38 Healthy Southern Recipes
38 Healthy Southern Recipes
Read Time: 17 mins
38 Healthy Southern Recipes
exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat
exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat. 3/37 Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Chicken 23 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Chicken Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 4 hours 10 min Servings 6 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I live in Georgia, but I appreciate the tangy, sweet and slightly spicy taste of Carolina vinegar chicken. I make my version in the slow cooker. After the tempting aroma fills the house, your family is sure to be at the dinner table on time! —Ramona Parris, Canton, Georgia Nutrition Facts: 1/2 cup (calculated without buns): 134 calories, 3g
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat
fat (1g saturated fat), 63mg cholesterol, 228mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 0 fiber), 23g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat. 4/37 Yogurt Cornbread 18 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Yogurt Cornbread Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 9 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: My husband doesn’t like traditional Texas cornbread, so I came up with this recipe. This is the only kind he’ll eat. Yogurt makes this variation different from most. —Amanda Andrews of Mansfield, Texas Nutrition Facts: 1 piece: 157 calories, 7g fat (1g saturated fat), 24mg cholesterol, 349mg sodium, 20g
carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 4g protein
carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 4g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat. 5/37 Oven-Fried Green Tomato BLT 2 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Oven-Fried Green Tomato BLT Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 25 min Servings 4 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: For years I have used this same idea to cook eggplant slices, and recently I decided to try it on green tomatoes. It worked! Now my family loves them in BLTs. —Jolene Martinelli, Fremont, New Hampshire Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich: 313 calories, 12g fat (2g saturated fat), 55mg cholesterol, 744mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate
(5g sugars, 4g fiber), 16g protein
(5g sugars, 4g fiber), 16g protein. Diabetic exchanges: 2 starch, 2 high-fat meat, 1 fat. 6/37 Corn Okra Creole 3 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Corn Okra Creole Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 6 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This dish is representative of my area of the country, and particularly the Texas-Louisiana border. The okra, corn and Creole seasonings are all popular here. —Ruth Aubey, San Antonio, Texas Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup: 147 calories, 8g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 19mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 4g fiber), 4g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fat, 1 starch
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fat, 1 starch. 7/37 Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries 4 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME Total Time 20 min Servings 4 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I can never get enough of these air-fryer sweet potato fries! Even though my grocery store sells them in the frozen foods section, I still love to pull sweet potatoes out of my garden and slice them up fresh! —Amber Massey, Argyle, Texas Nutrition Facts: 1 serving: 243 calories, 7g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 498mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 5g fiber),
3g protein
3g protein. 8/37 Shredded Barbecue Chicken over Grits 11 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Grace Natoli Sheldon for Taste of Home Total Time 45 min Servings 6 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: There’s nothing like juicy meat served over creamy grits. And the pumpkin in these grits makes them taste like a spicy, comforting bowl of fall flavors. Your family will come running to the table for this one. —Erin Renouf Mylroie, Santa Clara, Utah Nutrition Facts: 1 serving: 345 calories, 9g fat (4g saturated fat), 62mg cholesterol, 718mg sodium, 42g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 4g fiber), 25g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1 fat
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1 fat. 9/37 Succotash 6 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Succotash Recipe photo by Nicole Perry for Taste of Home Total Time 2 hours 45 min Servings 16 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: You can’t get more southern than this succotash recipe. It comes from my mother, who was a fantastic cook. This dish made her famous—at least with everyone who ever tasted it. —Rosa Boone, Mobile, Alabama Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup: 79 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 2mg cholesterol, 442mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 3g fiber), 4g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch. 10/37 Cajun Shrimp 9 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Cajun Shrimp Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 10 min Servings 4 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These zippy shrimp bring a lot of pizazz to the table. Use as much or as little cayenne pepper as you’d like, depending on your family’s tastes. We love ours served alongside rice pilaf. —Donna Thomason, El Paso, Texas Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked shrimp: 131 calories, 5g fat (1g saturated fat), 138mg cholesterol, 430mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 19g protein. Diabetic Exchanges:
3 lean meat, 1/2 fat
3 lean meat, 1/2 fat. 11/37 Carolina Marinated Pork Tenderloin 6 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Carolina Marinated Pork Tenderloin Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 4 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Three bold ingredients will change your grilled pork tenderloin for life. This is exactly the kind of rich, savory, easy-to-prepare recipe I like to serve to company. —Sharisse Dunn, Rocky Point, North Carolina Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked pork: 160 calories, 4g fat (1g saturated fat), 63mg cholesterol, 90mg sodium, 7g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 22g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3
lean meat, 1/2 starch
lean meat, 1/2 starch. 12/37 Pork and Beef Barbecue 6 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 6 hours 15 min Servings 12 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: It’s the combination of beef stew meat and tender pork that keeps friends and family asking for these tangy sandwiches. Add a little lettuce and tomato for a crisp contrast. —Corbin Detgen, Buchanan, Michigan Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich: 444 calories, 12g fat (4g saturated fat), 69mg cholesterol, 684mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 3g fiber), 32g protein. 13/37 14/37 Sweet Potato Salad 3 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved TASTE OF HOME
Total Time 50 min Servings 6 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator:
Total Time 50 min Servings 6 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Tender sweet potatoes are tossed with crunchy nuts and chewy dried cherries for a burst of flavors and textures. —Fran Fehling, Staten Island, New York Nutrition Facts: 1/2 cup: 211 calories, 10g fat (1g saturated fat), 2mg cholesterol, 189mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate (12g sugars, 4g fiber), 3g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat. 15/37 Texas Beef Barbecue 5 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Texas Beef Barbecue Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 8 hours 15 min Servings 16 servings Go to Recipe From the
This is a family favorite
Recipe Creator: A boneless beef roast simmers for hours in a slightly sweet sauce before it’s shredded and tucked into rolls to make hearty sandwiches. This is a family favorite. —Jennifer Bauer, Lansing, Michigan Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich: 339 calories, 8g fat (2g saturated fat), 60mg cholesterol, 606mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate (10g sugars, 1g fiber), 27g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch. 16/37 Pork Roast 37 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Sunday Pork Roast Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 2 hours 5 min Servings 12 servings Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Mom would prepare
The herb rub and vegetables give it a remarkable flavor
pork roast for our family, friends and customers at the three restaurants she and Dad owned. The herb rub and vegetables give it a remarkable flavor. It’s one of my favorite pork roast recipes. —Sandi Pichon, Memphis, Tennessee Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked pork with about 2 tablespoons gravy: 174 calories, 5g fat (2g saturated fat), 57mg cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 0 fiber), 22g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1/2 starch. 17/37 The South in a Pot Soup 12 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved The South in a Pot Soup Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat
Time 1 hour Servings 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts) Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: With black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, ground beef and comforting spices, this soup has every wonderful memory from my childhood simmered together in one tasty pot. —Stephanie Rabbitt-Schapp, Cincinnati, OH Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups: 267 calories, 9g fat (3g saturated fat), 55mg cholesterol, 544mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 5g fiber), 22g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat. 18/37 Country Captain Chicken 20 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Slow-Cooker Country Captain Chicken Recipe photo by Leticia Almeida for Taste of Home
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⭐ Expert Tips
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Include seasonal or trendy variations to keep your meals exciting.
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Consider dietary restrictions and include substitution suggestions.
✅ Key Takeaways
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These dinner ideas are perfect for impressing guests or enjoying special occasions.
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Choose recipes that match your skill level and available kitchen tools.
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Presentation and taste both contribute to a memorable dining experience.
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