37 High-Protein Dinners with 400 Calories
Make a delicious protein-packed dinner with these low-calorie, high-protein meals. Each serving has at least 15 grams of protein, so you’ll feel full and satisfied. As a bonus, these recipes also have 400 calories or less and are full of veggies like cauliflower and zucchini. Recipes like Instant-Pot Sausage & Peppers and Easy Shrimp Tacos are tasty and can help you meet your nutrition goals.
20-Minute Chicken Cutlets & Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Tomato Sauce
This low-carb chicken dinner whips up in only 20 minutes, thanks to thin-cut chicken breast and packaged zucchini noodles. If you have a spiralizer and want to make your own zucchini noodles, use two medium zucchini.
Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Topping
In this easy shepherd’s pie recipe, we keep the carbs in check by using creamy mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. The ground beef filling is cooked in the same skillet used for baking the pie, making assembly (and cleanup) a breeze.
Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice
Amp up your veggie servings with this healthy cauliflower fried rice for a quick low-carb dinner.
Spicy Noodles with Pork, Scallions & Bok Choy
These spicy noodles are inspired by a Chinese dish called Ants Climbing a Tree, named for the way the small pieces of ground pork (the “ants”) cling to the noodles (the “tree”). The twist in these healthy noodles comes from adding vegetables like scallions and bok choy.
Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Serve these saucy, ultra-quick chicken cutlets over your favorite pasta. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite.
Instant-Pot Sausage & Peppers
Yellow and green peppers, tomatoes and sweet onion come together in the Instant Pot and make this classic sandwich pop with flavor. Cooking sausage and peppers in your Instant Pot makes this even easier for a busy weeknight. While green peppers are classic, any color bell peppers will work well.
Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
Chipotle chiles, black beans and pepper Jack cheese give a flavorful boost to these quinoa-stuffed peppers. We’ve sped things up by steaming the peppers and using quick-cooking quinoa. We like the look of tri-colored quinoa, but any quinoa you have on hand will work. If possible, choose peppers that will stand upright.
Easy Shrimp Tacos
These easy shrimp tacos are inspired by the seafood tacos in Baja California.
Egg Roll-Inspired Cabbage Rolls
Skip takeout and try these egg roll-inspired cabbage rolls! Savoy cabbage leaves are stuffed with egg roll filling and baked in a flavorful soy-hoisin tomato sauce.
Chicken & Zucchini Casserole
This baked chicken and zucchini casserole is creamy, hearty and low-carb! The whole family will love this easy casserole, plus it’s a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies.
Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad
Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules of meat cookery, but in this recipe, we do it intentionally to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Tacos
A quick lime marinade does double duty as a sauce in these tangy chicken tacos.
Coconut Curry Shrimp
This easy Thai-inspired coconut curry shrimp is loaded with vegetables and gets tons of flavor from prepared green curry paste and coconut milk. The sweet and spicy sauce gets sopped up by a bed of hot brown rice. Serve with a crunchy slaw to round out the meal.
Easy Sesame Chicken with Green Beans
Sweet-salty hoisin sauce and nutty sesame team up in this easy meal that’s cooked on one baking sheet. Serve this sesame chicken with brown rice and sliced cucumbers, drizzled with sesame oil and rice vinegar.
Pita Panzanella Salad with Meatballs
This Mediterranean-inspired salad combines the flavors of Greece with the format of a traditional Tuscan bread salad for a refreshing yet hearty meal. For a twist, try stuffing the salad into the pitas rather than crisping them.
Baked Fish & Kale Lavash Wraps
Controlling moisture is key to avoiding soggy lavash in this recipe, so be sure to squeeze as much liquid from the greens as possible. Look for lavash with large sandwich wraps at the grocery store. We prefer the flakier texture of rectangular lavash—the round ones are more like big flour tortillas and bake up a little gummy.
Pork & Pineapple Tacos
Plan ahead so you can use your slow cooker to prepare the pulled pork for these tacos. This recipe is a better-for-you twist on the classic tacos al pastor. Pork loin is a lean cut that’s a healthier option than traditional pork shoulder, which has more fat.
Coconut-Curry Chicken Cutlets
This easy chicken cutlet recipe will help you get a healthy meal on the table in just 20 minutes. Coconut milk’s creamy consistency is perfect for making quick pan sauces—no need to add a thickener.
Pho-Inspired Beef Noodle Soup
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle dish made with rice noodles and meat, and served in a flavorful, clear broth with a multitude of garnishes. For this recipe, we’ve used unsalted beef broth seasoned with garlic, ginger, pepper, cinnamon and clove. Star anise and ngo gai (culantro) are also commonly used to flavor the broth. It simmers for just 15 minutes, becoming infused with the flavor of the spices, but broth for traditional pho may simmer for hours. For garnishing, we’ve lined up bean sprouts, scallions, basil, chiles and lime, but you could also use cabbage, mint or cilantro. One of the best parts of this dish is how customizable it is.
