A patterned bowl filled with turkey meatballs with angel hair pasta, and a piece of bread and glass of white wine next to the bowl.
Alexandre Champagne
1 of 11

Turkey Meatballs with Angel Hair Pasta

Turkey meatballs with angel hair pasta is a healthy, kid-friendly pasta dinner made with ground turkey and bread crumbs and stuffed with mozzarella. Exactly what you need the next time it’s a weeknight and you’re wondering what’s for dinner.
Recipe
A white bowl filled with pozole verde, topped with sliced radishes, pepitas, avocado, and cilantro.
Ashley Rodriguez
2 of 11

Pozole Verde

This pozole verde is a comforting bowl of Mexican stew, made with chicken thighs, hominy, tomatillos, and jalapeno. Quick and easy to make but tastes authentic.
Recipe
A bowl of shredded beef chili with sweet potatoes on a plate containing a spoon, two lime wedges, and cilantro leaves.
Izy Hossack
3 of 11

Shredded Beef Chili With Sweet Potatoes

This shredded beef chili with sweet potatoes, can be made in the oven or slow cooker. Loaded with tender braised beef, sweet potatoes, beans, peppers, and tomatoes, it’s the answer to all your chili dreams.
Recipe
A white bowl filled with broth, avocado slices, lime wedges, cheese, and tortillas strips
Jennifer McGruther
4 of 11

Mexican Chicken Soup

This Mexican chicken soup is authentic Yucatan fare that’s simply broth, avocado, lime, tortilla, and rice. The sum is far more than the parts. And it’s comforting as heck.
Recipe
A skillet of eggs with chorizo and eggplant, tomato, zucchini, onion, and peppers.
Emma Lee
5 of 11

Skillet Eggs with Chorizo and Vegetables

This skillet eggs with chorizo and vegetables is an easy one-pan meal made with chorizo sausage, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, and onions and are topped with fried eggs. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Recipe
A pile of beet and sweet potato root vegetable chips.
Ilona Oppenheim
6 of 11

Root Vegetable Chips

These root vegetable chips are easy to make and completely irresistible. The snack, which tastes just like the chips from Terra, are made by roasting thin slices of beet and sweet potatoes until crisp.
Recipe
Three jars of Israeli pickles, one with cauliflower, one with cucumbers, and one with red onion.
Quentin Bacon
7 of 11

Israeli Pickles

These Israeli pickles boast a Middle Eastern flair and turn out lovely pickled cauliflower, cucumbers, and red onion. Each ingredient is preserved in a different spiced vinegar mixture.
Recipe
A cast-iron skillet with four cooked chicken apple sausages inside.
Ray Kachatorian
8 of 11

Chicken Apple Sausage

This chicken apple sausage is surprisingly simple to make and has a slightly sweet lilt that's magnificent any time of day. Here's how to make it and how to cook it. No meat grinder required. And did I mention it's healthy?!
Recipe
A stack of buckwheat pancakes on a white plate with maple syrup drizzled over them.
Tim and Angela Chin
9 of 11

Buckwheat Pancakes

These buckwheat pancakes cook up fluffy as can be, contrary to most whole-grain pancakes. And if the healthy angle doesn’t compel you, the spectacularly nutty taste will. The only special ingredient is buckwheat flour—everything else you probably already have in your pantry.
Recipe
A cookie sheet with six breakfast cookies with oats, banana, figs, and peanut butter.
Jessica Merchant
10 of 11

Breakfast Cookies

These breakfast cookies are loaded with banana, oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, peanut butter, figs, and chocolate chips to make a satisfying, filling breakfast. Kids love ’em. Sorta like granola cookies.
Recipe
Four individual white bowls of avocado chocolate pudding with spoons on a wooden table.
Elizabeth Nyland
11 of 11

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

The key to using avocado in an avocado chocolate pudding is to make sure you completely purée it, so that there are no undesirable lumps in your pudding
Recipe



About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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2 Comments

  1. I have a few up my sleeve that is surprisingly healthy. With that being said, I am not saying they will apply easily to Weight Watchers or whatnot. Instead, it is about how many types of vegetables are thrown in there and ultimately plump the meal and creates a bit of freshness.

    Gumbo (jambalaya, etouffee, or a cassoulet): onion, celery, capsicum, corn.

    Shepherd’s Pie (…..fine! It’s more cottage pie that I do, being beef and whatno): sweet potato, onion, carrot, peas, corn (that last one especially for a Quebec style spin).

    Scottish Beef Stew: onions, sweet potato, carrot, swede, leek. How I managed to fit everything into my slow cooker when I did the recipe, I will never know.

    Firecracker Chicken: onion, capsicum, snow peas. If you look at this, then the sauce recipe it will make sense.

    Chilli (in general): onion, capsicum, corn, and (although they are not vegetables) lots of beans. Other recipes call for carrots, and celery.

    Of course, most recipes can be spruced up with a mere cup or two of frozen mixed vegetables. Plus, tomato does feature frequently in the cooking I do. That just shows how easy and cheap making something that bit healthier really can be.

    1. Thanks, Mikey. These are all fantastic ideas and extra vegetables are always a welcome addition.