Get inspired to make a delicious and healthy dinner! With these healthy dinner ideas organized by protein, you’ll be ready to cook in no time.
From chicken casseroles to pork roasts to beef burgers to seafood kebabs to turkey chili to tons of vegetarian options, these 100+ healthy dinner ideas are easy to make and packed with ingredients you can feel good about. Enjoy!
Choosing Healthy Dinner Recipes
The internet is an overwhelming place when you’re looking for inspiration and healthy dinner ideas, isn’t it?! So overwhelming with so many choices that sometimes it seems almost impossible to nail down what you’re making for dinner tonight — let alone planning the entire week’s meals!
So, what does a healthy dinner actually look like? We strive to include at least 3 or 4 of the following food groups into our dinners to help create that optimal balanced and healthy meal.
Protein
Protein, people! This will help keep you feeling full through the evening and allow your body enough energy to recharge through the night. This can be a meat protein, such as chicken turkey or seafood, or a plant protein, such as beans, broccoli or brussels sprouts.
Vegetables
All of the healthy dinner recipes here include vegetables or offer recipe pairings packed with vegetables! We love incorporating nutrient-rich veggies into our dinners, whether they’re fresh, steamed, grilled, sautéed, baked — you get the idea.
Getting a full serving of vegetables at dinnertime not only boosts the fiber content (as well as the entire nutrient profile) of your meal, but will help nourish your body without adding empty calories.
Grains / Complex Carbohydrates
Whole grains and nutrient-dense carbs are our friends! You’ll find us incorporating these into healthy dinner recipes due to their high fiber, B vitamins and iron content. You’ll find many healthy grain and carb options throughout these recipes.
Dairy (or a Calcium Alternative!)
If you’re not getting much calcium elsewhere throughout the day, dinner is the perfect time for a glass of milk or a small serving of your favorite cheese! If dairy isn’t part of your life for whatever reason, other great sources of calcium include: non-dairy milk or cheese, tofu, almonds or chia seeds.
Good Fats
Don’t be afraid to eat fat! We love incorporating healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, eggs, nuts and seeds, and hummus to our dinners.
Vegetarian
Beef
Poultry
Pork
Seafood
