Low-Fat Dinner Recipes

Find healthy, delicious low-fat dinner recipes including low-fat beef, chicken pizza and pasta. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Creamy Ham and Potato Chowder

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Start your prep work in the afternoon and this slow-cooker chowder will be ready to serve for dinner. Topped with broccoli and shredded cheddar--and full of potatoes, carrots and ham--it's a meal the whole family will enjoy.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup

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A winter classic, this crock pot version of minestrone is heavy on the vegetables and light on the pasta, keeping carbs in check while providing plenty of flavor.
By Laura Walsh

Tuscan White Bean Soup

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A pound of dried beans is the inexpensive foundation for this simple, hearty meal. Serve it with slices of whole-wheat bread or a side salad for a complete and satisfying lunch or dinner.
By Lauren Grant

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili

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Grab your crock pot for this delicious and easy slow-cooker vegetarian chili with beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, bell peppers and sweet potatoes. The recipe requires just 20 minutes of active time: after a bit of chopping, you just dump the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do the work. Adding a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of cilantro just before serving brightens up the flavors. Top it with some shredded cheese, if you'd like, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan. Either way, this healthy chili is sure to become a go-to when you want a satisfying and healthy dinner.
By Robby Melvin

White Wine Lemon-Caper Sauce

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Got leftover white wine to use up? Lucky for you, using white wine for cooking can ramp up the flavor of your dish. Make this mouthwatering lemony sauce that's great for drizzling on roasted chicken, fish, halloumi or tofu. Or, use it as an easy homemade pasta sauce.
By Breana Killeen

Black Beans & Rice

For a quick weeknight supper, use canned black beans and omit Steps 1 and 2.
By Elizabeth Hiser

Seasoned Black-Eyed Peas

To infuse peas with flavor, simmer them with dried spices, which pack a more intense punch than fresh. Smoked paprika delivers the essence of ham hocks or bacon while keeping this classic side dish vegan.
By Genevieve Ko

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Freezer Pack

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Prep all of the ingredients for this hearty soup and freeze until you're ready to cook it for a fast meal. All you have to do is pop the frozen ingredients into your multicooker and turn it on. Using a pressure cooker to make this warming pot of chili results in extra-tender chicken that's easy to shred. The addition of chopped zucchini and corn gives each bowl a nutritional boost.
By Joy Howard

Four-Bean & Pumpkin Chili

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This healthy vegetarian chili has a fragrant touch of cinnamon for added flavor. Let diners top it with whatever suits their taste.
By Danielle Centoni

Shrimp Scampi

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Shrimp scampi is a favorite dish at many Italian restaurants but our version takes just 20 minutes to prepare, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner at home. Large shrimp are cooked with garlic and then served over linguine pasta with a buttery-wine sauce--it's so good your family may think you ordered takeout!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

3-Ingredient Blue Cheese & Fig Bites

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Salty-tangy blue cheese pairs beautifully with sweet fig jam in these easy appetizers, which are perfect for a holiday party. The optional minced chives add a nice pop of color, but these are just as tasty without herbs. Keep the ingredients on hand and you can whip these up for impromptu holiday cocktail parties.
By Carolyn Casner

Shrimp Seasoning

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Making homemade shrimp seasoning blend is easy and lets you control exactly what's inside. Use it in place of the packaged seasoning blends to bring zesty flavor to shrimp as well as chicken, beef and more.
By Robin Bashinsky
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Inspiration and Ideas

Fresh Tomato Soup
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This tomato soup recipe is full of flavor and perfect to warm you up on a cold day. Pair it with Grilled Cheese Croutons and be reminded of your childhood lunches!
Easy Whole-Wheat Couscous
Feel free to double this recipe to suit your needs. To add more flavor, swap reduced-sodium broth in for the water.
EatingWell Crudité Vegetable Wreath with Ranch Dip
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Steamed Butternut Squash
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Butternut squash steams quickly, making this a great cooking technique to enjoy this fall vegetable as a weeknight side dish. For extra flavor, toss the steamed butternut squash with salt, pepper and a little bit of olive oil, butter or Parmesan cheese after cooking.

All Low-Fat Dinner Recipes

Sautéed Butternut Squash

Sautéeing butternut squash in olive oil quickly yields perfectly cooked results and slighly caramelizes the squash for extra flavor. This recipe makes a delicious vegetable side dish to pair with roasted meats.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Seasoned Cod

Sprinkle with seasonings, broil a few minutes, and the succulent fish is ready to serve. It's a dinner that's ready in under 20 minutes.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Honey-Soy-Ginger Glaze

Keep this super-simple, versatile glaze on hand and you will be able to elevate any type of grilled or roasted meat, poultry, seafood or vegetable to company fare. Wait until the food has 5 to 10 minutes left to cook before brushing with the glaze. Then turn often, brushing with glaze, to create a glossy crust.
By Robby Melvin

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Packed with protein and fiber, this soup doesn't need meat to be satisfying. Soaking and cooking the beans yourself, rather than opening a can, ensures you'll have wonderful flavor and texture. (And the slow cooker does most of the work!)
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Sautéed Peppers & Onions

