23 Low-Calorie Dinner Ideas
A low-calorie diet is very effective when you are on the road to a healthy lifestyle, weight loss, or physical recovery. A low-calorie diet requires simple ingredients that, when cooked, are not over the top of high in calories or fats. Such recipes might be hard to find, and you might have to spend a lot of time planning out the ingredients and calculating the calories.
However, to help you out in this journey, we have created a list of 23 tasteful yet straightforward low-calorie dinner ideas that will make your day. These are easy to make, simple, and have no more than 300 calories. So, without any wait, let’s head to these recipes.
Ground Turkey And Sweet Potato
Turkey, black beans, sweet potatoes with loads of spices are what you need for dinner! This dish is wholesome, scrumptious, and very healthy. The best part is you can make it in a single pan.
So, with less preparation time, you can enjoy a wholesome and tasteful meal. The best part is this recipe is quite low in calories. It is under 300 calories. Thus it is good for those who want to restrict their calorie intake.
Chicken Taco Salad
This chicken taco salad is utterly tasteful and loaded with healthy nutrients. Made in the slow cooker, you get tons of flavor into the dish.
The boneless chicken is cooked in tomato sauce and spices in a slow cooker. Plus, you get freshness and crunch from vegetables and leafy greens. You can customize this salad by adding more vegetables or more spices to it. With only 205 calories, you are going to love this chicken taco salad!
Grilled Honey And Lime Chicken
You can’t find a more delicious, easy to make, and low in calorie dish than this. Grilled honey and lemon chicken are very easy to make. It is a perfect balance of sweet and sour. Honey offers natural sweetness.
Thus, you don’t have to worry about those extra calories. Made with simple ingredients like chicken breast, lime juice, honey, and garlic, and you can enjoy flavors in only 160 calories. Isn’t it amazing?
Grilled Mahi Mahi
Craving seafood but are on a low-calorie diet? No problem at all! You can enjoy a simple, quick, and very tasteful dish.
It is made with Mahi Mahi fillets marinated with simple spices like onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Cooked in olive oil and butter, this dish is both tasteful and low in calories. With just 264 calories, you can enjoy grilled Mahi Mahi whenever you want!
Rice, Vegetables And Chicken Bowl
If you are looking for a quick, humble yet filling meal, I suggest you make this rice, vegetable, and chicken bowl. It is a complete package.
You get your daily dose of vegetables and perfectly cooked chicken. And best of all, you get all this in just 105 calories. Can you believe it? All you have to do is cook chicken breast, frozen vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms. To ensure you get a low-calorie meal, use cauliflower rice instead of white rice.
Potato And Leek Soup
We all have had potato and leek soup! This is specifically made during winters. This soup is creamy, rich, and very comforting.
Now a traditional leek and potato soup may be a bit high in calories with all the cream and other ingredients. However, you can also enjoy the heartwarming flavor of a potato and leek soup by watching your calories!
This recipe is not just quick and easy to make but is low in calories as well. With only 120 calories, you can make this soup using potatoes, leeks, brown onions, butter, and vegetable stock.
Vegetable Soup
A vegetable soup is a good appetizer or a snack that not just fulfills your hunger but also gives you nutrients from the vegetables. This vegetable soup is super easy to make.
A single serving of this soup is just 52 calories. It means you get to enjoy a good flavor nutrient and lose weight as well. Isn’t it amazing?
You can make this soup using ingredients like tomato paste, zucchini, carrots, cabbage, bell pepper, green beans, beef stock, and cauliflower. This soup is very comforting and filling.
Butternut Squash Soup
If you are a soup lover, then this is your lucky day. Because we are sharing yet another super tasteful, heartwarming, and low-calorie soup recipe.
Butternut squash soup is ultra creamy and rich. It is very tasteful and a perfect choice for chilly nights. This soup is made with butternut squash, potato, and loads of spices. This soup recipe is easy to make, and you can enjoy it in just 159 calories. How amazing is that!
Baked Red Snapper
Red snapper is a beautiful fish! It is super tasteful and healthy. And when you cook it in an oven, you are already reducing the calories.
This baked red snapper recipe is very tasteful and easy. The red snapper is marinated with Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, garlic-infused butter. Coated with breadcrumbs and baked, this fish is rich in flavor and very low in calories, i.e., only 168 calories. Tell me if you are not happy to try this one!
Asian Lettuce Wraps
Looking for a quick lunch recipe that you can make in just 15 minutes? Try this Asian lettuce wrap! This recipe gives you 79 calorie wrap!
It is made with ground chicken and an Asian sauce. The two ingredients are filled in a lettuce leaf which is not just low in calories but is very crunchy as well.
The sauce is made from garlic, soy sauce, honey, chili paste, and vinegar. You get the rich Asian flavors and low-calorie meal which is very filling; what you can you ask for?
Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas
Want to add more vegetables to your diet by keeping your dish under 300 calories? Well, why don’t you try this roasted vegetable quesadillas recipe?
It is 279 calories and loaded with seasonal vegetables filled in a whole wheat tortilla. We have red potatoes, zucchini, red pepper, and onion, use skimmed or reduced-fat mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and enjoy a complete low-calorie meal. This recipe is simply perfect for both kids and adults.
