26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (2024)

We love these healthy takes on the comforting recipes we grew up eating at grandma's house. From savory main dishes to classic sides and sweet baked goods, these recipes are sure to spark a little nostalgia. Plus, each recipe focuses on complex carbs, like whole grains, and is lower in saturated fat and sodium, so they easily fit into a diabetes-friendly, heart-healthy eating pattern. Recipes like our Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips and Skillet Chicken Potpie are so deliciously cozy, they'll have you scraping your plate.

01of 26

Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (1)

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.

02of 26

Skillet Chicken Potpie

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (2)

A store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies and precooked chicken simplify the prep for this easy potpie. This healthy dinner recipe is comfort food at its best.

03of 26

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (3)

This creamy rotisserie chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time--look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you're really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.

04of 26

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (4)

The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they're still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that's typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.

05of 26

Roast Chicken with Cider Gravy

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (5)

Tucking fresh herbs and garlic between the skin and the breast infuses the meat with flavor. We use thyme here, but you can also use fresh rosemary or parsley. If you have a rack, place the chicken on it to allow the hot air to circulate. You can also improvise a rack (as we do here) by setting the chicken on the neck and giblets.

06of 26

Skillet Broccoli-Cheddar Mac & Cheese

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (6)

Broccoli—just like pasta—makes a tasty pairing with sharp Cheddar. Here, we've combined all three ingredients in a homey casserole that's baked in a cast-iron skillet. Replacing some of the pasta in the dish with vegetables makes it more nutritious and helps you cut down on carbs.

07of 26

Zucchini Banana Bread

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (7)

Shredded zucchini and mashed banana complement each other and ensure that this wholesome loaf stays nice and moist. The banana adds sweetness to this quick-bread mashup for just the right flavor without too much added sugar.

08of 26

Chicken & Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (8)

The creamy chicken filling is spiked with sherry and the potatoes are mashed with olive oil in this healthy shepherd's pie recipe. To make individual pies, use six 10-ounce ramekins. Serve with a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and crusty bread.

09of 26

Instant Pot Potato Soup

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (9)

Russet potatoes turn tender and soft in minutes in a pressure cooker, so you can make this comforting soup quickly on busy weeknights. Garnish with the classic potato soup fixings--bacon, scallions and melted Cheddar cheese.

10of 26

Baked Beans with Ground Beef

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (10)

Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

11of 26

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (11)

The deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter--and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie--fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.

12of 26

Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (12)

Ripe tomato and fresh basil give this quick recipe tons of flavor. Serve this healthy pasta dinner with crusty garlic bread and steamed green beans.

13of 26

Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (13)

Use your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker for this easy beef bourguignon recipe. If desired, serve this stew with whole-wheat egg noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.

14of 26

Slow-Cooked Ranch Chicken and Vegetables

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (14)

This creamy, veggie-packed chicken dinner comes together easily in your slow-cooker-and makes enough for another night's casserole (see associated recipe)!

15of 26

Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (15)

This one-pot chicken dinner, inspired by the traditional dish of Spain and Latin America, comes together easily in the crock pot. The instant brown rice is added near the end, to keep it from overcooking.

16of 26

Roast Chicken with Parmesan-Herb Sauce

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (16)

A store-bought rice blend and quick-cooking chicken breast help get this healthy chicken recipe on the dinner table fast. Check the label to avoid excessive sodium or other undesirable ingredients. Other herbs, such as rosemary and sage, are also delicious in this recipe.

17of 26

Chicken-Noodle Casserole

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (17)

Flavorful Chicken-Noodle Casserole comes to life with this diabetic-friendly recipe. Select light sour cream to lower fat and calorie content.

18of 26

Lemon Bread

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (18)

This moist lemon bread is perfect for breakfast or a tasty dessert. It's delicious on its own or topped with the optional lemon-sugar glaze.

19of 26

Classic Deviled Eggs

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (19)

We love the taste of dill relish in the filling of this deviled egg recipe, but if you like a sweeter deviled egg' opt for sweet relish instead. Our secret to healthy, creamy deviled eggs with fewer calories is to swap out half the full-fat mayo for nonfat Greek yogurt.

20of 26

Pork Paprikash with Cauliflower "Rice"

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (20)

Cut carbs and calories by using cauliflower "rice" instead of regular rice in this 30-minute pork paprikash recipe.

21of 26

Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Root Vegetables & Barley

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (21)

Be sure to use bone-in chicken here--it enhances the flavor of the broth, and the bones are easy to remove after cooking. This healthy chicken soup can be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

22of 26

Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (22)

This hearty jambalaya is bursting with chicken, smoked turkey sausage, and shrimp. It takes just 25 minutes to prep in the morning and then your slow cooker will work its magic and deliver a tasty meal at the end of the day.

23of 26

Three-Bean Chili

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (23)

This rib-sticking bean chili is richly flavored with cumin, chili, paprika, oregano and an assortment of peppers. Use whatever beans you have in your pantry.

24of 26

Cinnamon Streusel Rolls

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (24)

You don't have to make a special trip to the bakery when you can whip up a batch of these heavenly cinnamon streusel rolls at home.

25of 26

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (25)

Fresh herbs, onion and sautéed bacon flavor this easy Brussels sprouts recipe. This savory dish is delicious in the fall and winter months, when Brussels sprouts are in season. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don't be intimidated--buy them, as they're likely more fresh. Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

26of 26

Basic Meatloaf

View Recipe

26 Diabetes-Friendly Vintage Recipes Like Grandma Used to Make (26)

While meatloaf purists focus on the meat, we like to look at meatloaf as a way to pack extra veggies and whole grains into a meal, as we do in this healthy, classic meatloaf recipe.