Dinner Tonight

Queen Catherine de' Medici introduced artichokes to France. When you introduce artichokes to your leftover steak and combine them with wild mushrooms, it's easy to create elegant pizzettes.

We've chosen to keep it light for this steak pasta recipe with a tomato-based sauce smoothed with sour cream. Top that off with lean steak and lesser-known whole-wheat farfalle pasta, and you've got yourself a deliciously clean dinner sure to please any pasta lover in your family.

Hearty barley, split peas and ham give this classic soup a comforting appeal that will stick to your ribs long after you've scraped the final spoonful from your bowl.

If you have memories of eating split pea soup with ham as a child, our soup will fill that spot in your heart (and help improve heart health with omega-3 fatty acids).

Chilling your risotto mixture overnight allows for a stickier texture, perfect for rolling into bite-size balls. Your guests will swoon for these crisp Greek-inspired risotto balls and their accompanying Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.

Melded with one pound of whole-wheat linguine, our pesto recipe provides a filling meal without the fat of traditional, heavier pestos. The vibrant green translates into ample chlorophyll, which helps trigger hemoglobin and red blood cell production.

Infuse iron-rich spinach and protein-powered chickpeas with some simple flavor thanks to garlic, paprika, cumin and red wine vinegar.

Since fresh tomatoes aren't in season this time of the year and pre-made marinara sauce is often loaded with sodium, canned diced tomatoes with no added salt are a healthy solution.

Instead of the traditional lemon and dill lineup, our tuna melt recipe takes a cue from Tex-Mex cuisine and employs some southern flavor with a little kick.

Kick up your mother's meatloaf with a spicy homemade glaze and serve with your favorite potato salad or mashed potatoes!

Spice up your evening with this succulent beef tenderloin topped with fiery sauteed shrimp.

These tofu steaks become pleasantly toothsome thanks to their time on the grill, and the flavorful smoky-sweet rub lends delicious dimension to a somewhat plainly flavored protein.

Spanakopita, or spinach pie, is a classic fixture in Greek cuisine, most often sold as individual triangular pastries. Enjoy our casserole version as a light snack or appetizer, or pair it with a lentil soup or fresh tomato salad for a more filling main for the whole family.

With less natural sweetness than butternut, mild spaghetti squash pairs well with slightly bitter radicchio and salty Kalamata olives. This side dish would be a refreshing change of pace with pork tenderloin, baked white fish or as part of a vegetarian meal.

We've taken your favorite classic carbonara and reinvented it with the same velvety texture that you're used to - but without the cream. Fresh asparagus adds a touch of color and texture, while chicken sausage stands in for bacon to provide meaty flavor.

Our cleaned-up redo of this timeless classic conjures up memories of your favorite Italian restaurant meal, but with less fat!

Traditionally defined as a cooking method in which meats are seared and then simmered in a closed pan to maximize flavor, braising can also be used to add taste and tenderness to vegetables.

An honorary mention in our AHA collaboration, this heart-healthy southwest quinoa salad comes from Chef Jean Hertzman, PhD, CCE, assistant professor of food and beverage management at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV.

Our version of holiday sweet potatoes puts an end to the usual maple syrup-induced sugar shock, opting instead for roasted garlic and rosemary (plus beaten egg whites for a fluffy texture!)

Flank steak is an affordable, lean cut, which benefits from quick cooking. Since it does not have extensive marbling, cooking to medium rare or medium, and slicing thinly against the grain, will result in the most tender texture.

Go ahead, eat this burger! We've transformed a diner classic so you can indulge while keeping fat and calories way down. One bite and you'll never go greasy spoon again.

Ditch high-sodium beef dips – they can be labor intensive and replete with artificial flavor enhancers. With just five ingredients, our all-natural sandwiches keep sodium in check, offering 32 grams of protein and letting your slow cooker do most of the work!

Let hardy vegetables, tender chicken and aromatic spices mingle all day in your slow cooker, and come home salivating to the delicious smell of this lightened-up Italian classic!

Flip on your slow cooker in the morning and come home to a rich, warming vegetarian stew topped with a cornmeal crust. Comfort at its finest!

Get out your crock pot and try the easy, clean and comforting slow cooker chicken barley stew that helped one of our readers shed 200 pounds!

The use of boneless, skinless chicken and low-fat yogurt helps to reduce the fat that is commonly found in this zesty Indian dish.

Use your own canned tomatoes (or your favorite boxed variety) to make this bone-warming Spanish chicken and rice skillet, a breeze at just 20 minutes of prep!

