30 Dinners to Make in January for Healthy Aging (2024)

As we get older, there are all kinds of nutrients that we may need more of—vitamin D and calcium for bone health, plus antioxidants for heart disease, high blood pressure and eye health. These recipes rely on ingredients that pack in these essential compounds, like colorful fruits and veggies, salmon and whole grains, for a delicious and nutritious meal you'll love. Recipes like our Rosemary Roasted Salmon with Asparagus & Potatoes and Chicken & Kale Soup are tasty ways to stay on top of your health this January.

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Vegetarian Gumbo

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This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It's chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that's done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil.

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Chicken & Kale Soup

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This easy chicken and kale soup will keep you warm on a cold and rainy day or any day that calls for a simple, hearty soup. For convenience, you can make this soup with frozen kale without the need to thaw it beforehand.

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Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad

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After making the salmon cakes, we firm them up for 5 minutes in the freezer before cooking so they don't fall apart when they hit the hot oil. You can also make these salmon cakes with canned salmon to make them pantry- and budget-friendly.

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Rosemary Roasted Salmon with Asparagus & Potatoes

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Yukon Golds are great here because they get crispy on the outside but completely creamy on the inside. A brush stroke or two of balsamic glaze provides a rich color and a sweet finish to the roasted salmon.

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Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing

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This kale-quinoa salad pops with different flavors and textures. Massaging the kale helps break down its fibrous nature, while add-ins like toasted almonds, feta and cucumber add crunch and saltiness.

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Vegetarian Potato-Kale Soup

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This potato-kale soup has a rich, yet light and velvety texture. Opt for baby, two-bite red potatoes as they cook faster in the creamy, brothy soup. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of wine for a cozy meal.

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Vegan Lentil Stew

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This comforting vegan lentil stew is incredibly satisfying thanks to hearty lentils and sweet potato. The leeks provide a savory allium note while the tomato paste, miso and cumin add bold flavor.

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Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole

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This broccoli-quinoa casserole makes a hearty vegetarian main dish. As the quinoa absorbs water and cooks, it creates the perfect amount of steam for cooking the broccoli. Swap in tricolor quinoa, if you prefer.

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3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad

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Bagged salad and slaw blends are great shortcut ingredients for adding variety without needing to wash and chop lots of different vegetables. Toss a kale-and-broccoli slaw mix with canned white beans and yogurt-based green goddess dressing for a crunchy main-dish salad in minutes.

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Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Beans

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Loaded with roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, black beans, quinoa, feta and pepitas, this salad makes for a satisfying meatless meal. Not only does massaging the kale tenderize it, it also helps the greens absorb more of the bright dressing.

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One-Pan Spicy Okra & Shrimp

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Serve spicy blackened shrimp and tender vegetables over aromatic basmati rice for an easy skillet supper. Use precooked microwave rice so you don't have to mess up another pan. This one-pan dinner is perfect for company, but easy enough to make on a weeknight.

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Cornmeal-Crusted Shrimp with Corn & Okra

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Coating shrimp in buttermilk, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning not only gives them a tangy, spicy flavor, it also helps the cornmeal stick to form a crispy crust.

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Cauliflower & Kale Frittata

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Inspired by traditional Spanish tortillas made with potatoes, this healthy frittata recipe swaps potatoes for low-carb cauliflower. Serve it along with kale (or your favorite greens) for brunch or an easy breakfast-for-dinner.

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Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits

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In this vegetarian white bean potpie recipe, kale and hearty white beans are topped with easy, homemade chive biscuits. If desired, add a little shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese to the biscuit dough.

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Mediterranean Egg and Tomato Skillet with Pita (Shakshouka)

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Shakshouka is a North African dish that is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. Made up of tomatoes, onions, pepper, eggs and spices; this recipe is tasty and simple to make.

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Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli

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The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime--inspired by Mexican street corn--makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor.

