20 Heart-Healthy Fall Meals

Updated October 24, 2020
High cholesterol is no reason to avoid your favorite fall foods. Indulge wisely with these 20 recipes.
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Heart-healthy recipes

Yes, this chili is perfect for fall, but you can also enjoy it year-round, thanks to canned pumpkin puree. Black beans deliver protein, and vegetables like carrots, red peppers, and tomatoes bump up the nutrients.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Capers and Carrots

This recipe is bursting with flavor from capers, perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts, and vitamin A-filled carrots. It's not only vegetarian, this meal is low in just about everything—carbs, cholesterol, saturated fat, and calories—except flavor!

Try this recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Crispy Capers and Carrots

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Easy Butternut Squash Risotto

This 20-minute risotto recipe is so impressive no one will believe you made it yourself. We love it because it keeps you full with 6 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein. Plus, it’s a great low-cal dinner with about 250 calories and 8 grams of fat. We used microwavable rice to speed up the cooking time, but you can opt to make your own.

Try this recipe: Easy Butternut Squash Risotto

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Crispy Tamari Kale Chips

Melissa Punch

Kale is packed with nutrients; one serving provides a week’s worth of vitamin K, in addition to more than 100% of the recommended daily intake for vitamins A and C. Make this healthy snack in large batches for munching throughout the week.



Try this recipe: Crispy Tamari Kale Chips

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Rosemary-Apple Bread

Randy Mayor

Want tasty bread with one-third less fat than typical loafs? This recipe uses rosemary, an herb that can soothe muscles and possibly boost long-term memory. With only 95 calories per slice, there’s no guilt in eating this delicious bread.

Try this recipe: Rosemary-Apple Bread

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Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

This recipe is filled with beets, shallots, and spinach, all healthy ingredients you can probably pick up at your local farmers market. The salmon also provides 4.5 grams of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Try it over a bed of couscous for a quick and easy dinner.

Try this recipe: Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

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Tuna with Jalapeño Sour Cream

When we use sour cream in a recipe, it’s for a good reason. Here, it’s the low-fat version and it's combined with jalepeño peppers, lime juice, and fresh cilantro to create a marinade that makes us want to come back for seconds and thirds. Our tuna steak has less than 240 calories, and boasts 41 grams of protein. Tuna is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, and it cooks quickly—including prep, this recipe takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Try this recipe: Tuna with Jalapeño Sour Cream

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Leek and Broccoli Tartlets with Pancetta

John Kernick

If you’re throwing a party, this cute appetizer is the perfect go-to. It’s only 30 calories per tartlet, low in fat, and tastes great. Leeks are full of antioxidants that mop up damaging free radicals, a byproduct of metabolism. Pancetta supplies a rich flavor that goes well with the broccoli rabe.

Try this recipe: Leek and Broccoli Tartlets with Pancetta

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Super Vegetable Salad

This veggie salad is loaded with healthy ingredients like green beans, carrots, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes. We love using fresh herbs in simple, nutrient-dense dishes. And, it’s not every day you use maple syrup in a salad, but here it’s part of a four-ingredient dressing that’s light and sweet—perfect for a healthy meal.

Try this recipe: Super Vegetable Salad

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Blackened Salmon with Broccoli Rabe and Raisins

This recipe is free of saturated fat and supplies heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids from salmon, one of our favorite types of fish. Salmon is a great source of protein, and one serving of this recipe dishes out 43 grams of it to keep you full throughout the day.

Try this recipe: Blackened Salmon with Broccoli Rabe and Raisins

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Pear, Beet, and Gorgonzola Green Salad

This seasonal salad packs in delicious fruits and veggies, plus, it’s vegetarian and low in both sodium and cholesterol. Pears and roasted beets add a sweet deliciousness, while Gorgonzola cheese provides a creamy taste.

Try this recipe: Pear, Beet, and Gorgonzola Green Salad

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Savory Beet Soup

Becky Luigart-Stayner

The deep red color of beets comes from anthocyanins, a potent antioxidant that may protect the heart. Beets are also low in calories (one serving of this soup is less than 75 calories!), but they’re sweet, so you’ll feel like you’re indulging while eating healthy. With only 1.3 grams of fat per serving, this healthy recipe is one to dip your spoon into.

Try this recipe: Savory Beet Soup

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North African-Spiced Vegetable Tagine

This dish is full of veggies and vibrant colors. Fennel, turnips, carrots, and baby peas make for a rich dish that’s stacked with nutrients. This recipe takes less than a half hour to prep, and 30 minutes to cook. Orange veggies are rich in vitamin A, while greens are full of folate, and reds offer antioxidants.

Try this recipe: North African-Spiced Vegetable Tagine

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Pumpkin Ravioli

The meat and cheese in traditional ravioli can send calorie counts (and saturated fat) through the roof. However, using pumpkin keeps this dish at less than 200 calories per serving. And pumpkin is rich in fiber, which also helps in maintaining a healthy heart.

Try this recipe: Pumpkin Ravioli

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Creamy Turnip-Potato Puree

Tina Rupp

How do you make mashed potatoes even healthier? Add in turnips, like we do in this creamy recipe that's less than 100 calories per serving. Turnips are a good source of vitamin C and have a peppery flavor that goes well with potatoes. Our healthy turnip-potato purée has 1 gram of fat and 3 grams of fiber to keep you satisfied.

Try this recipe: Creamy Turnip-Potato Purée

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Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

Craving french fries? Whip up these oven-roasted sweet-potato wedges instead. A healthier way to satisfy those cravings, this recipe delivers more taste too, with a kick provided by mustard, garlic, and rosemary.

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Orecchiette With Brussels Sprouts and Hazelnuts

Brussels sprouts won't get pushed around on your plate with this delicious recipe. Using meat like a seasoning allows you to soak in all the rich flavors for only 3 grams of saturated fat. Plus, chopped hazelnuts add a delicious flavor and a boost of iron!

Try this recipe: Orecchiette With Brussels Sprouts and Hazelnuts

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Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is a perfect example of maximizing the natural sweetness of apples and squash—two fall produce favorites. Using shiitake mushrooms gives you a creamy, savory base for far fewer calories than other creamy soups. Pine nuts and Parmesan cheese bump up the flavor on this hearty dish, which boasts 10 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber.

Try this recipe: Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

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Gingery Butternut Squash and Tofu Curry

Butternut squash is a great addition to any fall meal and is full of nutrients including vitamins A, C, E, and B6, as well as potassium, and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene also may help prevent heart disease as well as protect your vision, skin, and immune system.



Try this recipe: Gingery Butternut Squash and Tofu Curry

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Spiced Coffee With Cinnamon Whipped Cream

This spiced up coffee gets special treatment with homemade cinnamon whipped cream on top. It’s simple to make, and you most likely have the ingredients sitting in your pantry. Try this drink, and reap the potential benefits: Coffee is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and possibly even Alzheimer’s.

Try this recipe: Spiced Coffee With Cinnamon Whipped Cream

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Spanish Salad of Oranges, Fennel, Red Onion, and Mint With Dressing

As temperatures drop, make use of citrus fruits, which peak in the winter months. This unique salad combines crunchy, slightly sweet fennel with tart oranges and just a hint of mint. Unlike some dressings that are loaded with saturated fat, the dressing in this recipe contains heart-healthy fats from the extra virgin olive oil, plus a low-cal pour of red-wine vinegar.

Try this recipe: Spanish Salad of Oranges, Fennel, Red Onion, and Mint With Dressing

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