Name: Light Dinner Ideas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound salmon; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided; 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided; 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce; 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced; 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 (14.5 ounces) can artichoke hearts, drained and halved; 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives; 2 ounces crumbly feta cheese; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

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These delicious light dinner ideas are perfect for when you want an easy meal.

Sometimes you want a nice hearty meal but other nights when you're feeling snacky or just want something light and simple, these recipes will be perfect.

We've got ideas for vegetarian meals, salads as main meals, chicken and seafood recipes.

These recipes are perfect for when you want to quickly whip something healthy together.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

Tender salmon combines with crisp Romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, and much more for a delicious Mediterranean salmon salad recipe.

Zucchini Noodles with Marina

This zucchini spaghetti with zoodles and a delicious marinara sauce is a bright, fresh meal! It's easy to make spiralized zucchini noodles and they taste great.

Zoodles with marinara sauce in a white bowl with a fork.

Black Bean Salad

You're going to love this black bean salad with bell peppers, red onion, and a kick of fajita seasoning.

Watermelon Poke Bowl

These watermelon poke bowls are easy and refreshing! This is obviously not a traditional poke recipe, but it is super tasty and vegan.

A closeup shot of a bowl of watermelon poke.

Udon Noodle Soup with Mushrooms and Bok Choy

This udon noodle soup is a wonderful, cozy meal. It's perfect for a night when you want a warm, brothy bowl that's fast.

Coconut Crusted Tilapia

This coconut crusted tilapia recipe is richly flavorful and wonderfully spiced. You can make this recipe with any white fish fillet, but we chose tilapia because it's abundant and reasonably priced!

Pesto Eggs

This recipe for pesto eggs is wildly flavorful. The eggs are fried in a layer of pesto sauce and served with a spread of goat cheese on some crusty toast.

Lemon Chicken Rice Soup

This lemon chicken rice soup recipe is perfect for when you want a cozy bowl of warm and hearty soup.

While this soup is on the thicker side, from the rice and chicken, it's brightened up with the freshness of the lemon juice, leeks, carrots, and celery.

A closeup shot of a bowl of lemon chicken rice soup.

Vegetarian Miso Ramen Recipe

This fantastic vegetarian miso ramen recipe has layers of flavor, thanks to the stock, two types of miso, and toasted sesame oil!

Poached Sea Bass Recipe

This poached sea bass recipe will be one of your favorite seafood meals!

It's full of flavor - the delicate fish, the briny olives, the aromatic wine, and the fresh herbs all combine to make this an amazing meal.

Poached sea bass with tomatoes and olives in a skillet.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

These lemon pepper chicken thighs are a zesty and delicious weeknight meal. They're so juicy and flavorful while still be really easy to make!

A baking dish with chicken thighs covered in lemon pepper seasoning.

Grilled Cod in Foil

This delicious grilled cod in foil is topped with a lemon butter sauce that pairs perfectly with the mild flavor of the cod.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

This Mediterranean chicken salad is everything you need in an easy, quick weeknight meal. It's full of delicious flavors - artichokes, bell peppers, beans, chickpeas - it has everything.

Crispy Baked Haddock

This delicious crispy baked haddock recipe is a tasty meal that's ready in minutes! The panko and parmesan crust on this fish is perfection.

A baked haddock fillet next to zucchini on a white plate.

Roasted Tomato Soup

This delicious roasted tomato soup with basil and garlic is deeply flavorful. It's relatively simple to make and doesn't require much hands-on time.

Savoy Cabbage Salad

This chopped savoy cabbage salad is bursting with flavor!

The variety of flavors in this salad is stunning! The ginger dressing is the perfect complement to the subtle veggie flavors.

Blackened Tilapia

This spicy blackened tilapia recipe is ready in minutes! The seasoning and sautéing of this dish combine to make a delicious, tender fish.

Avocado Caprese Salad

This Avocado Caprese Salad is a perfect saladrecipe. It's easy to make, highlights fresh, seasonal ingredients, and is full of flavor!

Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe

This sheet pan salmon with haricots verts and radishes and a mustardy dressing is an easy weeknight meal.

A closeup shot of a cooked salmon fillet surrounded by green beans and radishes.

Shrimp Summer Rolls

These tasty shrimp summer rolls are made with crunchy cucumber, rice vermicelli noodles, and lots of fresh herbs. They're fun to make and absolutely delicious.

Chickpea Salad with Cucumber

This easy chickpea cucumber and feta salad is ready in about 15 minutes! It's a great light meal for two.

A closeup shot of a bowl of cucumber chickpea salad with a silver spoon.

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

This creamy acorn squash soup recipe combines roasted acorn squash, onions, garlic, apple, spices, and herbs for a wonderfully hearty winter squash soup.

An overhead shot of a bowl of acorn squash soup with a cream drizzle, crumbled sage leaves, and a silver spoon.

Asian Pear Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese

This delicious Asian pear salad is made with blue cheese, arugula, frisée, and grapes. It's such a delicious and beautiful salad recipe.

A closeup shot of an Asian pear salad with arugula, blue cheese, and grapes in a white serving bowl.

Spring Farro Salad

This delightful spring farro salad has roasted asparagus, broccolini, and radishes. It's absolutely bursting with flavor.

Roasted vegetables with farro in a large white serving bowl with a silver serving spoon.

Pan-Seared Halibut with Capers and Dill

This delicious pan-seared halibut is topped with a lemon butter sauce, dill, and capers. The briny, bold flavors pair incredibly well with the fish.

Pan seared halibut with dill, capers, and lemon on a white plate with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

Light Dinner Ideas

Try one of our favorite light dinner recipes - this tasty salmon salad has all the flavor and is a great healthy meal.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound salmon
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
3 Persian cucumbers, sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (14.5 ounces) can artichoke hearts, drained and halved
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
2 ounces crumbly feta cheese
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Pat the salmon dry and then salt it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes or until the salmon is flaky or reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
When the salmon is done cooking, remove it from the pan and allow it to rest on a cutting board. When cooled slightly, flake it apart into smaller pieces.
On a large serving platter, spread out the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and olives. Top the salad with the salmon pieces. Sprinkle the feta cheese across the top.
Whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, and lemon juice.
Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 445Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 948mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 30g