16 Delicious Light Dinner Recipe Ideas

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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.

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Light Vegetarian Recipes

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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Lighter Chicken Recipes

• 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.
• 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!
• 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.

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Delicious Seafood Recipes

• 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.
• 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.
• Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe - This sheet pan salmon with haricots verts and radishes and a mustardy dressing is an easy weeknight meal.
• 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!
• 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.

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Main Meal Salad Recipes

• Mediterranean Salmon Salad - Tender salmon combines with crisp Romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, and much more for a delicious Mediterranean salmon salad recipe.
• 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.
• 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.
• Spring Farro Salad - This delightful spring farro salad has roasted asparagus, broccolini, and radishes. It's absolutely bursting with flavor.

Yield: 4 servings

Light Dinner Ideas: Salmon Salad Recipe

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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
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 2 ounces crumbly feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Pat the salmon dry and then salt it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and lemon juice.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

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