19 Delicious Healthy Low Calorie Dinner Ideas!
Calorie counting is not for everyone! And that’s OK. But if you have certain goals, like building muscle, getting leaner, or losing weight, then being mindful of how much you’re eating can be super helpful to you.
Something else that’s important is to make sure that the foods you eat are high in nutritious value. Nutrients like protein, fiber, and fat can take a while to digest and help you feel satisfied for longer — meaning fewer cravings and lower general hangry-ness. (Here’s some more information about how many calories you should be eating, in case you’re curious.)
These dinners are all tasty and healthy, and they come with about 500 calories or less. Some may not work with your personal diet (the lower-calorie ones, in particular, may be bad choices for people who only eat three meals a day with no snacks). But you may just find something on this list that you like.
1. Lentil Pasta With Arugula Pesto
Nom nom nom. Get the recipe here.
397 calories 19 g protein 20 g fat 28 g carbohydrates (3 g fiber, 1 g sugar)
2. Crock Pot Cauliflower Chicken Chili
432 calories 46.6 g protein 18.3 g fat (4.5 g saturated) 22.6 g carbohydrates (7.5 g fiber, 9.5 g sugar) 575 mg sodium
3. Sweet Potato Burger With Creamy Avocado
View this image ›Jenny Sugar / Via popsugar.com
367 calories 12.6 g protein 13.9 g fat (2.1 g saturated) 54.4 g carbohydrates (11.5 g fiber, 7 g sugar) 574 mg sodium
4. Turkey-Basil Meatballs With Collard Greens
View this image ›Yael Malka / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
478 calories 31.2 g protein 23.1 g fat (4.8 g saturated) 37.1 g carbohydrates (9.9 g fiber, 12.7 g sugars) 726 mg sodium
5. Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Get the recipe here. Nutrition info is for four boats.
464 calories 48 g protein 14 g fat 44 g carbohydrates (12 g fiber, 18 g sugar) 1,640 mg sodium
6. Shaved Asparagus Salad With Shallots and Fried Eggs
View this image ›Yael Malka / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
395 calories 20.2 g protein 26.6 g fat (7.2 g saturated) 20.7 g carbohydrates (4.3 g fiber, 5.3 g sugar) 336 mg sodium
7. Pan-Seared Smoky Steak and Eggs
Get the recipe here. Nutrition info assumes that you’re sharing this dinner with a friend:
404 calories 38.2 g protein 26.7 g fat (12.7 g saturated) 1.4 g carbohydrates 1,265 mg sodium
8. Spicy Tamari Shrimp Lettuce Cups
View this image ›Yael Malka / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
396 calories 32.6 g protein 22.7 g fat (3.2 g saturated) 17.4 g carbohyrdates (3.8 g fiber, 4.6 g sugars) 1,167 mg sodium
9. Spaghetti Squash With Spinach, Parmesan, and a Fried Egg
View this image ›Lauren Zaser / Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
This tasty dish is from the BuzzFeed 2015 Clean Eating Challenge. Get the recipe here.
403 calories 22.8 g protein 22 g fat (7.7 g saturated) 31 g carbohydrates (8.1 g fiber, 8.4 g sugars) 205 mg cholesterol
10. Shrimp Arugula Salad With Avocado
328 calories 23.4 g protein 24.1 g fat (4.1 g saturated) 9.2 g carbohydrates (4.4 g fiber, 1.4 g sugars) 214 g sodium
11. Slow-Cooker Paella
467 calories 27 g protein 12 g fat 58 g carbohydrates (7 g fiber, 7 g sugar)
12. Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
416 calories 24.2 g protein 8.4 g fat (1.5 g saturated) 64.3 g carbohydrates (22.6 g fiber, 8 g sugar) 1,082 mg sodium
13. Veggie “Sushi” Rolls
Get the recipe here. To get the nutritional info down to around 500 calories, adjust the recipe to just 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon of tamari sauce. It’s just a touch over 500 calories…but it’s close enough.
512 calories 14.2 g protein 40.9 g fat (8.5 g saturated) 33.1 g carbohydrates (19.2 g fiber, 6.7 g sugar) 1,321 mg sodium
14. Slow-Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken With Cauliflower Rice & Green Beans
Here’s a tasty dinner from BuzzFeed’s 2015 Clean Eating Challenge. Get the recipe here.
358.7 calories 32.8 g protein 8.2 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat) 33.2 g carbohydrates (9.1 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugars) 860 mg sodium
15. Stuffed Winter Squash & Quinoa, Cranberry and Pistachio
Get the recipe here. Nutritional info is for each half-squash.
443 calories 11.4 g protein 18.2 g fat (2.4 g saturated) 63.8 g carbohydrates (8.8 g fiber, 7.7 g sugar) 18 mg sodium
16. Roast Chicken Bowl With Quinoa and Kale
View this image ›Yael Malka / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
379 calories 34.8 g protein 10.6 g fat (1.4 g saturated) 38.6 g carbohydrates (5 g fiber, 1.4 g sugar) 677 mg sodium
17. Simple Roasted Salmon With Green Beans and Lentils
View this image ›Yael Malka / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
334 calories 40.1 g protein 5.1 g fat (0.8 g saturated) 31.9 g carbohydrates (11.9 g fiber, 3.1 g sugar) 926 mg sodium
18. Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir-Fry
Get the recipe here. This one is also not quite under 500 calories, but that’s because we calculated nutrition info by doubling portion size recommendations.
536 calories 82 g protein 14 g fat 20 g carbohydrates (6 g fiber) 874 mg sodium
19. Black Bean Chili With Greek Yogurt and Zucchini Ribbons
View this image ›Yael Malka / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com
358 calories 20.2 g protein 7.7 g fat (1.1 g saturated) 58.5 g carbohydrates (18.5 g fiber, 21.1 g sugar) 823.2 mg sodium
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