light dinner ideas

This collection great Light Dinner Ideas will give you plenty of options when you crave an easy and healthy dinner.

The 35 BEST Light Dinner Ideas

lean protein

veggies

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Choose a recipe that looks tasty. Try something you haven't had before, it's fun to experiment!

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Cook your new favorite Light Dinner Recipe!

This nourishing traybake combines roasted spiced chickpeas with plenty of veg before stuffing into pittas and drizzling in minty yoghurt sauce – an easy, flavour-packed dinner for any day of the week.

Chickpea traybake pittas

olive oil

lemon, juice only

garlic clove, crushed

tsp ras-el-hanout

leaves

yellow pepper, deseeded and

red onion,

tin chickpeas, drained

parsley,

sesame seeds

salt and black pepper

yoghurt

mint sauce

wholemeal pitta bread

Little Gem lettuce, shredded

chilli sauce

Zingy Thai flavours perk up a steak sandwich for a perfect brunch or lunch.

Thai-style steak sandwiches 

tbsp fish sauce

tbsp sweet chilli sauce

lime, juice only

caster sugar

(such

ciabatta rolls (fresh

carrot,

spring onions, shredded

½ Little Gem lettuce, shredded

coriander, leaves only, roughly chopped

red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)

A rice bowl is a wondrous thing, but often – despite the simplicity of its title – a rather cluttered and complicated one. Here, I have pared it back, to make a gorgeously seasoned rice bowl, with nothing more than a few seeds, herbs and radishes stirred through it, and an avocado to top it. It’s a simple take on an inspiringly expansive idea. So please use this as a starting point only. It’s very much a non-recipe recipe, and every time I make it, I add something different, depending on what’s to hand.

Rice bowl with ginger, radish and avocado

150 grams/5½oz short grain brown rice

fresh root ginger, peeled

radishes,

1½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce

tsp cloudy apple cider vinegar

tbsp mixed seeds,

coriander

avocado

These protein-packed stuffed peppers make a filling vegetarian meal. If you don’t like goats' cheese these they also work well with feta. 

With a GI of 41 this meal is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/high_protein_low_GI_diet">high protein, low GI</a> and provides 373 kcal per portion.

Stuffed peppers 

grams/1¾oz wholegrain long-grain rice

red and 1 yellow pepper

low-calorie cooking spray

onion,

courgette, diced

grams/2½oz cherry tomatoes, halved

garlic cloves, crushed

tsp cumin

tsp coriander

grams/¾oz almonds

½ orange, zest only, finely grated

tbsp roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (or coriander)

grams/3½oz

Chickpeas are filling, delicious, easy to cook and cheap, making them the perfect choice for students. See also our <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_hummus_96922">easy hummus recipe</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/homemade_falafels_with_30527">easy falafel recipe</a> for more ways to shuzsh up that tin!

Each serving provides 357 kcal, 14.5g protein, 30g carbohydrates (of which 11g sugars), 18g fat (of which 3g saturates), 10g fibre and 0.4g salt.

Chickpeas with harissa and yoghurt

½ red onion, thinly sliced

courgette, halved lengthways and sliced

tin chickpeas,

harissa paste

8–10 cherry tomatoes, halved

½ lemon, juice only

tbsp plain yoghurt

parsley

Three easy, tasty ways with a chickpeas tin- falafel, hummus and with harissa.

Pimp my chickpeas tin

Take Greek salad to the next level by frying the feta until crisp – once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back.

Greek salad with crispy feta

1½ tsp red wine vinegar

½ tsp dried oregano, plus extra to serve

½ cucumber, roughly chopped

green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

300 grams/10½oz tomatoes, roughly chopped

pomegranate seeds

salt

Learn how to make three delicious grain bowls using quinoa, wholewheat couscous and bulgur. Add plenty of veg and healthy fats and you can meal prep your way to healthy lunches.

Make-ahead grain bowls

couscous

200 milliliters/7fl oz vegetable stock

kale

red and yellow baby tomatoes, halved

grams/1 nuts,

sprouted lentils and sprouted beans

tsp za’tar spice blend

milliliters/1fl oz olive oil

quinoa

carrot, thinly sliced

tbsp mixed seeds

orange, juice only

tsp rapeseed oil

tbsp cider vinegar

1–2 tsp dried chilli flakes

tsp honey

60 grams/2¼oz bulgur wheat

salad leaves

pumpkin seeds

beans,

tbsp tahini

tbsp sesame oil

sumac

cumin cumin seeds

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

juice of ½ lemon

Dr Rupy shows you how to cook three delicious grains and then top them with healthy veg.

