel Greco

Chef Michelle Bernstein suffers from psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune condition that often presents as joint pain. She created this poached salmon recipe exclusively for EatingWell. It features a trifecta of inflammation-fighting ingredients: turmeric, ginger and salmon. For a more filling meal, serve with a whole grain like brown rice, or over rice noodles.

Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast Sandwiches

Matthew Francis

This caprese stuffed chicken breast features the classic ingredients of a caprese salad—juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil and balsamic vinegar—nestled into a seasoned and cooked chicken breast that can be picked up and eaten like a sandwich.

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.

Pesto Spaghetti Squash Bake

This delicious, cheesy, full-flavored pesto-stuffed spaghetti squash is hearty and filling, full of vegetables and topped with melted fresh mozzarella cheese. It’s a perfect main dish for vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike!

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta

In this quick 20-minute dinner recipe, tender penne pasta is combined with garlic, roasted red peppers and spinach and topped with crumbled feta cheese for a fast and easy Mediterranean-inspired meal. This recipe was graciously shared by EatingWell reader Dottie Carpenter, who states, “Recipes are no good if they’re not shared!”

Plant-Based Smashed Burgers

Learning how to make smashed burgers is as simple as its name. Smashing burgers into thin patties not only makes them quick-cooking, it also creates irresistible crispy edges. Topping them with the caramelized onion relish adds extra deliciousness.