Looking for a healthy meal that won’t weigh you down? These easy dinner ideas made with real food ingredients are delicious and filling.
After a season of celebration, many people are looking for the best light dinner ideas
I’ve always loved the saying “Breakfast like a king/queen, lunch like a prince/princess, dinner like a pauper.”
It’s the opposite of what we associate with the typical American day: skipping breakfast for 2 coffees, lunch on the run, and a big meal for dinner.
On days when I have a longer lunch, I often crave something light for dinner – not too much cream and butter, rich meat or heavy with starches.
It’s very possible to create filling and flavorful meals that incorporate all three macronutrients – carbs, protein and fat – without sending you to bed feeling like you can’t sleep on your stomach (been there, done that).
If you’re looking for lighter meals to add to your meal plan, here’s a list of the best light dinner ideas you can enjoy all year round.
They’re easy to make, nutritious, and many are meal prep-friendly to enjoy any night of the week — enjoy these delicious dinners!
The benefits of a lighter dinner
Beyond a simple preference, there are tangible health benefits to embracing a lighter evening meal.
A lighter dinner helps with improved digestion, allowing our bodies to process nutrients more efficiently and promoting a sense of overall well-being.
This careful approach also contributes to better sleep quality, as a less heavy meal does not interrupt the body’s nighttime revitalization process.
Incorporating nutrients into lighter dinner options ensures that we not only satisfy our taste buds, but also provide our bodies with essential vitamins and minerals.
15 best light dinner ideas
Mediterranean Grain Bowl Recipe
This Mediterranean grain bowl is great for making ahead and assembling on site in less than 20 minutes. I love all creamy sauces! Canned artichokes make a great side dish for salads or grain bowls. And cucumbers are cheap and easy to add. Make your dressing with yogurt for a protein boost.
Miso Noodle Soup
This soup is simple to make and full of flavor! It’s a hearty, comforting and nutrient-dense meal for cooler weather. it’s also vegan and gluten-free. Avocados add healthy fats, buckwheat soba noodles also provide satisfying protein.
Pesto Tuscan Kale Salad with chicken
Craving a crunchy salad? This hearty kale salad is made with Tuscan kale massaged with pesto and topped with chicken, blue cheese, and parmesan. The ultimate light dinner recipe!
Pumpkin Farro Salad
This pumpkin farro salad combines chewy farro with a whole roasted pumpkin and a few surprises like pomegranate seeds! It will keep in the fridge for a few days, so it’s great to make on prep day.
Cold Noodles with peanuts
The whole family will love these cold noodles with peanuts for a quick, healthy dinner. I always love this in the summer because you can make it ahead of time and have a picnic. These Nutty Noodles are another favorite. If you use soba or whole grain noodles, you’ll get protein and fiber, and the healthy fats in the dressing will fill you up.
Salmon quinoa burgers with mint yogurt sauce
These burgers are super quick to put together, packed with protein, and baked so there’s no fear of flipping them! With plenty of quinoa and salmon in it, the protein and fiber will keep you full. Plus you’ll have extra for lunch!
Buddha Salmon Bowl
I love Buddha bowls in the winter when cool salads aren’t always on the mind. This Salmon Buddha Bowl combines the simplicity of a bowl of baked salmon and brown rice with a rainbow of vegetables in a Buddha bowl – it’s light and delicious and one of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes.
Chicken nuggets bowl with goddess sauce
Hearty and healthy, this chicken nuggets bowl with goddess dressing is full of goodness. One of my favorite light dinners and it’s ready in 30 minutes! It’s a great way to use up frozen chicken breasts that need to be used up, or you can use a store-bought roast chicken to save a lot of time. Frozen grains also work well in a pinch.
Warm quinoa salad with honey
This warm honey quinoa salad is seasoned with a wonderful ingredient: warm honey! If you can’t find warm honey in a store, you can always make your own with pure honey and a few red chili flakes. Served with herb-roasted chicken and plenty of vegetables, this salad makes for a great all-in-one, easy dinner.
Easy Tempeh Rice Bowls
These easy tempeh rice bowls are made with a homemade marinade of stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch. AKA all those good, strong Asian flavors! You can add whatever vegetables you want, but bell peppers and fresh spinach go great with this recipe. Try peas or bean sprouts too!
Mexican Buddha Bowl
This Mexican Buddha Bowl recipe is filled with fresh real food ingredients like purple cabbage and avocado and drizzled with a cilantro-lime yogurt dressing. Black beans and corn provide plenty of hearty bites, while cilantro and fresh limes add a summery brightness.
Buddha Chickpea Bowl
This Buddha Chickpea Bowl is filled with wholesome real food and finished with a golden honey turmeric sauce. I love the texture of the baked chickpeas plus the tofu and the sweet potatoes will fill you up.
Quick & Easy Mediterranean Salads
These colorful salad bowls with a Mediterranean twist have a satisfying combination of sweet and savory flavor as well as a creamy and crunchy texture. Combine figs with hummus, artichokes and pita chips for crunch. The more flavor and texture boxes I check with each meal, the better! Best of all, these bowls require ingredients you probably already have on hand in your fridge and pantry.
Herby lentil salad
Enjoy as a main dinner with salmon or grilled chicken on top! Lentils are an underrated ingredient in salads and can instantly boost the protein and fiber of any dish. I love this arugula salad, but you can use whatever greens you have on hand, like baby spinach.
Healthy Panzanella
This recipe is a KERF take on a healthy panzanella, which means “bread salad” in Italian! It combines whole wheat bread, kale, squash, green beans, tomatoes, and goat cheese in a colorful, hearty salad. Goat cheese does!
