It’s no secret that we have tons of delicious and healthy recipes, and these 20 dishes have been some of our most popular this year. From flavorful smoothies to cozy soups to creamy overnight oats, there’s no shortage of possibilities for every meal. Options like our High-Protein Peanut Butter-Brownie Baked Oats and Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup stole the hearts of EatingWell readers this year, and they’re bound to impress you, too.
Avocado Toast
This is the easiest avocado toast recipe you’ll ever try. We love avocado toast because it is packed with healthy fats and fiber, so you’ll stay satisfied until your next meal. Memorize this recipe, then use it as a jumping-off point to customize your avocado toast—the variations are endless!
High-Protein Peanut Butter Baked OatsHigh-Protein Peanut Butter Baked Oats
This brownie-baked oatmeal is a protein powerhouse, made with a blend of peanut butter, strained yogurt and chocolate pudding mix, which adds a sweeter, richer chocolate flavor without the bitterness of traditional cocoa powder.
Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup
Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and tomato, this healthy cabbage soup recipe packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunch or dinner all week.
Orange-Mango Smoothie
For Dylan Dreyer, “Today’s 3rd Hour” co-host and NBC News meteorologist, this smoothie is a staple in her household during cold and flu season. The vitamin C from the oranges helps support immune health, so she and her kids can feel their best. Plus, it tastes just like a creamsicle. If you don’t have almond milk, any other dairy or nondairy milk will work.
Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that’s garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Shake
This creamy high-protein shake will keep you satisfied for hours and tastes like a chocolate-peanut butter banana milkshake. You don’t even need to add protein powder, thanks to the naturally occurring protein in the soymilk, Greek yogurt and peanut butter.
Banana-Bread Baked Oats
Banana-bread baked oatmeal is a breakfast worth waking up for. It combines the warm spices and sweet flavor of banana bread with fiber-rich oats, creating a warm, satisfying start to your day. Serve this baked oatmeal alongside fruit, yogurt and a cup of tea or coffee.
Baked Mahi-Mahi with Garlic-Herb Butter
This baked mahi-mahi is cooked on top of lemon slices that impart their flavor to the fish, which is complemented by the buttery garlic and herb sauce baked on top. We like the meatiness of mahi-mahi, but this simple technique works well with other fish, too, like salmon, cod or halibut.
Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie
This easy fruit smoothie recipe calls for just three ingredients: yogurt, fruit juice and frozen fruit. Mix up your fruit combinations from day to day for a healthy breakfast or snack that never gets boring.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars
Enjoy these delightful carrot cake oatmeal bars, perfect for a snack or dessert alongside a steaming cup of coffee. Made with a blend of shredded carrots, oats and a hint of brown sugar, these easy bars capture the essence of carrot cake, while offering a boost of fiber and less sugar than cake. Portable and convenient, these bars can be enjoyed on the move. To make these bars gluten-free, opt for gluten-free oats.
Lemon-Blueberry Trifle
This lemon-blueberry trifle is a stunning yet simple dessert that features layers of lemon-flavored pastry cream, store-bought angel food cake and fresh blueberries. Fresh-picked blueberries are hard to beat in this easy dessert, but feel free to use any seasonal fruit you may have on hand.
Simple Cabbage Salad
Cabbage maintains a nice crunch when it’s tossed with an easy dressing in this simple cabbage salad recipe.
Spinach & Mushroom Quiche
This healthy vegetarian quiche recipe is as easy as can be. It’s a quiche without the fussy crust! It’s filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Enjoy it for breakfast or brunch, or serve it with a light salad for lunch.
Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce (Marry Me Chicken)
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 in this healthy dinner. The flavorful oil the tomatoes are packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.
Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole
Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a homemade sweet potato casserole. We like to sprinkle chopped pecans on top along with the marshmallows for a bit of texture.
Chickpea, Beet & Feta Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
This chickpea, beet & feta salad is a vibrant blend of flavors and textures, marrying the earthy sweetness of beets with the creamy richness of feta cheese, all tied together with a zesty lemon-garlic dressing.
One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta
This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is lively and vibrant and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Toasting the orzo before adding the broth adds another layer of flavor. Another dark leafy green like chopped kale or Swiss chard can stand in for the spinach but may take longer to wilt in the pan.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night.
High-Protein Strawberry & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
These overnight oats get a protein boost thanks to Greek-style yogurt, peanut butter and soy milk, which leads to 17 grams of protein per serving. We mix them up with chopped strawberries, but any berry or chopped fruit will pair nicely with this easy grab-and-go breakfast.
Roasted Honey-Balsamic Cauliflower
These tender cauliflower bites are seasoned with a blend of spices and then coated in batter to ensure the sweet and tangy honey-balsamic drizzle soaks into every bite. They make a perfect side dish for grilled chicken or steak, or you can serve them over rice or noodles for a delicious vegetarian main course.