Healthy dinner ideas
Discover the best healthy dinner recipes from BBC Good Food, including nutritious curries, pasta and stew, plus flavour-packed chilli and even steak and chips.
When you're trying to improve your eating habits, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut, relying on the same old dishes week in, week out. Our recipes are all designed to be as delicious as they are nutritious, from lighter versions of your favourite foods to fresh new flavours that you might not have tried before. Which of these healthy suppers will you try this week?
Steaks with goulash sauce & sweet potato fries
Have your steak and eat it too in this healthier version of the classic steak and chips, which contains an impressive five of your 5-a-day. The veggie-laden sauce goes perfectly with the lean red meat – paired with sides of oven-baked sweet potato fries and wilted spinach, it’s the perfect balanced supper.
Steaks with goulash sauce & sweet potato fries
Spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal
This comforting vegan curry is low in calories and freezable, too, so you can make double and get ahead for another day. The veggies provide a good dose of iron and three of your 5-a-day, while chilli, turmeric and cumin flavour the lentils beautifully. The leftovers are great reheated the next day, too.
Spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal
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Tomato penne with avocado
Bring a taste of Mexico to your bowl of pasta with this low-fat, low-calorie winner. Peppers, tomato, onion, avocado and sweetcorn provide all five of your 5-a-day, as well as iron and vitamin C. Lime, chilli and coriander mix with the avocado to lend it that familiar Mexican kick.
Prosciutto, kale & butter bean stew
Get your greens with this low-fat stew that’s ready in just 25 minutes. Kale, white beans and prosciutto is a classic combination which works brilliantly with the fennel. Chilli, thyme and a splash of wine add extra flavour, and it’s gluten-free and low-cal, too.
Prosciutto, kale & butter bean stew
Chickpea, tomato & spinach curry
Vegan comfort food in a bowl – this super healthy curry packs in portions of tomato, pulses, broccoli and spinach. The coconut cream sauce is flavoured with all the goodness of ginger, turmeric and lemon, while chopped seeds and nuts provide a contrasting crunchy garnish. Serve with brown rice.
Chickpea, tomato & spinach curry
Prawn jambalaya
Made entirely in one pan (which means less washing up), this robust supper is low-fat and low-calorie and packs in four of your 5-a-day. Use spices and canned tomatoes from your storecupboard and a bag of prawns from your freezer, then throw in all the freshness of celery, yellow pepper and chopped parsley. A perfect midweek supper.
Moroccan chicken stew
Full of vibrant veg, green olives, lemon, apricots, almonds and spice, this flavoursome Moroccan chicken tagine is sure to become a favourite in your household. It’s gluten-free and low-calorie – and you can serve it with cauliflower rice to raise your veggie count even further.
Herb & garlic baked cod with romesco sauce & spinach
It takes just 10 minutes to prep this lemon and herb baked fish ahead of baking in the oven. The cod is a brilliant source of lean protein and together with the delicious fresh greens, leeks and red pepper, it’s the perfect low-calorie supper.
Herb & garlic baked cod with romesco sauce & spinach
Double bean & roasted pepper chilli
Omnivores won’t miss the meat in this robust and delicious chilli, which is low in fat and packed with healthy pulses and veggies. Its secret ingredient? Cocoa powder, layered with chipotle, red wine vinegar, oregano, paprika, cumin and cinnamon for a richly flavoured satisfying supper. Freezable and gluten-free.
Double bean & roasted pepper chilli
Vegan shepherd’s pie
John Torode’s delicious vegan version of the comfort food classic uses porcini mushrooms, leeks, carrots, butternut squash and plenty of herbs in the filling, all topped with crispy potatoes. It’s ready in half an hour and is both low-fat and low-calorie. Make individual mini pies or one big one to share at the table.
Meatballs with fennel & balsamic beans & courgette noodles
A lighter version of the traditional spaghetti and meatballs, this recipe swaps pasta for courgetti and adds fennel, carrot and soya beans for extra goodness. Use lean mince for a rounded meal that’s also high in potassium.
Meatballs with fennel & balsamic beans & courgette noodles
Pomegranate chicken with almond couscous
Get a taste of Morocco with this fruity and spicy chicken couscous bowl. Prepped in just five minutes, it cooks in another 15. Flavoured with harissa, pomegranate, almond and mint, it’s a perfectly balanced meal. Serve with a baby spinach salad for an extra dose of fresh greens.
Pomegranate chicken with almond couscous
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