How to make a healthy grain bowl

Rustle up a moreish veggie traybake full of roasted vegetables and halloumi. An oregano dressing and easy tzatziki take it to another level. Dr Rupy's recipe costs just over £1 per portion.

Each serving provides 626 kcal, 24g protein, 38g carbohydrate (of which 15g sugars), 40.5g fat (of which 18.4g saturates), 7g fibre and 2.8g salt. 

Vegetable and halloumi traybake with tzatziki

tbsp red wine vinegar

oregano

green pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

halloumi,

Greek-style yoghurt

mint

Dr Rupy makes a delicious vegetable and halloumi traybake with homemade tzatziki.

Dr Rupy's vegetable and halloumi traybake

This mushroom curry by Dr Rupy is so easy to whip up for a midweek dinner, and it contains 3 of your 5-a-day. Go the extra step and make your own chapatis and the whole meal will cost under £1 per portion.

Each serving provides 646 kcal, 25g protein, 79g carbohydrate (of which 11g sugars), 22g fat (of which 8.5g saturates), 14g fibre and 1.4g salt. 

Mushroom, chickpea and spinach curry

flour

grams/1¾oz butter, melted

olive oil,

mushrooms,

onion, roughly chopped

grams/1 ounces piece root ginger, grated

grams/1 tomato purée

tbsp garam masala

½ tsp smoked paprika

tin chopped tomatoes

250 grams/9 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted

grams/3½oz natural yoghurt

coriander,

This mushroom curry by Dr Rupy contains 3 of your 5-a-day.

Try one of our favorite light dinner recipes - this tasty salmon salad has all the flavor and is a great healthy meal.

Light Dinner Ideas

salmon

kosher salt, divided

black pepper, divided

olive oil, divided

Romaine lettuce

Persian cucumbers, sliced

cherry tomatoes, halved

(14.5 artichoke hearts,

kalamata olives

crumbly feta cheese

lemon juice

Pat the salmon dry and then salt it...

Pat the salmon dry and then salt it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a...

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes or until the salmon is flaky or reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

When the salmon is done cooking, remove it...

When the salmon is done cooking, remove it from the pan and allow it to rest on a cutting board. When cooled slightly, flake it apart into smaller pieces.

On a large serving platter, spread out the...

On a large serving platter, spread out the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and olives. Top the salad with the salmon pieces. Sprinkle the feta cheese across the top.

Whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of olive...

Whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and lemon juice.

Pour the dressing over the salad and serve...

Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/zz62osnwz3euf7foa49s.mp4

Tender salmon combines with crisp Romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, and much more for a delicious Mediterranean salmon salad recipe.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

These California-style black bean burrito bowls – tasty burrito fillings without the tortilla – are easy to put together and great if you’re gluten-free.

Black bean burrito bowls

garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika

¼ tsp taco

tomato purée

tin black beans

sea salt

150 grams/5½oz cherry tomatoes, quartered

tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

pouch microwave rice

avocado,

grated cheese

soured cream

Everyone needs a good buddha bowl recipe, and this one is particularly good. Soy-stained eggs, sticky roast veg and sesame spinach combine to make something filling, flavourful and fantastic.

Each serving provides 837kcal, 29g protein, 105g carbohydrates (of which 26g sugars), 30g fat (of which 5.7g saturates),13 fibre and 6.5g salt.


Top 15 light dinner ideas recipes from across the web

The most viewed light dinner ideas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

The 35 BEST Light Dinner Ideas

Chickpea traybake pittas

Thai-style steak sandwiches

Rice bowl with ginger, radish and a...

Stuffed peppers

Chickpeas with harissa and yoghurt

Greek salad with crispy feta

Make-ahead grain bowls

Vegetable and halloumi traybake wit...

Mushroom, chickpea and spinach curr...

Light Dinner Ideas

Black bean burrito bowls

Buddha bowl

Mediterranean puff pastry tart

Hot and sour prawn broth

Top 15 light dinner ideas recipes from across the web

The most viewed light dinner ideas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

The 35 BEST Light Dinner Ideas

Chickpea traybake pittas

Thai-style steak sandwiches

Rice bowl with ginger, radish and a...

Stuffed peppers

Chickpeas with harissa and yoghurt

Greek salad with crispy feta

Make-ahead grain bowls

Vegetable and halloumi traybake wit...

Mushroom, chickpea and spinach curr...

Light Dinner Ideas

Black bean burrito bowls

Buddha bowl

Mediterranean puff pastry tart

Hot and sour prawn broth

The most viewed light dinner ideas recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine