20+ Low-Carb Diabetes-Friendly Dinner Recipes

22 Diabetes-Friendly Dinners That Are Low in Carbs

By

Published on February 9, 2022

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips

Just because you have diabetes doesn't mean you need to cut out carbs entirely—getting in your daily dose of carbohydrates fuels your body, giving you energy for the day ahead. But on days when you want to scale back your intake, turn to one of these delicious dinners with 15 or fewer grams per serving. Each recipe highlights complex carbs, like whole grains, and sticks to heart-healthy levels of saturated fat and sodium for a diabetes-friendly meal. With recipes like our Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips and Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans on the menu, you're in for something healthy and tasty.

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Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips

The spice blend in this healthy beef stew recipe--cinnamon, allspice and cloves--may conjure images of apple pie, but the combo is a great fit in savory applications too. Serve over creamy polenta or buttered whole-wheat egg noodles.

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One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.

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Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans

Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans

Sweet-salty hoisin sauce and nutty sesame team up in this easy meal that's cooked on one baking sheet. Serve this sesame chicken with brown rice and sliced cucumbers, drizzled with sesame oil and rice vinegar.

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Stir-Fried Green Beans with Steak & Peanuts

Fish sauce, a pungent Southeast Asian condiment, gives this easy stir-fry a flavor punch, but you can use reduced-sodium soy sauce instead. Add more or less crushed red pepper to adjust the heat.

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One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli — Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Greg Luna

Shrimp cooks quickly in this easy, one-pot recipe, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Serve over whole grains or rice.

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Easy Jamaican Jerk Chicken Legs with Cabbage Slaw

Milas easy jamaican jerk chicken with steamed cabbage — Joy Howard

A complex marinade including ginger, lime, cinnamon and habaneros makes these oven-baked drumsticks delightfully savory with a spicy kick. A simple cabbage slaw, which comes together in minutes, is the perfect accompaniment.

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Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp

Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp — Jacob Fox

This fried rice variation uses riced cauliflower instead of traditional rice to lower the calories and carbs. You can adjust the amount of chile-garlic sauce according to taste.

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Chicken Fajita Stir-Fry

Chicken Fajita Stir-Fry — Jacob Fox

A wok makes easy work of chicken and vegetables in this quick variation on fajitas. You can serve this with rice or beans on the side, if desired.

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Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Peppers

Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Peppers — Jacob Fox

This vibrant, colorful dish is great for those who love a little heat. Adjust the amount of chile-garlic sauce according to your preferred heat level. To smash ginger, use the side of a chef's knife or the flat bottom of a sturdy mug. Serve with rice, if desired.

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Apricot-Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Spinach Salad

An easy apricot-mustard sauce both seasons the pork and dresses the salad.

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Sweet & Peppery Flank Steak with Shishitos

This flank steak recipe comes together easily on a baking sheet, but if you're itching to take it outside, fire up the grill instead. Just be sure to use a grill basket for the peppers so you don't end up chasing them around the grates, or worse, losing them to the fire.

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Moroccan Chicken & Tomato Stew

This Moroccan chicken stew is inspired by a traditional tagine, a dish which takes its name from the pottery vessel it's made in (a skillet works here). Serve with a side of roasted vegetables and whole-wheat couscous, if desired.

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Herby Mediterranean Fish with Wilted Greens & Mushrooms

This Mediterranean fish recipe makes a tasty and healthful weeknight meal. Serve with wild rice or roasted potatoes.

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Chopped Salad with Shrimp, Apples & Pecans

Sweet and crunchy apples and celery combine with savory shrimp and nutty pecans in this easy, colorful dinner salad.

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Spiced Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice" Tabbouleh

spice grilled chicken

Chicken breasts on the grill have a smoky flavor that's enhanced with an easy spice rub. We chose flat-leaf parsley in this salad because it has a stronger herbal taste than its sometimes-bitter curly counterpart.

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Mushroom & Tofu Stir-Fry

This tofu veggie stir-fry is quick and easy, making it a great go-to weeknight meal. Baked tofu has a firm, toothsome texture that crisps well in a hot pan. You can find it in flavors like teriyaki and sesame, both of which are delicious here. Or opt for a smoked version, which has the same texture with a more robust flavor. Serve over brown rice.

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Leftover Turkey Gumbo

This dish puts other healthy leftover turkey recipes to shame. Chef Hugh Acheson puts his unique spin on gumbo by mixing untraditional spices like allspice and coriander with must-have thyme and filé powder. Also called gumbo filé, filé powder is the finely ground leaves of the sassafras tree; look for it in well-stocked supermarkets or online. Serve the gumbo over rice and don't forget to pass the hot sauce.

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Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole

Pan-Seared Steak with Crispy Herbs & Escarole

This easy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare, meaning that seared steak can be a weeknight meal. Cooking herbs in the pan with the steak releases their aroma, infusing it into the meat while creating a crispy garnish. After the steaks and herbs are pan-seared, the escarole is cooked in the same skillet, so this healthy dinner requires minimal cleanup too.

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Rainbow Chard Spanish Tortilla

Don't toss those stems! Rainbow chard is sold in bunches with a mix of yellow, pink, and pale green stems that add a pop of color, a bit of crunch, and an extra dose of fiber.

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Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowls

Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Bowls

Transform canned chicken noodle soup into quick ramen bowls by adding fresh ginger, crunchy vegetables, herbs and a jammy soft-boiled egg. Look for a low-sodium soup that has 450 mg sodium or less per serving.

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Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp scampi is a favorite dish at many Italian restaurants but our version takes just 20 minutes to prepare, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner at home. Large shrimp are cooked with garlic and then served over linguine pasta with a buttery-wine sauce--it's so good your family may think you ordered takeout!

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Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Chicken and sweet potatoes unite with the delicious taste of rosemary in this easy, one-skillet meal. Because we use parcooked and unseasoned sweet potatoes, the cooking time is much shorter--making this recipe perfect for weeknight cooking.

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