21 Dinners to Help You Lose Weight

By

Updated on June 25, 2024

Reviewed by Dietitian

Christa Brown, M.S., RDN, LD

Chicken & Mushroom Ragu — Photo: Jacob Fox

Just because you want to lose weight, doesn't mean you have to skimp on taste and satisfaction. These fresh recipes run the gamut from cozy chilis to impressive pasta dinners, so you can find a delicious recipe to fit your routine and meet your nutrition goals.

Each of these dinners has no more than 575 calories and is loaded with at least 6 grams of fiber so you can enjoy a lighter meal but still feel full and satisfied. Recipes like our Stuffed Pepper Soup and Chicken & Mushroom Ragu are healthy, tasty ways to bring new flavors into your kitchen.

01 of 21

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Turkey Pumpkin Chili — Caitlin Bensel

Canned pumpkin adds a mellow background flavor and works to thicken up this turkey pumpkin chili. Smoked paprika adds flavor with a hint of spice. This chili is on the thicker side, so if you want it thinner, add a bit more water.

02 of 21

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup — Jacob Fox

Inspired by stuffed peppers, this soup is ready faster and with fewer dishes too! Have fun with the toppings—we top it with onion, Cheddar cheese and tortilla chips here, but salsa, sour cream and corn would also make stellar additions.

03 of 21

Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup

Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup — Jacob Fox

Our meatless version of the Indian-inspired British colonial soup includes parsnip and squash to keep it hearty and satisfying.

04 of 21

White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi

White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi — Jacob Fox

Sun-dried tomatoes are the star of this recipe—providing texture and umami. Combined with the spinach, they make this dish a great source of vitamins C and K.

05 of 21

Chicken & Mushroom Ragu

Chicken & Mushroom Ragu — Jacob Fox

An electric pressure cooker makes quick work of this rich, savory sauce. Deglazing with wine and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot is the key to building flavor.

06 of 21

Acorn Squash & Chorizo Tacos

Acorn Squash & Chorizo Tacos — Greg DuPree

Cooking the spicy chorizo on top of the vegetables helps season them—as they cook, the squash and onion absorb the flavorful sausage drippings. Finish these squash and chorizo tacos with hot sauce for even more heat.

07 of 21

Smoked Brisket Tacos

Smoked Brisket Tacos — Eric Wolfinger

Leftover brisket makes terrific tacos. Salty cotija cheese, also called queso añejo, provides a sharp counterpoint to the smoky brisket. Find it near other specialty cheeses or in Mexican grocery stores. To make this recipe kosher, omit the cheese and use vegan yogurt (like those made with soy, coconut, almond, oat or cashew milk) in Step 2.

08 of 21

White Bean Soup with Pasta

Pasta & White Bean Soup — Jacob Fox

We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad.

09 of 21

Cauliflower Fajita Skillet

Cauliflower Fajita Skillet — Jacob Fox

Thinly sliced cauliflower florets mimic the signature shape of fajita meat in this dish. We cook it in a cast-iron skillet for that tableside sizzle you'd get at a restaurant.

10 of 21

Fajita-Inspired Chicken-Stuffed Peppers

Fajita-Inspired Chicken Stuffed Peppers — Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Ruth Blackburn

These chicken-stuffed peppers feature a delicious blend of savory ingredients that closely resemble the flavors of chicken fajitas. The chicken and bean filling fits neatly into a nice, sweet pepper with a cheesy topping. Packaged brown rice makes this dinner super easy, but leftover rice will work just as well!

11 of 21

Chickpea & Beef Burgers with Whipped Feta

Chickpea & Beef Burgers with Whipped Feta — Johnny & Charlotte Autry

Chickpeas add fiber to this blended burger, but the real joy here is the light and fluffy feta sauce that tops the whole shebang.

12 of 21

Chicken Riggies

Chicken Riggies — Jacob Fox

Named after the pasta shape it's made with, chicken riggies hails from central New York. The tomato-based sauce is packed with both sweet bell and hot cherry peppers married with a bit of cream to tame its tanginess.

