If healthy weight loss is your goal, then these low-calorie dinner recipes can be helpful. These delicious dinner recipes are packed with nutrition, featuring vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and/or lean protein —and they all clock in at 500 calories or less. Plus, if you’re short on time at the end of the day, all you need is 20 minutes to whip up these satisfying meals. Try our Bang Bang Chicken Salad or our Grilled Zucchini & Halloumi Pitas for a delicious low-calorie dish that can help you meet your nutritional goals.
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20-Minute Black Bean Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless.
This easy black bean soup takes only 20 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you want something satisfying without spending hours in the kitchen. Canned black beans help speed things up, and taco seasoning and fire-roasted tomatoes help build rich, savory flavor in just minutes. Cream cheese melted in at the end gives this soup a silky texture. Pair it with warm tortillas or crusty bread for a simple, comforting meal.
Bang Bang Chicken Salad
Photographer: Stacy K. Allen, Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong, Food Stylist: Julia Levy.
This bang bang chicken salad is a delicious dish that combines tender chicken with crisp chopped bell pepper, carrots and scallions. The star of the salad is the creamy, sweet-and-spicy bang bang sauce, made with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and a hint of Sriracha for heat. It’s easy to prepare and makes a satisfying lunch, light dinner or appetizer served with crudités and crackers.
Lemon Chicken Piccata
Eva Kolenko
This luscious, lemony sauce is an all-around winner in our book. It has a bright, briny flavor, is made from ingredients you likely have on hand, and goes with everything from chicken to tofu to scallops. Bonus: It’s lower in calories than a lot of other pan sauces.
Sheet-Pan Salmon with Bok Choy & Rice
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Josh Hoggle.
This five-ingredient salmon dinner comes together with minimal prep and maximum flavor. Tender salmon fillets roast alongside crisp bok choy, soaking up the savory miso glaze as they cook. A bed of rice catches all the delicious flavors, turning into the perfect base for this fuss-free dinner.
Sick Day Chicken Noodle Soup
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
This sick-day chicken noodle soup, packed with tender chicken, warm broth and soft noodles, is designed to soothe and nourish when you’re feeling under the weather. The combination of tender chicken breast, ginger and garlic boosts flavor, while the warm broth helps clear congestion and keep you hydrated. Ready in just 20 minutes, this soup is the perfect remedy for a cold, offering comfort and relief with minimal effort.
Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara
Fresh pasta cooks up faster than dried, making it a must-have for fast weeknight dinners like this luscious yet healthy meal. Eggs are the base of the creamy sauce. They don’t get fully cooked, so use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs if you prefer.
Chicken & Spinach Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing
Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
The creamy feta dressing steals the show in this protein-rich salad, which makes a perfect lunch or quick and easy dinner. While you can buy feta cheese already crumbled, we like crumbling our own fresh from the block for this salad. We prefer the slightly sharper flavor of sheep’s-milk feta, but cow’s-milk feta works just as well.
Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabe Greco
This chicken, spinach and feta wrap recipe is elevated by the convenience of rotisserie chicken and the scrumptious flavor of sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk together the easy dressing, toss with the chicken, add spinach and wrap it all together for a delicious lunch or dinner. Using rotisserie chicken speeds up the process, but you can also reach for this recipe if you have leftover cooked chicken on hand.
Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata
This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Have it for breakfast, or serve it for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil–drizzled crusty baguette.
Garlic, Sausage & Kale Naan Pizzas
We love sausage, but it can be high in sodium. In this fast, healthy dinner, we make our own turkey sausage with crushed red pepper, garlic, fennel seeds, paprika and just a touch of salt.
Grilled Zucchini & Halloumi Pitas
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This grilled halloumi pita is summer-ready with tender-crisp zucchini, fresh tomatoes and smoky halloumi cheese. You can prepare this sandwich inside using a grill pan, or outside using a gas grill. You can grill halloumi cheese just like you would any other protein (it doesn’t melt); letting it cook undisturbed makes it release from the grill pan easily.
Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall
This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies, such as broccoli or asparagus. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper for a bit of heat, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor.
Grilled Blackened Shrimp Tacos
Give juicy shrimp tacos a Cajun flavor spin with spices and a quick sear on a hot grill. An easy avocado mash adds creaminess to cool off the spicy kick.
Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
These 5-ingredient quesadillas take just 10 minutes to make. Using pre-sliced onions and peppers plus a taco seasoning blend helps keep the ingredient list (and prep time) short. If you like a little heat, use pepper Jack cheese in the filling.
Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Look for pre-sliced pepper-and-onion mix in the produce section of the supermarket. It helps save prep time in this quick five-ingredient dinner. This easy dinner calls for hot cooked brown rice, which is perfect if you have leftovers. If not, look for microwaveable brown rice or frozen brown rice to keep prep minimal.
Quick Gochujang Pork & Rice Bowls
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickeyt, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Deeply savory gochujang adds a mild heat to these quick-cooking grain bowls. Look for gochujang, a fermented red pepper paste, in Asian markets or in the Asian foods aisle of your local supermarket. Leftover brown rice can also be used in these grain bowls.
Air-Fryer Katsu Sandwiches
Photographer: Kelsey Hansen, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan
Katsu is a Japanese dish featuring a fried breadcrumb-coated piece of meat, often sliced and served with a dipping sauce on the side. Here, we take the crispy chicken cutlet and use it as a base for a sandwich. A tonkatsu-inspired tangy sauce pairs well with the chicken, while a napa cabbage and radish slaw provides freshness and crunch.
Salmon Couscous Salad
This healthy and easy salad is designed to be made with precooked or leftover salmon. To quickly cook salmon, lightly brush with olive oil, then roast in a 450 degrees F oven until the fish is opaque and firm, 8 to 12 minutes.
