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Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - November 20-24

October 20, 2017
Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Every Sunday, we publish a week of Cooking Light dinner plans filled with our favorite recipes—both from current issues and classics. Each meal is designed to be ready and on the table in 45 minutes or less so that you have more time to enjoy the food you’ve prepared and the company of those you’ve prepared it for. If you like having a healthy meal plan but want something customized to your dietary or caloric needs, check out The Cooking Light Diet. It’s a calorie-driven weekly meal plan—breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—based on your dieting goals and food preferences. Look for one on a newsstands to find more delicious dinner inspiration.
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Monday: One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

We made pasta night easier by cooking the noodles right in the sauce. This not only saves on cleanup; the stock also infuses the pasta with flavor as it cooks, and the starch helps to thicken the sauce so it clings.

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Tuesday: Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry

Ginger and sambal oelek, a chile-garlic paste that’s now at most supermarkets in the international aisle, made this recipe a favorite by providing bold flavor in no time. Have all ingredients ready at the stove so they can go in at just the right moment.

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Wednesday: Classic Beef Pot Roast

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Classic Beef Pot Roast

This dish is our most popular recipe ever and it's a real crowd-pleaser. To serve, carve the roast into large pieces, ladle the rich broth over the top, and sprinkle with fresh flat-leaf parsley.

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Thursday: Turkey Sandwiches with Kimchi Slaw and Miso Sauce

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Turkey Sandwiches with Kimchi Slaw and Miso Sauce

Use those Thanksgiving turkey leftovers in a modern update of a sandwich. The robust flavors of nutty sesame oil, tangy-garlicky- pungent kimchi, and salty-sweet white miso give your palate a wel- come change of pace. The sandwich also feeds your gut healthy probiotics (kimchi, yogurt, and miso) plus pre- biotics (whole-grain bread) to keep the good bacteria well fed.

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Friday: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Spinach

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
View Recipe: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Spinach

This reader favorite has half the carbs of classic lasagna. If you bake the squash ahead, store the squeeze-dried strands in a zip-top bag, and stack the empty squash “boats” between damp paper towels before refrigerating.

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Dessert Bonus: Grapefruit-Campari Bars with Shortbread Crust

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Grapefruit-Campari Bars with Shortbread Crust

Treat yourself to a sophisticated riff on lemon bars. This grown-up treat embraces the bitterness in both grapefruit and Campari, balancing the flavor with a rich, buttery shortbread crust. When we create our healthier desserts, we think about where the fat will be best used—we strategically place it where it will make the most difference. Here, a good amount of butter goes into the whole-wheat crust to give it an irresistible shortbread-like texture. Just be sure to lightly pat the crust in place; if you press too hard and compact it into the baking dish, it will become dense and tough.

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