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Garlic Butter-Roasted Salmon with Potatoes & Asparagus

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This spring-produce-packed one-pan meal makes a healthy and satisfying weeknight dinner. Melted garlic butter coats the salmon and vegetables, adding depth of flavor and richness to the dish.

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Easy Chicken & Broccoli Soup

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This easy chicken and broccoli soup is creamy and luscious, but still light. The broccoli florets absorb the creamy soup base, while the chicken stays tender. This is the perfect soup to make on a busy weeknight when you have leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken on hand. While the recipe calls for chicken breasts, if thighs are what you have on hand, feel free to use those.

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Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

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In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.

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Salmon with Lemon-Herb Orzo & Broccoli

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This healthy salmon dish is as balanced as it is delicious. You add broccoli right into the pot along with the pasta during its last minute of cooking to save time here. One less thing to wash too!

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Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables

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The tahini sauce does double duty in this healthy salmon recipe, serving as a glaze for the fish and also as a drizzle for the entire dish at the end of cooking. The green beans are cooked just slightly in this recipe, to still be crisp. If you like your green beans tenderer, look for thinner beans or haricot verts in the grocery store; they'll cook more quickly. This sheet-pan dinner recipe is not only delicious--it also comes together with just 25 minutes of active prep time, and there's only one pan to clean up afterwards!

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Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

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This one-pan chicken-and-broccoli recipe comes out of the oven all browned, cheesy and bubbling like a casserole, but is really prepared more like a skillet meal on the stovetop. Serve with a crunchy green salad.

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Skillet Eggs with Sausage & Tomato Aioli

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This breakfast-for-dinner fried egg skillet is a no-brainer alternative to takeout when you're rushed. The sausage and dark leafy greens are cooked in the same pan as the eggs, so cleanup is a cinch. Loading kale into this quick dinner recipe provides some calcium as well as vitamins and fiber. Serve with whole-grain toast and simple tomato aioli for a weeknight dinner that's ready in 20 minutes.

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Easy Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

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This broccoli and Cheddar quiche gets its creamy texture from evaporated milk. It's a great recipe to make ahead: simply reheat before serving or cut into slices and reheat each morning for breakfast. Using precut microwaveable broccoli cuts down on prep time, but if you have broccoli crowns sitting around, go ahead and use those up. Just be sure to cook the broccoli only untilbarely tender or the final dish will have overcooked, soggy broccoli.

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Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Diet Stew

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With a focus on vegetables, fiber-rich legumes and healthy fats, this slow-cooker stew fits the bill for those following the Mediterranean diet. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale. A drizzle of olive oil to finish pulls together the flavors of this easy vegan crock-pot stew.

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Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Kale

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You can make these three-ingredient tomato-simmered eggs with things you probably already have on hand in your freezer and pantry. To make these baked eggs more like eggs in purgatory, look for a spicy tomato sauce and don't forget some whole-wheat bread for dipping.

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Very Green Lentil Soup

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Lentils seem to go well with just about anything, and here they play well with a collection of greens and some cumin and coriander to add a gentle spicy note to this soup recipe. The result is a hearty winter soup with layers of flavor. Both French green lentils (available in natural-foods stores and specialty markets) and more commonly available brown lentils are delicious in this soup. The French green lentils hold their shape better when cooked, while brown lentils will start to break down a bit.

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Creamy Broccoli Pasta

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If you're looking for a simple weeknight pasta dish, look no further. This vegetarian dinner is done in only 20 minutes and packs plenty of broccoli along with creamy goodness thanks to mascarpone cheese and low-fat Greek yogurt.

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Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos

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These hearty vegan tacos are quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights. They are so tasty no one will miss the meat or dairy.

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One-Pot Lemon-Broccoli Pasta with Parmesan

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This hearty pasta dish with bright, fresh flavor is ideal for busy weeknights. The Parmesan adds welcome saltiness and notes of umami and you get added texture from the slight crunch of broccoli and whole-wheat noodles. Add some shredded rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp or crispy chickpeas to punch up the protein.