Healthy Food Recipes: Colorful, Nutritious Fruits and Vegetables

Photo: Van Chaplin; Styling: Buffy Hargett

You’ve heard it before: in order to get all of the nutrients that you need, it is necessary to eat a wide variety of foods of different colors. In other words, eat the rainbow (not the candy kind). That can feel like a chore, if you think about it in the wrong way. But SL is here to help! We’ve compiled a bunch of easy, healthy recipes that make healthy eating feel like a joy, instead of a chore. Healthy vegetable recipes abound; we’re pretty fond of our roasted asparagus salad. But easy, healthy recipes aren’t confined to just vegetables; try our three-fruit smoothie tomorrow morning to start the day off right. Need a great, light lunch recommendation? Try a sweet salad with fresh pears and Asian sesame dressing–you won’t find an easier healthy recipe. Dinnertime? Baby carrot soup spiked with a smoked adobo sauce has our vote. Whatever your palatal preferences, we have a colorful, easy, and healthy recipe for you.

Start Slideshow

1 of 25

Roasted Asparagus Salad

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus Salad

Serve a plate full of goodness with the veggies in Roasted Asparagus Salad: Bibb lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and bell pepper. Save time by tossing it with bottled vinaigrette.

2 of 25

Three-Fruit Yogurt Shake

Pack color into your breakfast with Three-Fruit Yogurt Shake. This simple, refreshing smoothie blends the sweet taste and nutrients of blueberries, peaches, and pineapple.

Recipe: Three-Fruit Yogurt Shake

3 of 25

Baby Carrot Soup

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Smoky adobo sauce gives this creamy soup a subtle touch of heat.

Recipe: Baby Carrot Soup

4 of 25

Grilled Rainbow Peppers

Colorful bell peppers will brighten up your dinner plate. A combination of a sweet balsamic dressing, crumbled goat cheese and fresh basil on the grilled veggies provides an unbeatably fresh flavor.

Recipe: Grilled Rainbow Peppers

5 of 25

Dawn’s World-Famous Greek Salad

Dawn’s World-Famous Greek Salad mixes vibrant ripe tomatoes, pickled beets, cucumber, and green pepper with flavorful vinaigrette, feta, olives, and shrimp. For a greater concentration of color, use all romaine lettuce instead of the romaine-iceberg combination in the recipe.

Recipe: Dawn’s World-Famous Greek Salad

6 of 25

Grilled Eggplant With Sweet Pepper-Tomato Topping

Grill and top eggplant with a pepper-tomato topping that combines fresh basil with salty olives and sweet raisins. Serve with a French bread baguette for a meatless entrée or as a side to grilled chicken.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant With Sweet Pepper-Tomato Topping

7 of 25

Fresh Pear Salad With Asian Sesame Dressing

Shredded red cabbage and carrots add a punch of color and vitamins to this Asian salad. Red pears and a tangy dressing finish off the flavor sweetly.

Recipe: Fresh Pear Salad With Asian Sesame Dressing

8 of 25

Green Bean, Grape, and Pasta Toss

Recipe: Green Bean, Grape, and Pasta Toss

If you like broccoli salad, you will love this red-and-green salad. Bacon and pecans add texture and saltiness to the creamy-dressing-coated dish.

9 of 25

Citrus Gazpacho

Add a fruity twist to fresh, chilled vegetable gazpacho. Grapefruit and orange slices along with a hint of lime complement savory tomato flavors in this soup. There’s no cooking required for the recipe; just chop, pour, and stir.

Recipe: Citrus Gazpacho

10 of 25

Summer Vegetable Kabobs

Deliver a colorful treat from the grill with marinated veggie kabobs. Serve veggies with grilled chicken and wild rice, or toss into pasta with basil and Parmesan cheese.

Recipe: Summer Vegetable Kabobs

11 of 25

Chilled Zucchini Soup With Fresh Vegetable Salsa

Mix up zucchini in soup form for a refreshing meal. Add texture with a simple fresh salsa, or save time by using a chunky store-bought salsa. Make ahead of time, and serve straight from the fridge.

Recipe: Chilled Zucchini Soup With Fresh Vegetable Salsa

12 of 25

Broccoli-Squash Slaw

Broccoli-Squash Slaw is a vibrant mixture of packaged broccoli slaw, sliced yellow squash, and chopped red pepper―all coated in a creamy, sweet dressing with a hint of lemon.

Recipe: Broccoli-Squash Slaw

13 of 25

Peach-Blackberry-Yogurt Fruit Cups

Recipe: Peach-Blackberry-Yogurt Fruit Cups

Mix fresh peaches and blackberries with Greek yogurt, honey, and granola for a quick, nutritious breakfast. Sit down and savor the fresh fruit, or pack it in a container to take on the go with you.

14 of 25

Asparagus Pesto

Tired of steamed asparagus? Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and lemon in this pesto make the veggie into a tasty coating for pasta or crostini.

Recipe: Asparagus Pesto

15 of 25

Heirloom Tomato Salad With Fresh Lady Peas

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Salad With Fresh Lady Peas

You can find many hues of heirloom tomatoes from local farmers. Complement the fresh flavor of sliced tomatoes with basil and goat cheese in an herb dressing. Or grill them on skewers and drizzle with vinaigrette.

16 of 25

Layered Lebanese Salad

Crisp veggies display their colors in this Middle Eastern salad. The recipe is the ultimate make-ahead choice: It must be refrigerated for 24 hours to allow the bulgur wheat on the bottom layer to absorb the dressing.

Recipe: Layered Lebanese Salad

17 of 25

Roasted Beet-and-Sugared Walnut Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

Roasted beets and sugarcoated walnuts provide a warm complement to the sweet Orange Vinaigrette and orange sections tossed into this colorful salad.

Recipe: Roasted Beet-and-Sugared Walnut Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

18 of 25

Prosciutto-Wrapped Mango Bites

Southern Living

Recipe: Prosciutto-Wrapped Mango Bites

For a simple, fresh appetizer, wrap mango slices and arugula in paper-thin slices of prosciutto. For a slightly different flavor, substitute another fruit, such as pear or cantaloupe, for mango.

19 of 25

Power Salad

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Reminiscent of traditional potato salad, Power Salad blends the healthful yet candy-like flavors of sweet potatoes, Granny Smith apples, and raisins in a light dressing. Walnuts and apple slices provide a crunch to each bite. Make this salad several hours in advance to let the flavors blend.

Recipe: Power Salad

20 of 25

New Ambrosia With Buttermilk-Coconut Dressing

The citrus goodness we love in ambrosia meets immune-boosting green veggies in this dish. Garnish with toasted sweetened flaked coconut to complete the flavors.

Recipe: New Ambrosia With Buttermilk-Coconut Dressing

21 of 25

Warm Purple-and-Red Potato Toss

Eating potatoes doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice color and nutrients; buy red and purple-skinned varieties for this warm rendition of zesty potato salad. Test Kitchen Tip: Cook the potatoes whole with their skins to retain shape and color.

Recipe: Warm Purple-and-Red Potato Toss

22 of 25

Tomato-and-Watermelon Salad

Recipe: Tomato-and-Watermelon Salad

This surprising salad combination will please your palate. The bright hues and refreshing flavors make Tomato-and-Watermelon Salad the perfect summer side dish.

23 of 25

Confetti Pasta Salad

Pack veggies into a picnic or luncheon spread with Confetti Pasta Salad. Toss a colorful mix of red tomatoes, green spinach, and yellow bell pepper with shell pasta, fresh lemon vinaigrette, and crumbled feta cheese.

Recipe: Confetti Pasta Salad

24 of 25

Edamame Succotash