Heart Healthy Eating Plan: 20+ Recipe Ideas for Main Dishes

Asparagus with Quince Jam and Walnuts

Turbo-charge your heart healthy eating plan by adding asparagus dishes to your menu! Asparagus is a highly nutritious vegetable that is packed with heart health promoting nutrients including glutathione, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and N-acetylcysteine. In addition to asparagus, this mouth-watering heart healthy recipe features walnuts which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, healthful fats that can lower triglycerides, prevent blood clots, and reduce blood pressure.
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Zucchini "Noodles" with Mashed Avocado and Cherry Tomatoes (Paleo-Friendly)

This heart-healthy recipe combines zoodles (imitation noodles made of whole zucchini), creamy avocado and juicy cherry tomatoes to create a Paleo-friendly, low-carb dish. This plant-based dish is perfect for those who want to reduce their risk of degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, by improving their antioxidant status. In addition to providing tons of antioxidants (such as vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene and glutathione), this "zoodle" dish also contains oleic acid and pinolenic acid which appear to have appetite-suppressing properties and which may therefore promote healthy weight loss.
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Risotto with Crimini Mushrooms and Arugula

This easy recipe helps you create a risotto that's packed with flavor and nutrients. Thanks to the crimini mushrooms, this dish is loaded with potassium, a mineral that helps your body excrete sodium, thus promoting cardiovascular health.
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Beet and Carrot Salad with Ginger

This recipe pairs two powerful root vegetables to create an excellent natural weapon for preventing cardiovascular disease. Animal studies have found beets to be highly effective at reducing total cholesterol and triglyceride levels while increasing HDL cholesterol (beneficial cholesterol) levels. Carrots are rich in carotenoids, natural compounds that have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.
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Beet and Carrot Soup

This recipe pairs beets with carrots to create a fabulous crimson soup that is packed with nutrients that help prevent cardiovascular disease. Animal studies have found beets to be highly effective at reducing total cholesterol and triglyceride levels while carrots are rich in carotenoids, natural compounds that have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.
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Stir-Fried Asparagus with Quinoa Noodles

Asparagus is at the top of the list of foods with the highest concentration of glutathione, a 'master antioxidant' that has been garnering a lot of attention in recent years. Low levels of glutathione have been associated with in increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Asparagus also contains a wealth of other antioxidant compounds, including beta-carotene, vitamin C, and N-acetylcysteine.
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Apple and Onion Soup

Apples are packed with phytochemicals, and epidemiological studies have associated the consumption of apples with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Onions have been shown to lower high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, both of which help reduce the risk of heart attack.
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Wholesome Winter Pea and Watercress Soup

This delicious soup with a lusciously creamy texture is very low in calories; yet, it delivers a whopping amount of vitamin K. Research has linked a high consumption of vitamin K rich foods to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Tangy Tomato Soup with Basil

Tomatoes have several properties that make them exceptional at preventing cardiovascular disease. Their most notable quality: they contain lycopene which is a very strong antioxidant. One study found that men with largest amount of lycopene in their body fat were half as likely to have a heart attack as those who had the smallest amount of lycopene in their body fat. The amount of lycopene in body fat is an indicator of lycopene content in the diet. Lycopene from processed tomato products—such as the stewed tomatoes used in this soup—appears to be more bioavailable than lycopene from raw tomatoes. Basil, the other key ingredient in this soup, is supercharged with vitamin K which helps incorporate calcium into bone while preventing it from depositing in blood vessels.
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Carrot, Tomato and Lentil Soup

The lentils in this soup provide plenty of heart protective fiber while the carrots and tomatoes are crammed with vitamin K. Vitamin K is best known for its role in normal blood coagulation, but recent research suggests it may also play a pivotal role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
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Barley Soup with Beans and Basil

Scientists have found that people who eat beans and other legumes at least four times a week have a 9% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who eat legumes less than once a week. Basil, on the other hand, is brimming with vitamin K, with a mere teaspoon of dried basil containing a whopping 30% of the daily value. Vitamin K is best known for its role in normal blood coagulation, but recent research suggests it may also have a pivotal role in preventing both cardiovascular disease.
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