Searing a large piece of beef and then roasting it in the oven gives you the best of two worlds: crisp, caramelized edges and a tender, juicy interior. Our herb-laced Dijon rub is the icing on this sirloin roast.

Panko bread crumbs and crushed walnuts join forces with dried herbs to create a crispy, flavorful coating for our roast – in perfect textural contrast to its creamy blue cheese sauce.

This protein-rich dinner is only $2 per serving, but that doesn't mean it can't have rich flavor! The process of reduction intensifies the sauce's flavor, lending the sirloin a pleasing tang.

Whip up a hearty French salad in just 25 minutes! Ringing in at just $8, this healthy recipe suits your wallet as well as your waistline.

Stew doesn't have to simmer for hours. This one cooks up in a jiffy, thanks to quick-cooking ingredients like shrimp and small potato wedges.

We've taken your classic shrimp salad sandwich and amped up the flavor even more with fresh dill, crunchy celery and Dijon. In our version, Greek yogurt stands in for mayonnaise, providing creamy texture without the fat.

Adding beaten egg whites to these luscious cheesy grits increases their volume (so you'll feel like you're eating more!), yet gives them a light texture. And if zucchini's not in its prime, substitute any seasonal vegetables you love!

Lean ground turkey and buttermilk-mashed Yukon gold potatoes give this seasonal family favorite all the flavor and creaminess you'd expect from a shepherd's pie—with none of the actual butter or cream. Translation: a low-cal, low-fat meal sure to soothe any wintertime craving, guilt free.

Fennel, shallots and olives are a popular combination, making this light and elegant flatbread a surefire hit. We've tossed the shallots in a bit of lemon juice to brighten their flavor and roasted the fennel to bring out its natural sweetness.

The flavor of nutrient-rich sesame punctuates this punchy dish double time, in seeds toasted atop the garlic-roasted chicken and in the Middle Eastern-inspired tahini sauce.

Toasted sesame seeds turn these pork tenderloin medallions into a dramatic-looking dish, while sweet apple butter and savory tamari combine to create a luscious sauce for a sideof steamed baby bok choy.

Our slightly browned scallops nestle on a bed of puréed peas, as satisfying in texture as they are nutritionally robust.

Bridge the gap between surf and turf by serving up seared scallops, a dinner option that's as fresh and delicate as it is substantial and rich.

Broiled scallops sprinkled with a crunchy, toasted bread-crumb and almond mixture and cloaked with a thick, smooth, lemony avocado sauce is our lean, culinary ode to this New Orleans signature sandwich.

The success of the homemade potato chips in this $2 dish really depends on your knife – sharper knives cut thinner slices for crispier chips! Toss your chips with dill only after they've come out of the oven so the dried herb doesn't burn.

The tart green cilantro sauce in this recipe balances out the salmon's rich flavor - and perfectly complements the color - making this dish worthy of serving at your next big dinner party.

Leftover fish, whole grains and a crisper drawer's share of produce, and this reader made dinner!

A short marinade infuses the salmon with citrus flavor and helps keep it moist. Plus, since only a small fraction of the marinating liquid is absorbed, this easy step keeps calories low!

Our rustic take on the classic Italian pie has a swirl of savory fillings and just 175 calories per slice.

You can make both the potatoes and onions the day before so that your pre-party preparation is extra fast and easy. After assembling the dish, either bake it at home and serve it within an hour or so (it's equally delicious at room temperature), or take it to the host's place and bake it there.

You might not think that you can make pasta in your slow cooker, but this scrumptious, Mediterranean-inspired rotini will prove otherwise. Shrimp adds lean protein while roasted peppers and olives add some extra zing.

Roasted chicken can sometimes get boring. With our cherry barbecue sauce and toasted almonds, this Sunday dinner staple takes on a starring role.

These aren't your grandmother's Brussels sprouts, considering the subtly mild zip you get from the apple cider vinegar and the nuttiness from the chestnuts.

If your favorite part of ravioli is the creamy ricotta filling, then you'll go wild for my homemade ricotta dumplings.

Nosh on red bell peppers like those found in this Middle Eastern-inspired side dish and know you've chosen one of the most nutrient-dense foods around. A 3 1/2-oz serving of red peppers boasts plentiful vitamins C, A and B6, fiber, thiamin and folic acid.

Switch butter and whole milk with reduced-fat cottage cheese whenever you want to whip together your own flavorful, naturally low-fat mashed potatoes.

On days when you're pressed for time, skip the tedium of making individual quesadillas and spend 5 minutes assembling our cheesy casserole! It's rich in antioxidants thanks to one particular ingredient...

