21 Healthy-ish Recipes from Grandma (2024)

Grandma's Homemade Granola

"My grandmother and I created this homemade granola recipe one day, and it is currently loved and requested by the rest of my family, including my other grandma who used to be anti-granola! My favorite ways to serve it are in coconut Greek yogurt or just in a bowl with milk. Simple and awesome," recipe contributor MadC says.

Grandma's Favorite Chicken

Recipe contributor Melissa says you can make this chicken dish your own by adding veggies like zucchini and broccoli to this one-pan meal, which calls for carrots, potatoes, and yellow squash.

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Grandma's Cucumber and Onion Salad

"Both of my grandmothers made this salad every summer when their gardens produced baskets of cucumbers. It's a cool, fresh side dish for any meal. One of my grandmas omitted the green pepper and the celery seed. She also put ice in it to chill it quickly and cut the vinegar taste." -- KBOVER

Grandma Z's Crunch Salad

With broccoli, jicama, and celery, this recipe lives up to its name. Pine nuts and crispy crumbled bacon contribute to its satisfying texture, too.

Grandma's Vegetable Soup

The grandmother behind this recipe knew how to combine canned ingredients (green beans, corn, and tomato juice) with fresh veggies (potatoes, carrots, and onions) to achieve that from-scratch taste.

Grandma's Sweet and Tangy Bean Salad

Combining canned kidney beans, green beans, wax beans, and corn with cucumbers, bell peppers, onion, and celery adds fresh flavor and crunch to this salad. And for recipe contributor ChristinaAB, it's crunch that sets Grandma's bean salad apart from the rest.

Grandma's Carrot Salad

Shredded carrots, raisins, and a bit of mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt are all you need to make this easy side salad.

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Grandma's Easy Turkey Taco Salad

"This is an easy recipe that my Grandmother always made," Jennifer Wood Anastasia says. Using taco seasoning mix to flavor ground turkey and pre-made salad dressing, the recipe comes together in just 30 minutes.

My Grandma's Guacamole

"My grandmother from Mexico taught me to make this. It has been passed down for many generations," recipe contributor Skye Titus says of this flavorful five-star guacamole.

Grandma Mac's Green Beans

Grandma knows the value of eating veggies, and cooking them in bacon.

Grandma Gladys's Zucchini Soup

"Our granddaughter loves this soup made by her great grandma! Substitute ground beef, Italian sausage, and beef stock for the ground turkey, turkey Italian sausage, and chicken stock, if desired," recipe contributor Jack Schmidt says.

Grandma Oma's Pickled Okra

Red chile peppers and dried dill add a kick to this five-star pickled okra. Home cook Beth says it's "super quick and easy, even for novice canners."

Grandma Dalley's Honey Granola

"Grandma Dalley won a blue ribbon for this recipe at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in 2012," recipe contributor Miriam says. "Store airtight in a covered container up to two weeks."

Nonna's Tuscan Salad Dressing

"This very light, fresh dressing works equally well on mixed greens, spinach or romaine, or just drizzled over sliced, fresh, ripe summer tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Quick and easy to make fresh, but stores well," home cook Baricat says. "It's a family recipe brought over from the old country by my nonna (grandma)."

Grandma's Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

This vegetarian chili packs in plenty of protein and fiber with the help of black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and vegetarian baked beans.

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Nina's Cucumber Salad

"The recipe for this easy salad came from my grandma, who made it in the summers with fresh dill and cucumbers from her garden," recipe contributor Brandi Rose says.

Grandma Jeanette's Amazing German Red Cabbage

Red cabbage and green apples get a sweet and and sour treatment from apple cider vinegar and sugar in this delicious slaw.

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Grandma's Green Beans with Bacon Vinaigrette

"Ridiculously good beans that make a great side dish to just about anything. One of those recipes that grandma made for years that we could never get enough of. Garnish with sliced or slivered almonds," recipe contributor Sarahbeara says.

Grandma Stuck's Kosher Dills

Try your hand at this old-fashioned recipe for pickles, and you may never buy them from the store again.

Grandmother's Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

Tangy sour cream, white vinegar, and a bit of sugar coat cool cucumbers and sweet onion for a side salad that's nostalgic not only for recipe contributor Drewbasa but for a handful of the home cooks who have reviewed it as well.

Cumin and Coriander Chickpea Salad

"This is a wonderful garbanzo bean salad that my grandmother used to make," recipe contributor Mrs_Mike says of this dish, which calls for cilantro, cayenne, cumin, grated ginger, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice to pack a punch.

Get More of Grandma's Favorite Recipes

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