Turkey Curry
Who doesn’t love curries? They go so well with rice and are utterly delicious. Curries are rich and scrumptious. However, they are usually a bit high in calories.
However, with a few tweaks, you can make a curry that is just as tasteful as any other and is low in calories as well. For instance, this turkey curry is no more than 177 calories. Isn’t it unbelievable?
You can make it using boneless turkey meat and vegetables like onions, celery, and carrots. Make the gravy using fat-free milk, broth, and corn starch.
Garlic Butter And Lemon Shrimp
You can make garlic butter and lemon shrimp using only six ingredients, i.e., shrimp, lemon juice, butter, garlic, red chili flakes, and parsley.
This dish is quick and is very tasteful. You can enjoy it any time of the day. It has only 266 calories making it a wholesome and low-calorie dish.
Mediterranean Lamb Stew
Mediterranean dishes are loaded with flavors. The use of aromatic spices adds not just aroma but a rich depth of flavor to the dish. If you love Mediterranean flavors and are on a low-calorie diet, you are in luck.
This Mediterranean lamb stew recipe is utterly divine. It is just 192 calories and offers a burst of flavors. Made with lamb fillets and bell peppers, this stew uses spices like cumin, paprika, and coriander to add tons of flavor to the dish.
Try this amazing recipe, and I am sure you will love it. It is a particularly easy recipe that you can make in large batches.
Pork Tenderloin With Peppers
It is amazing how you can make something delicious using two simple ingredients. This pork tenderloin with peppers recipe is just the right example of a recipe that is tasteful, very wholesome, and low in calories.
This recipe is no more than 220 calories and therefore is the right choice for you and your loved ones who are looking for low-calorie recipes. This dish is made in two parts. First, pan-sear the pork and then finish it off in the oven.
Make gravy from stock and cornstarch and spices from the bits in the pan. As for the peppers, sautĂ© them and then finish them off in the oven as well.Â
Low-Calorie Pasta
A rich, saucy, cheesy pasta for dinner doesn’t have to be calorie-rich. You can make a tasteful pasta cheese that is 196 calories as well. Yes, that’s right!
All you have to do is use the right ingredients. This low calories pasta dish uses low-calorie pasta, fat-free mozzarella cheese, fat-free cottage cheese, and tomato sauce. Layer the pasta, cheese, and tomato sauce and bake. Enjoy!
Chicken And Broccoli Stir Fry
A stir fry is delicious. It is loaded with Asian flavors, which is very satisfying for your testbeds. A stir fry is usually a bit rich in calories.
However, you can make a low-calorie version as well. This chicken and broccoli stir fry are just 284 calories. It is made with chicken, garlic, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers and is very wholesome. You get tons of flavors from the vegetables and get to enjoy a very satisfying meal.
Sesame Chicken With Couscous
Sesame Chicken with Couscous is a simple and quick meal fix when you are too tired to cook something or just feel lazy. You can happily make this dish using leftover chicken! It is 320 calories and is very tasteful.
All you need is cooked chicken breast, whole-wheat couscous, green onion, coleslaw mix, and sesame salad dressing. You can make this dish in no more than 25 minutes.
Vegetable Pasta
When you love pasta more than anything in the world and are on a low-calorie diet, you just need to make some adjustments to stay true to what you love. Using vegetables is a smart way to reduce calories and get more nutrients.
This vegetable pasta is just as tasteful as any other pasta dish. It is made with tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and is very satisfying. Plus, it is just 300 calories! How cool is that!
Vanilla Mug Cake
Midnight sugar cravings are always irritating, especially when you are on a low-calorie diet. However, it doesn’t have to be that bad!
You can always make a low-calorie version of vanilla mug cake which gets ready in 5 minutes. All you need is nondairy yogurt, rice flour, almond flour, maple syrup, baking powder, and vanilla extracts. Combine the ingredients in a mug and microwave. Voila! This cake is just 188 calories.
Almond Cookies
Almond cookies are super easy to make and are a good snack option. Each cookie is just 87 calories, so you can enjoy them without worrying about calorie intake.
These cookies require only six ingredients. Drizzle melted dark chocolate on top of these cookies to make things more interesting.
Chocolate Pudding
This chocolate pudding recipe is super easy to make. Made with five simple ingredients, it is tasteful, vegan, and low in calories.
You will need dark chocolate, cacao powder, maple syrup, silken tofu, and cinnamon. Each serving is just 90 calories, and you can easily make and store it at home.
Brownie
This 80 calorie brownie is chocolaty, fudgy and a dream come true. Made with whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, apple sauce, honey, coconut oil, baking powder, and egg, you can make it just like a regular brownie. It is very satisfying.
Conclusion
So, the next time you are on a low-calorie diet, don’t start calculating the ingredients in your meal. Follow these above-mentioned recipes step by step and forget everything about counting calories. I bet these recipes will make your time in the kitchen very easy and convenient.
About the Author
Camellia Jones is an editor at Twigs Cafe. She rounds up all the delicious food from the web for specific diets. She likes to spend the rest of her time with her children.