Spice-Seared Salmon with Greek-Style Green Beans
Preparing this spice-seared salmon recipe is a joy for the senses! Rubbing salmon with spices creates a light, delicious main course. Serve this recipe with roasted potatoes or brown rice. If you have leftover salmon, serve it on top of a simple salad for a satisfying lunch the next day.
Mushroom-Swiss Turkey Burgers
In this gluten-free turkey burger recipe, lean ground turkey stands in for ground beef, and portobello mushrooms produce a juicy, flavorful alternative to the traditional bun. Melted Swiss cheese, sliced tomato and arugula top off this delicious low-carb dinner!
Air-Fryer Meatloaf
Air-fryer meatloaf is perfect for those who like a crispy outside and tender juicy inside. This air-fryer meatloaf recipe has the classic flavors of Worcestershire sauce and onion, with a ketchup coating on top.
Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
Use your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker for this easy beef bourguignon recipe. If desired, serve this stew with whole-wheat egg noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.
Coconut-Curry Cod Stew with Sweet Potato & Rice
This hearty coconut curry is warm and comforting, thanks to tender sweet potatoes and a hint of spice. This easy curry recipe can be on the table in less than an hour.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chili
Sweet potatoes pair wonderfully with this simple chili recipe. Add one more chipotle pepper if you want to spice up this healthy sweet potato recipe.
Greek-Inspired Burgers with Herb-Feta Sauce
These healthy burgers get a Mediterranean twist with a yogurt sauce seasoned with oregano, lemon and feta cheese. If you can’t find ground lamb, ask the butcher to grind some for you.
Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls
Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked on the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make, and the cleanup is easy too.
Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili
This healthy turkey chili has a nice balance of flavors thanks to sweet potatoes and smoky chipotle chiles. We like to garnish it with creamy avocado, but melted cheese, chopped scallion and a dollop of sour cream will work well too.
Chicken Parmesan Pizza
Upgrade pizza night with this recipe makeover that combines two all-time favorites—pizza and chicken Parm—into one quick and easy pizza (no dipping and breading required!).
Parchment Packet Baked Tuna Steaks & Vegetables with Creamy Dijon-Turmeric Sauce
How to bake fish perfectly? Wrapping the fish and vegetables in parchment packets creates steam that keeps the tuna moist while it cooks. Plus, it’s a fun presentation.
Green Chicken Curry
If you’re looking for a basic green Thai chicken curry recipe, start here. Green is the hottest type of curry paste; to take this chicken recipe down a notch, try red Thai curry paste (considered “medium” heat) or mild yellow curry paste. If you have a shellfish allergy, compare curry paste ingredient lists—some brands contain shrimp and some don’t.
Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips
The spice blend in this healthy beef stew recipe—cinnamon, allspice and cloves—may conjure images of apple pie, but the combo is a great fit in savory applications too. Serve over creamy polenta or buttered whole-wheat egg noodles.
Oven-Baked Salmon with Charred Onions & Old Bay Radishes
The charred onion puree is both smoky and sweet, a nice foil for this simple baked salmon recipe. Serve this healthy salmon recipe with a glass of crisp, dry rosé for an easy dinner that’s special enough for company. Environmental note: If you are deciding between farmed and wild salmon for this recipe, you should know that either one can be a sustainable choice: While farmed salmon historically has gotten a bad rap, many options now rate as Best Choice and Good Alternative by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Use wild Pacific salmon if you prefer (most come from well-managed fisheries), but check for doneness a few minutes early as it’s typically leaner.
Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken with Lime, Basil & Mint
Busy week coming up? Cook up these easy poached chicken breasts infused with flavor from fish sauce, Thai chiles and lime zest in your slow cooker on Sunday. Then enjoy the leftover chicken three different ways over the days to come—ladled with the broth over rice noodles, layered with vegetables on a sandwich and mixed with mayo to make a creamy chicken salad.
Ginger-Orange Chicken Thighs with Baby Bok Choy
Searing the chicken before roasting at high heat ensures super-crispy skin. Combine that with mandarin oranges and you’ve got a healthy orange-chicken dish reminiscent of the favorite fried one at the mall food court—but without the fryer.
Creamy Skillet Ranch Chicken & Broccoli
This crowd-pleasing dinner feeds four and can be on the table in just 30 minutes. To top it off, the creamy ranch sauce, chicken and broccoli all come together in one skillet, making cleanup just as easy as cooking.
Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
You’ll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.
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