13 of 21

Spaghetti with Rosemary & Lemon

Spaghetti with Rosemary & Lemon — Kristin Teig

This recipe, adapted from Eat Better, Feel Better, proves that pasta doesn't have to be complicated to be luscious. This dish is very simple but flavorful, so even a smaller portion makes a nice, light meal when paired with a big green salad. You could also add bits of cooked asparagus, broccoli, zucchini—even shrimp if you're not going for a meatless main. Recipe courtesy of EAT BETTER, FEEL BETTER by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2021. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

14 of 21

Spring Vegetable Minestra with Mint & Basil Pistou

Spring Vegetable Minestra with Mint & Basil Pistou — Eva Kolenko

If you don't already stash Parmesan rinds in your freezer, look for them at a supermarket with a specialty cheese section—ask for them if they're not prepackaged. You'll need six to eight rinds. To keep this recipe vegetarian, use parmesan cheese and rinds made with vegetarian rennet (the label should tell you what kind of rennet was used).

15 of 21

Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe — Ryan Liebe

When making this elemental Roman pasta, most people focus on the cheese (cacio), with purists arguing for youngish pecorino Romano. But the peppercorns (pepe) are also essential to this dish, so it's a great time to try a single-origin variety. Boiling down some reserved pasta-cooking water before mixing with the al dente spaghetti concentrates the starch for an even more luscious sauce. Look for a hard-grating cheese made with vegetarian rennet (as opposed to animal rennet) if you want to keep it truly vegetarian.

16 of 21

Clean-Out-the-Fridge Vegetable Soup

Clean-Out-the-Fridge Vegetable Soup — Eva Kolenko

This recipe is purposefully flexible so you can incorporate just about any veggie into it. Top with a dollop of pesto and/or a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (use Parmesan that's been made with vegetarian rennet to keep this recipe truly vegetarian).

17 of 21

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Sausage

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Apple Chicken Sausage — Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time.

18 of 21

Creamy Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Creamy Salmon Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes — Victor Protasio

In this creamy salmon pasta recipe, sun-dried tomatoes are used in two ways. The flavorful oil is used to sauté shallots, while the tomatoes get added to the cream sauce for a tangy shot of flavor.

19 of 21

One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan

One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan — Antonis Achilleos

This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body. If you avoid cheese made with animal rennet, look for vegetarian Parmesan cheese, which is made without it (the label should tell you what type of rennet was used).

20 of 21

30-Minute Mini Meatloaves with Whipped Cauliflower & Green Beans

Mini Meatloaves with Whipped Cauliflower and Green Beans — Carolyn Hodges

Comfort food made fast! This recipe incorporates several pantry ingredients and shortcuts like frozen cauliflower and steam-in-the-bag green beans to cut way down on prep time. Baking the meatloaf in a muffin tin reduces cooking time by more than half and makes portion control easy.

21 of 21

Blackened Fish Tacos

Blackened Fish Tacos — Caitlin Bensel

These blackened fish tacos pack a punch. The blackened fish gets plenty of flavor from herbs and spices, the salsa adds some zing and the cabbage provides a nice raw crunch.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

Related Articles

Kale & Lentil Stew with Mashed Potatoes

36 Vegetarian Dinners That Can Help You Lose Weight

a collage of some of the 19 Easy Dinners for Weight Loss

19 Easy Dinners for Weight Loss You'll Want to Make Forever

Spinach-Artichoke-Sausage Caulifloweer Gnocchi

14 5-Ingredient Dinners for Weight Loss

EatingWell's Eggplant Parmesan

23 Italian Dinner Recipes for Weight Loss

skillet chili mac

17 Winter Dinner Recipes for Weight Loss

Baked Halibut with Brussels Sprouts & Quinoa

19 Winter Dinners for Weight Loss in 30 Minutes

Brown Rice Shrimp Bowl with Tomatoes & Avocado

20 Mediterranean Diet Dinners for Weight Loss

Garlic-Herb Roast Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree & Kale

9 Pork Dinners That Can Help You Lose Weight

Cilantro Bean Burgers with Creamy Avocado-Lime Slaw

18 Summery Diabetes-Friendly Dinners That Can Help with Weight Loss

30 30-Minute Sunday Dinners for Weight Loss

Slab Chicken Potpie

22 Comfort Food Dinners for Weight Loss

Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

22 One-Pot Dinners for Weight Loss You'll Want to Make Forever

Smoky Collards & Shrimp with Cheesy Grits

31 Seafood Dinners That Can Help You Lose Weight

One-Pot Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Pasta

20 Winter Dinners for Weight Loss in 20 Minutes

30 Restaurant Copycat Dinners That Can Help You Lose Weight

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup

20 Chicken Dinners for Weight Loss You'll Want to Make Forever