Newsflash: healthy dinners don’t have to taste bland and blah. In fact, you’ll be so surprised with these low calories dinner recipes that you may even pinch yourself. They’re tasty favorites done up just right so that you get all those tasty flavors with fewer calories.
At less than 400 calories per serving, these 7 low calorie dinner recipes are just what you need to make tonight!
1. Crunchy Chili and Lime Sheet-Pan Shrimp
Looking for feisty flavors in your low calorie dinner recipes? You’ll love this super-simple, super-quick idea!
Take a few basic ingredients (including shrimp, limes, and chili), add it to a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes.
It’s amazing how a few simple flavors can come together for such big taste with so few calories!
Here is the recipe, from Taste of Home.
2. Chunky Potato Leek Soup
Low calorie dinner recipes can still be rich and soothing.
With a nice chunky potato leek soup simmering on the stove or even made in your slow cooker to come home to, all you need is to use low-cal dairy instead to make this a healthier option. Serve with a salad and some crusty bread for dunking.
Taste of Home has a good recipe for it.
3. Pumpkin Chili
Chili is another rich and cozy food everyone loves.
If you make it with pumpkin in your slow cooker though, you’ll have a healthier version that fits within low calories for dinner recipes.
Sally’s baking recipes tell you how to do it !
4. Healthier Homestyle Meatloaf
Meatloaf is a popular weeknight meal for most families. However, you don’t need to give it up…just tweak it.
Use whole wheat bread as the binder for your 90% lean ground beef and keep the milk at 2% and it will fall in at under 300 calories per serving.
You can find a healthy recipe on this website.
5. Spaghetti Pie
Creamy and rich pasta as a low calorie dinner? You bet! Take the classically-pleasing flavors of Italy and make this creamy, dreamy meal. You’ll want to use 90% lean ground beef here too along with fresh chopped onion and green pepper.
The secret is in using egg whites only as well as 2% cottage cheese and part-skim mozzarella to get that creamy and cheesy texture without all those added calories.
Recipe is on Once Upon a Chef website.
6. Down-Home Pork Chops
Add a little zing to those low calories dinner recipes with a new twist on pork chops.
Make a sauce from beef broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch with water that gives these a sweet yet savory taste you’ll love.
Recipe is on Taste of Home website.
7. Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks
Missing good old-fashioned fried chicken? With a few adjustments, you can enjoy that salty, crispy crunch.
With a Greek yogurt marinade on drumsticks with the skin removed plus a coating from whole wheat flour, baking powder, paprika, and salt and pepper, you’ll bake these for a fried texture that rivals that of the Colonel (you know the one).
Lightening this old standby southern dinner up means you can eat 2 drumsticks for less than 230 calories!
You can find the recipe on The Spruce Eats website.
Which one of these low calorie dinner recipes will you be whipping up tonight?