This simple technique of cooking onions and peppers is a useful way to get your veggie servings in. They're quite versatile--use these peppers and onions on a burger or sausage sandwich, stuff them into quesadillas or layer them into casseroles.
By Katie Webster

Mediterranean Meatballs

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Save on meal prep time by making a double batch of these delicious meatballs. Freeze them to have on hand for lunches and dinners.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Soup Beans

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Like poor people everywhere, mountain people in the South thrived for centuries on food that was indigenous, inexpensive and healthful. These days “soup beans” speak instant comfort to anyone who had familial connections from Appalachia, where every garden produced shelling beans that could be eaten fresh or grown to maturity for dry beans. Serve this thick, stew-like soup with cornbread, pickle relish and diced sweet onion.
By Sarah Fritschner

Best Poached Chicken

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This simple poached chicken recipe has crazy-good flavor. The secret? Using bone-in breasts and adding white wine and herbs to the poaching liquid. Be sure that the liquid stays at a bare simmer or your meat will be tough. Strain the leftover poaching liquid and use it as you would low-sodium chicken broth in any recipe for an extra boost of flavor. Serve the poached chicken over a salad or use it to make chicken salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This incredibly simple and quick recipe for roasted sweet potatoes relies on the most basic of seasonings--olive oil, salt and pepper. Ready in just 30 minutes, it's a great side dish for a family dinner on a busy weeknight but because it's so easy and delicious, it can also be doubled or tripled and served at larger gatherings.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Turkey Tetrazzini with Mushrooms & Peppers

Prepared the original way, this dish has the potential to be astoundingly high in calories and fat. This diabetic-friendly version is healthier but tastes just as terrific. Serve it with a side salad tossed with reduced-calorie Italian dressing.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Garlic and thyme complement the quartet of vegetables in this creamy soup.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Crustless Quiche

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This crustless quiche recipe is a good choice for your next brunch, but it's also nice for a vegetarian dinner served with a side salad and a slice of focaccia.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Basic Meatloaf

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While meatloaf purists focus on the meat, we like to look at meatloaf as a way to pack extra veggies and whole grains into a meal, as we do in this healthy, classic meatloaf recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lentil Sloppy Joes

This simple recipe for slow-cooked sloppy joes is perfect for vegetarians as the traditional beef is replaced with heart-healthy lentils.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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This simple slow-cooker mashed potatoes recipe skips tedious peeling and boiling and helps save precious stovetop space by letting the slow cooker do the work. It's a great timesaving set-it-and-forget-it side dish recipe to round out any hearty meal. Buttermilk makes the mashed potatoes creamy while garlic and shallots add flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

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This elegant and smooth squash soup recipe gives you more than your daily quota for vitamin A in just one bowl.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Southwestern Pinto Bean Soup

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The flavor of this Mexican-style soup is kicked up a notch with a sprinkling of cilantro and a squirt of lime juice.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

BBQ Carrot Dogs

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Shock everyone with this recipe for veggie dogs that actually taste like hot dogs. They're an amazing (and healthy!) vegan alternative to traditional meat hot dogs. Serve in whole-wheat hot dog buns and top with all your favorite toppings, such as sauerkraut, relish, ketchup and mustard, for the ultimate barbecue meal.
By Carolyn Casner

Teriyaki Marinated Chicken

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Soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic and ginger combine in this teriyaki-inspired marinade for grilled chicken. Try it with pork chops if you prefer. Grill fresh pineapple slices and asparagus alongside for simple side dishes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Cream Sauce

This easy, creamy sauce is bound to become a favorite. Roasting the garlic brings out its inherent sweetness for a rich, flavorful sauce that's healthy too. Toss with pasta or use as a pizza sauce.
By Pam Lolley

3-Ingredient Cheddar & Apple Bites

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Creamy apple butter and sharp Cheddar cheese are a perfect match in these easy party hors d'oeuvres. This recipe calls for prepared pie crust, which is pressed into mini muffin tins to make little tart shells, so it's super easy to make as well. Add slices of apple for extra crunch, if you'd like, or keep these bites simple. Either way, consider making a double batch--they'll go quickly.
By Carolyn Casner

Lemon-Roasted Mixed Vegetables

Tossing these roasted vegetables with lemon zest gives them a bright, fresh flavor. Serve them along with roasted chicken or add them to sandwiches and grain bowls for an easy, healthy dinner or lunch.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Soft Green Beans

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Modern cooking may champion barely cooked, tender-crisp veggies, but the soft and luscious ones you find in many Southern kitchens, like these super-soft green beans, make a mouthwatering healthy side dish to classic Southern barbecue.
By Genevieve Ko

Southwestern Sweet Potato Stew

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This hearty Southwestern-inspired stew may take a while in your slow cooker, but it's so worth it! Full of sweet potatoes, black beans, and hominy, it will satisfy your tastebuds and keep you full for hours.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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