Are you looking for healthy but satisfying meals that are light and healthy? Below you will find 20 of our favorite Light Dinner Ideas that your family will love. Most of these simple recipes can be ready in less than 30 minutes, perfect for weeknights. Go on, give them a try tonight, you’ll have a delicious meal with incredible results!!

Tips For Making Light Meals On Busy Weeknight

1. Use Lean Proteins

You can make your meal lighter by using lean protein sources such as chicken breast, fish, or tofu. See some low-carb chicken recipes here.

2. Replace Heavy Sauces With Low-Carb Sauces

For some dishes with heavy and calorie-dense sauces, you can simply change the sauce to make the meal much lighter. My favorite healthy sauce alternatives include Greek salad dressing, low-carb spaghetti sauce, low-carb alfredo sauce, and chimichurri.

3. Portion Control

If you don’t want to give up on your favorite comforting meals, you can still indulge in them if you can keep portion sizes in check. My trick is to use smaller plates to control the portions visually.

4. Turn Veggies Into The Main Course

Turn salads, soups, or stir-fries into a main course. Some of my favorites include Broccoli Salad and Chinese Cabbage Stir Fry. You can also build some fun Buddha bowls for a quick and easy light dinner.

5. Use Whole Grains

Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with healthy grains like quinoa, couscous or millet.

Quick And Light Weeknight Meals For Family

Greek Gyro Sandwich

Filled with gyro meat, vegetables, and feta cheese and then wrapped in warm pita bread, this Greek gyro sandwich is healthy and light, great for a quick and easy meal. Top it with Tzatziki sauce for an ultimate Greek sandwich!

Tips for making it extra light: Add less gyro meat if you’d like to lower your calorie intake, or even replace the meat with tofu.

Halibut Fish Tacos

Serve these tasty halibut fish tacos for next week’s Taco Tuesday! Enjoy them with your favorite toppings and the homemade taco sauce included in the recipe below.

Tips for making it extra light: Use a low-carb taco or lettuce to replace flour tortilla to make it extra healthy!

Chicken Avocado Sandwich

It’s creamy, full of flavor and incredibly satisfying! On your table in 15 minutes, this dish is easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients. 

Tips for making it extra light: Replace the bread with lettuce to reduce your calorie intake.

BLT Pasta Salad

Full of color and fresh flavors, this pasta salad is a great summer dinner – perfect for your family on weekends! A simple pasta recipe that is light and ready on your table in 15 minutes! Be sure to get some before it’s gone, though because your family and friends will ask for it again and again!

Shrimp Macaroni Salad

This light macaroni salad is a summertime favorite with its great flavor and creamy texture! It’s savory, tangy, and loaded with plump, bouncy shrimp. Certainly a crowd-pleaser!

Easy And Healthy Light Dinner Ideas

Black Bean And Corn Salad

This vegan-friendly salad recipe is bright, healthy and colorful! Made of black beans, corn, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and seasonings, it’s great for a light dinner or healthy appetizer!

Vietnamese Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls

With the low-carb rice wrap, these healthy rolls are filled with shrimp and veggies. You can dip them in a tangy peanut sauce for some extra flavors. Whether you serve them as an appetizer or a light meal, rice paper rolls always hit the spot.

Southern Potato Salad

Healthy, creamy, and flavorful, this Southern-style potato salad is a lighter version of a traditional potato salad. You can serve it throughout the summer or at special occasion meals year-round. 

Salmon Pasta

The highlight of this recipe is the sauce, which is made with heavy cream, white wine, butter, garlic, and lemon zest. Mix the sauce with the healthy salmon for a light but satisfying meal!

Southern Coleslaw

With a taste of the South, this creamy coleslaw is healthy, light, and quick to make, you’ll love to serve it as a delicious side dish or light meal. 

When Cooking Small Meals For Two

Ham And Cabbage For Two

This light meal is also healthy and hearty, perfect for a Saturday evening at home. Simmer the ham hocks in a slow cooker and add the cabbage during the final hour until everything is deliciously moist and tender.

Guacamole Quinoa Salad For Two

This salad recipe is light, refreshing, and perfect for two people. Plus, it’s vegan and dairy-free, gluten- and nut-free! You can even take it to your next potluck!

Baked Salmon In Foil

Here you can learn how to cook salmon in foil so that it’s moist and flavorful! Pair it with zoodles or veggies to keep this dish light and fresh for those busy summer nights. I like to some extra for leftovers, which can be transformed into a new delicious dish such as Salmon Fried Rice, Salmon Patties, or other leftover salmon recipes.

Skirt Steak Tacos

For a light meal that’s also satisfying, give this steak taco a try! This flavorful steak is marinated and full of flavors. Combining the tender skirt steak with delicious toppings, these tacos are always a winner.

For Vegetarians

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Cooking in a microwave might turn you away but this cauliflower dish cooks up light and fluffy in the microwave in just a few minutes. A keto-friendly and low-carb meal that is a twist on your regular takeout fried rice. Easy to make home from scratch, you’ll be coming back to your meal again and again.

Summer Squash Soup

When summer squash is in season, don’t forget to try this yellow squash soup! It’s loaded with delicious flavors, and made of yellow summer squash, potato, onion, garlic, canned coconut milk, and fresh thyme.

Quinoa Fried Rice

To make light dinners for family, a great trick is to replace rice with fluffy and chewy quinoa. This quinoa fried rice doesn’t contain rice, but it’s loaded with delicious flavors, and tastes just like your favorite fried rice!

Jackfruit Tacos

If you are on a vegetarian diet, you have to try these jackfruit tacos! The unripe green jackfruit is one of the plant-based meat alternatives due to its “meat-like” texture once cooked. Besides tacos, you can also add it to sandwiches, dips and curries. 

For Weight Loss, Try These Recipes

Keto Stuffed Peppers Without Rice

This is a tasty and low-carb recipe that will work you through step by step. Unlike the traditional stuffed pepper recipes, this keto version doesn’t include rice and is much lower in carbs.

Zucchini Noodles

The list of light dinner ideas is not complete without zoodle recipes. Zucchini noodles are one of the best options for reducing calories and keeping your meals light. They make delicious noodle alternatives that are low-carb and gluten-free with only 20 calories per cup!

What Can I Eat That Is Light But Filling?

• Soup: Light soups that are loaded with vegetables and protein can make you feel full for a longer time.
• Satisfying Salads: Load up your salad with leafy greens, lean protein, and a bit of healthy fats will make it much more filling
• Zucchini Noodles: Zoodles can make you feel satisfied as they resemble traditional noodles. Top them with some delicious protein and a flavorful sauce and you will feel satiated.
• Add Eggs to Your Dish: Eggs are protein-rich and make you feel satisfied. But they are low in calories and make your meal light. 

What Can I Eat For A Late Supper?

If you eat late for dinner, I recommend keeping your late suppers light and easy to digest. Then it won’t interfere with your sleep. Here are some of my favorites:

• Greek Yogurt with Berries
• Boiled Eggs with Steamed Vegetables
• Oatmeal Topped with Nuts and Honey
• Chicken Lettuce Wrap
• Smoothies