70 Easy Better-For-You Dinners You’ll Actually Look Forward To Eating
Eating healthy doesn't have to suck.
Is it just us, or is dinnertime where any thoughts of healthy eating completely go out the window? We’ve got our quick, healthy breakfasts, packed lunches, and snacks for work down, keeping us full and motivated all day long (our curried cashews have quelled many an afternoon hunger pang). But then we get home for dinner, and it’s a whole other story. We know it’s way easier to control your health when you do your own cooking, but lots of nights, it’s just too easy to turn to frozen meals or takeout. Take inspiration from these healthy dinner recipes to keep your momentum going every night of the week—we believe in you!
We know health looks different to different people, so we’ve included options for every diet, like low carb, vegan, pescatarian, or gluten-free. We’ve also included meals for home cooks of all skill levels, so we’ve got you whether you’re a master chef or a novice, whether your kitchen is full of gadgets or you’re working with one bowl and one knife (we’ve ALL been there).
When it comes to eating “healthier,” we’re ALL about the swaps. Want to make your dinner low-carb? Lean on superheroes cauliflower, zucchini, and lettuce wraps to keep you satisfied, without the bread or noodles. Check out our loaded cauliflower bake, our Philly cheesesteak lettuce wraps, our zucchini lattice lasagna, or our low-carb Big Macs for ideas to see how easy (and yummy!) it is to ditch the carbs. Looking for plant-based or vegetarian options? Swap out sausage for tempeh, like in our tempeh and broccoli rabe orecchiette; BBQ cauliflower for chicken, like in our vegan pizza; beans for ground beef, like in our vegetarian chili; or tofu for shrimp, like in our tofu stir-fry. Once you get on board with the alt protein options out there, we bet you won’t even miss the meat. Speaking of, are you trying to avoid the red stuff? You can easily swap leaner ground meat in for beef, like in our baked turkey burgers or our slow-cooker turkey chili. Want to make a tiny change for your health? Try swapping brown rice in for white rice in any of your favorite meals. Our goddess and harvest bowls are served over the whole grain and are all the better for it (and you will be too!).
Want some healthy inspiration for after the meal? Check out our top healthy cookies, our favorite fruit desserts, and our top vegan desserts.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.