Modern-day Italians serve cornmeal-based polenta as a simple side or hearty entrée, enriched with cheeses and herbs. Offering yet another take on the classic, our polenta is used to create a soft crust for a winter vegetable pie.

Chef and cookbook author Allison Fishman is all about simple, home-cooked dishes that let fresh, healthy ingredients shine. This Cajun-inspired recipe is a prime example!

Top Chef's Angelo Sosa credits his Dominican father for his adventurous cooking style. His beet carpaccio is drizzled with herb-laced Italian honey and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

In Latin America, a picadillo usually consists of finely chopped well-seasoned meat and vegetables served alongside a bed of rice. Here, we've transferred the concept to the soup pot to spice up your cold winter nights.

Bolognese sauce is a rich ragu that simmers for hours, coaxing flavor from aromatic vegetables. Our plant-based lentil bolognese honors its roots with steady (thankfully quicker!) preparation that persuades sweet notes from caramelized vegetables.

Paella is composed of rice, meat and vegetables. In Valencia, where it's said to have originated, paellas are almost always single-protein dishes. Here in America, however, we like to mix fish, chicken and pork. Throw in some vegetables and you have a complete good-for-you one-dish meal.

A love for portobello burgers inspired this reader to find other ways to incorporate the meaty mushroom into her cooking. Her portobello mushroom recipe is filling enough to be eaten as a full meal!

An amazingly easy-to-prepare, delightfully sweet whole fish is paired with mild roasted fennel and onions, plus couscous – a complete meal with just 8 grams of fat.

Fake greasy takeout with this healthy twist on fried chicken, breaded with whole-wheat bread crumbs, cheese and thyme!

While poaching mild-flavored catfish in orange juice will help infuse this dish with a citrus fragrance, it's actually the orange zest that provides an intensely aromatic character.

Here, we're using lamb chops, which look like miniature T-bone steaks. They're full of flavor and the fat is relatively easy to trim off.

This creamy curried chicken and lentil dish is brimming with flavor, and it’s even better the next day. Make it on Sunday and eat it for lunches and dinners all week.

Clean cook and host of FitTV's Healthy Decadence, Devin Alexander takes the fried out of a beloved chicken dish. It tastes so good you'll wonder why you've relied on the grease for so long!

We clean up our Greek lasagna by topping it with low-fat béchamel, and the meat-and-potato dish doesn't lose an ounce of comfort. Prepare the sliced potatoes, eggplant and red sauce a day or two in advance and refrigerate to save time!

Aside from ample health benefits in Sonja Finn's low-cal salad, there's a bounty of textures and flavors to experience – from the chewy feel of farro between your teeth, juxtaposed with smooth and creamy avocado, to the tangy taste of the Chile-Mint Vinaigrette.

These vegetarian patties are simple, versatile and addictive! Enjoy them on their own with a dollop of our rich garlic aioli or sandwich one between thin whole-grain buns for a veggie burger!

Candice Kumai's salad gets an antioxidant boost from two kinds of berries, plus the heart-healthy omegas in raw walnuts and iron-laden spinach couple with a fat-free balsamic vinaigrette for a texturally satisfying, guilt-free lunch.

We use Za'atar, an addictive Middle Eastern spice blend, to season the nutritious grains that form the foundation of this flavorful fish dish.

Use any kind of bread crumbs you prefer (fine, panko, homemade) as long as they're not too soft, as well as any apple variety that looks fresh.

Texan chef Mark Paul's exclusive recipe for the traditional, slow-cooked Italian favorite replaces veal shanks with lamb, offering up a warming dish that's sure to elicit more than a few smiles!

Hearty and robust, this dish is a Greek twist on a traditional Bolognese. Sharp feta and creamy, low-fat ricotta top it off and mint adds a pop of freshness.

Chef Jo's transformed food truck burger is based on a classic from Grill 'Em All, winners of Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race. The truck is the heavy metal brainchild of two longtime buddies who use fresh, local ingredients for their German-inspired beef burger.

Wear rubber gloves when handling chiles! Their heat, though excellent in this Chinese favorite, can transfer to your fingers and make wiping your eyes or nose a painful experience.

You can make these honey mustard chicken thighs up to 8 hours in advance and, at the last minute, simply coat them with the sauce and bake.

Sweet oranges and tart cranberries make a perfect pair when you want to perk up your plate with tang and color. Adding orange peel as you begin cooking your rice, and orange juice at the end of the process, lends a smooth flavor and fragrance to this cranberry chicken.

Stuffing peppers is a fun way to serve a perhaps otherwise overlooked grain salad at your next backyard get-together. Cubanelle peppers are an ideal choice thanks to their mild spice, thin walls and narrow cone-like cavity.