Healthy Recipes Healthy Mealtime Recipes Healthy Dinner Recipes Low-Calorie Dinner Recipes 22 450-Calorie Dinners to Make This Fall By Danielle DeAngelis Danielle DeAngelis Instagram Twitter Website Danielle DeAngelis is a rising journalist and current Fellow for EatingWell.com. Through her previous experiences as a news writer, she has focused on covering sustainability and human interest stories. Her passions of reading, writing and eating local all guide her in her position at EatingWell. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 28, 2022 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Sweet potatoes, ginger, spinach and butternut squash: you can taste flavors of fall in each bite of these low-calorie meals. With no more than 450 calories per serving, these dinners are light yet satisfying options that can help you meet your nutritional goals without sacrificing taste. Recipes like our American Goulash and Roasted Chickpea Curry Bowl are healthy and delicious dishes that will help keep you warm and nourished this season. 01 of 22 Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches View Recipe Layering apple slices into grilled cheese sandwiches adds a little crunch to a favorite soup dipper. And creamy butternut squash soup with ginger, cumin and turmeric is a nice change of pace from grilled cheese's usual tomato soup partner. If you have a sensitive palate, you can cut back on the spices. Be sure to use seasonal squash for the best squash flavor. Serve the duo for a comforting and easy weeknight dinner for the family. The soup keeps well in the fridge, so save leftovers for lunch or dinner later in the week. 02 of 22 American Goulash View Recipe American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot. 03 of 22 Skillet Chicken Potpie View Recipe A store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies and precooked chicken simplify the prep for this easy potpie. This healthy dinner recipe is comfort food at its best. 04 of 22 Roasted Chickpea Curry Bowl View Recipe You'll get a serious dose of plant-based protein with this meal! The curry-infused cauliflower and chickpeas taste hearty and satisfying, while quinoa adds an extra boost of protein. 05 of 22 Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad View Recipe After making the salmon cakes, we firm them up for 5 minutes in the freezer before cooking so they don't fall apart when they hit the hot oil. You can also make these salmon cakes with canned salmon to make them pantry- and budget-friendly. 06 of 22 Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce View Recipe Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner idea. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce. 07 of 22 Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup) View Recipe Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling. 08 of 22 Slow-Cooker Vegetable Lasagna View Recipe This vegetarian lasagna couldn't be easier, thanks to jarred pasta sauce and no-boil lasagna noodles. Prep it in the morning and let your crock pot do the work. 09 of 22 Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan View Recipe This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta" and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love. 10 of 22 Roasted Gnocchi & Brussels Sprouts with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette View Recipe In this quick vegetarian dinner recipe, you can skip boiling the gnocchi--they'll cook through while roasting on the sheet pan with the rest of the ingredients. If you can't find Meyer lemons, use 1 small regular lemon in Step 2 and use 4 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons orange juice in Step 4. 11 of 22 Tamari-Ginger Meatball & Eggplant Casserole View Recipe Eggplant soaks up the flavors of ginger, garlic and tamari in this Asian-inspired casserole recipe. A hot pepper in the topping adds a bit of heat, but opt for sweet if you prefer. 12 of 22 Seared Chicken with Mango Salsa & Spaghetti Squash View Recipe A quick mango salsa gives this easy chicken dinner recipe a tropical flavor boost. A generous serving of spaghetti squash rounds out the healthy meal. 13 of 22 Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara View Recipe Fresh pasta cooks up faster than dried, making it a must-have for fast weeknight dinners like this luscious yet healthy meal. Eggs are the base of the creamy sauce. They don't get fully cooked, so use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs if you prefer. 14 of 22 Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms View Recipe Whether you scored wild mushrooms at the farmers' market, found cultivated maitake or shiitake at the supermarket or just have some baby bellas on hand, this healthy creamy chicken recipe is delicious with any of them. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes. 15 of 22 Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili View Recipe Photographer/Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist/Kay Clarke, Food Stylist/Emily Nabors Hall Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw. 16 of 22 Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce View Recipe This steak, broccolini and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushrooms, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce. 17 of 22 Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls View Recipe These shrimp, pesto and quinoa bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame. 18 of 22 Slow-Cooker Balsamic Short Ribs View Recipe Now here's a healthy beef short ribs recipe you can serve to company—even on a holiday. Serve with mashed celeriac or mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and a bold Italian red wine that has a touch of sweetness (think amarone or brunello). 19 of 22 Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas View Recipe Greg DuPree A crisp, citrusy slaw contrasts nicely with the enchiladas' creamy squash filling. 20 of 22 Cabbage Lo Mein View Recipe Jam-packed with a colorful medley of vegetables, this classic noodle dish relies on a bold sesame-soy sauce to tie all the flavors and textures together. 21 of 22 Baked Beans with Ground Beef View Recipe Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium. 22 of 22 Quick Shrimp Puttanesca View Recipe Because refrigerated fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, this Italian-inspired pasta dish will be on the table lickety-split! Puttanesca, traditionally made with tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and garlic, gets shrimp for extra protein and artichoke hearts to boost the vegetable servings (and the fiber!). If you can't find frozen artichoke hearts, sub in drained canned artichoke hearts. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit