Quick & Easy Low-Calorie 20-Minute Dinner Recipes

Find healthy, delicious quick and easy low-calorie 20-minute dinner recipes from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara

Rating: 4 stars 18
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.
By Adam Hickman

Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

Rating: 4.5 stars 11
Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal.
By Abbie Gellman, MS, RD, CDN

Chickpea & Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Rating: 4.5 stars 17
Quinoa and chickpeas pack this vegetarian grain bowl with plenty of plant-based protein. Whip up a batch of these flavorful grain bowls and pack them in lidded containers to stash in the fridge for easy, healthy grab-and-go lunches all week long.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

Rating: 4.5 stars 7
This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.
By Carolyn A Hodges, RD

Mozzarella, Basil & Zucchini Frittata

Rating: 5 stars 20
This vegetable-studded frittata recipe is one of the quickest meals you can make. Make it for breakfast, or serve for lunch or dinner with a tossed salad and a slice of olive oil-drizzled crusty baguette.
A portrait of Breana Killeen, M.P.H., RD
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

One-Pot Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Feta Pasta

Rating: 4.5 stars 24
A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

Rating: 4 stars 13
This black bean and quinoa bowl has many of the usual hallmarks of a taco salad, minus the fried bowl. We've loaded it up with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and avocado plus an easy hummus dressing to drizzle on top.
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta

Rating: 4 stars 17
If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare.
By Carolyn Casner

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Rating: 4.5 stars 21
Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one!
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry

Rating: 5 stars 13
To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.
Katie Webster
By Katie Webster

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

Rating: 4 stars 3
In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.
Eating Well Bio Page
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Rating: 5 stars 8
In this easy lemon chicken pasta recipe, we love the combination of lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs. This healthy dinner is made with rotisserie chicken, quick-cooking spiralized zucchini and baby zucchini, so you get a complete meal in just 10 minutes.
Sara Haas Headshot
By Sara Haas, RDN
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Inspiration and Ideas

Make Low-Cal Pineapple & Avocado Salad
This refreshing, simple avocado salad recipe with pineapple and lime captures the flavors of Cuba in just 20 minutes.
What to Eat for Dinner to Lose Weight
Wondering what to eat to lose weight? Learn four ways to enjoy a satisfying low-calorie dinner.
Tuna & Olive Spinach Salad
Rating: 4 stars 16

This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.