Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - January 8-12

We gave a crowd-pleasing classic like barbecue chicken pizza a Korean spin. Fresh mozzarella is mild enough to complement the caramel and chile notes in the sauce and is a great canvas for the fresh carrot and radish salad on top. Roll out and build the pizza on a large sheet of parchment paper so you can place both directly on the hot pizza stone. The bottom of the crust will still be crisp, and you’ll avoid any potential flops from counter to oven.

Tomatoes need a little extra love during winter. This pasta uses them in two ways: first melted into the pancetta drippings for a saucy base, then sautéed until gently blistered with the kale and garlic. Vary the green depending on what you have on hand; shredded Brussels sprouts, chard, or spinach would work. Orecchiette ("little ears" in Italian) have a catcher’s mitt shape that’s ideal for holding the crispy bits of pancetta. You could also use whole-grain shell pasta or rotini.

Collards fair nicely in a quick sauté; slice into thin ribbons so they wilt quickly and stay tender. Canned black-eyed peas also save time. Pork is a natural pairing for greens and black-eyed peas. Here a lean, perfectly seared pork tenderloin is the star.

This one recipe gives you a full meal for four people—a hefty plate that goes heavy on the vegetables and provides nearly one-third of your daily fiber goal and just over 80% of your protein goal. The simple parsley sauce pulls everything together, offering a burst of fresh herbal flavor that brightens the dish. We call for precooked farro for speed and convenience, but if you have time, you can cook your own from scratch; aim for one-half cup cooked grains per serving.

We've turned our favorite part of a grilled cheese sandwich—when the cheese hits the hot pan and becomes a lacy, golden crisp—into a garnish for quick, creamy tomato soup. Grated Parmesan cheese melts and melds with crispy panko breadcrumbs in the skillet into silver dollar-sized crisps, then are flipped to brown on the other side. If you don’t have half-and-half, stir a spoonful or two of the pureed soup into yogurt until smooth, then stir that mixture back into the soup.

Treat yourself to a comforting bowl of warm, creamy rice pudding and enjoy a better night’s sleep. The goji berries sprinkled on top add fruity chew, while the pepitas offer nutty crunch and a tryptophan boost. Look for both at specialty grocery stores. If you can’t find them, sub tart cherries or pomegranates for the goji berries and walnuts for the pepitas; walnuts also contain tryptophan. A mild, less expensive honey works beautifully here; save the pricier, more robust honeys for a recipe where their flavor will be front and center.