Healthy dinner ideas
Even if you have a plan for dinner today, someone is likely to ask the same question tomorrow, the day after that — and the day after that.
If you’re running out of dinner ideas, or if you’re simply looking for inspiration for healthy evening meals, then you’ve come to the right place.
We like to think all of our meals are healthy and delicious, so let’s focus on quick, easy, and inexpensive dinner ideas for a variety of tastes and preferences. You’re sure to find something to answer the age-old question: “Hey! What’s for dinner?”
What makes a dinner healthy?
While the word “healthy” may be difficult to universally define, we believe healthy meals begin with protein, vegetables, and beneficial fats. In general, avoiding ultra-processed and highly refined foods that are full of refined carbohydrates, makes a meal healthy.Although the level of carbohydrate restriction we recommend varies by individual, eating a variety of meats, vegetables, dairy, and other sources of protein such as eggs are typically your best options.
People often cite one of the biggest obstacles to eating low carb or keto is preparing the food. There’s a common misconception that cooking meats and vegetables takes more time and is more expensive than eating a standard American diet.
That isn’t necessarily true once you get into the habit of cooking at home. You can also save money by avoiding dining out frequently. And most drive-thru window menus feature anything but healthy fare.
Let us show you how to create healthy, easy, and inexpensive low carb and keto dinners in a variety of efficient and delicious ways.
Cheap, easy, fast, healthy dinner ideas
When you plan for dinner, you often need a fast and easy solution, but you also want it to be healthy and delicious. If you’re making dinner low carb or keto, then you’re already on the path to making dinner healthy and delicious.For healthy dinners in a hurry, we suggest adding casseroles, slow cooker or instant pot meals, hardy salads, filling soups, easy egg recipes, and versatile ground beef recipes to the menu.
All of these can be made quickly, are ideal for preparing in advance, and can incorporate leftovers that save you time and money.
Low carb and keto casseroles
Making large-batch foods like casseroles are ideal for easy and inexpensive meals, especially if you have freezer space and enjoy pulling meals from a freezer stash when you need it.Use our freezer guide for more information, but in general casseroles without a lot of dairy like our spicy keto chicken casserole freeze really well. Enjoy a couple of servings now and a couple of servings later.
Depending on the recipe, you can often take food from the freezer to the microwave or stovetop to the table — without waiting for the items to thaw first.
Healthy egg recipes
Enjoy dishes made with eggs that cook quickly. You can have them scrambled, fried, or boiled. Use them in an omelet with whatever fillings you have on hand, even leftovers!
Like a good casserole, a frittata can be made with a variety of ingredients and they typically freeze well. Make a large frittata or crustless quiche, and portion it out as you need it. Pop any leftovers in the freezer, and your future self will thank you.
Slow cooker and instant pot meals
Using an appliance such as an instant pot or slow cooker allows for passive cooking, so after you prepare the ingredients, you can leave the dish without constant supervision.
Toss in some vegetables and these meals can become one-pot wonders that create a tasty meal with leftovers for lunches or the freezer. Our creamy venison stew can also be made with beef or pork and makes a complete meal without a lot of hands-on cooking time.
Quick, healthy low carb or keto stir-fry
Since the ingredients are chopped or sliced into small bites and cooked over high heat, they will cook quickly. It’s also a great way to use small amounts of leftover produce.
Use simple spices such as ginger and garlic, and finish the dish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, which not only adds some flavorful fat for satiety but also adds a wonderful Asian flavor. Stir-fry meals can be served with cauli-rice or cabbage noodles.
Low carb and keto salads
Our Cobb salad is just one example of how hearty a salad can be. All of the ingredients can come together quickly especially if you already have boiled eggs in the refrigerator.
Another great example of a satisfying salad with adequate protein and fat is our Hot spinach salad with shrimp. If you don’t prefer shrimp, substitute cooked chicken or any cooked protein for a different option. This dish is delicious with any leftover meat, even a leftover hamburger patty.
Healthy, filling low carb and keto soups
Our chicken No-noodle soup is a favorite, and it’s packed with flavor so that no one will miss the noodles. Another soup that is great for a crowd is our “Gumbalaya.” And you can never go wrong with our Texas chili recipe.
Low carb and keto ground beef recipes
The low carb or keto eaters can eat their burgers bunless, but can enjoy bacon, cheese, mayonnaise as sides. Don’t forget the pickles, onion, and tomato!
For a different flavor, ground beef can also be cooked as crumbled, minced meat and seasoned with taco seasoning to create a taco bar, which allows flexibility for toppings like chopped tomatoes, guacamole, onion, cheese, or spicy jalapenos.
As an added bonus, taco bars require only minimal preparation and simple easy clean-up.
Ground meats are also perfect for making meatballs, which make easy, healthy, and versatile meals. Whether you’re using ground pork, beef, lamb, or poultry, meatballs are fun to eat, especially if they come with a delicious sauce.
If you are in a hurry, you can also make most of our meatball recipes as a meatloaf and bake them in a loaf pan instead of rolling out individual meatballs, which takes more time to actively prepare. Just be sure to increase the baking time, passive hands-free time, to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked.
Healthy dinner ideas for families
If you’re feeding the whole family, you may need a wide variety of options. Not only do family members often have different tastes or food preferences, but some may also have food sensitivities. Also, it’s often the case that not everyone in the family eats low carb or keto.While these dinner ideas can be enjoyed by anyone, these are recipes that are particularly easy to adapt. Start with proteins that that appeal to most anyone, such as roast lamb, chicken, fish, seafood, tofu, eggs, pork, or beef.
Add one side that everyone can enjoy. Even picky eaters like our cabbage casserole, or stick to something simple like our sautéed green beans. A simple veggie cooked in butter like our broccoli and butter is surprisingly quick, cheap, and tasty. If you’ve never tried butter-fried broccoli, you’re in for a treat.
If you’re accommodating people who eat a higher carb diet, you can also add an easy simple side such as rice, potatoes, or even some bread to round out their meal.
See our ideas above for ground beef recipes that nearly everyone enjoys like meatballs or burgers.
A burger bar or taco bar is a tasty way to allow others to choose their favorite toppings to satisfy their individual tastes. Our tasty pork carnitas can also be customized by using toppings like avocado, cheese, or sour cream.
Check out our collection of feeds for families for more ideas.
Healthy meals for picky eaters
Lastly, if you’re cooking for picky eaters, it often becomes more important to plan what to eat in advance. Start with their tried and true favorites.If they prefer beef to seafood, you can do a search on our website for beef recipes. You can also still enjoy a variety of recipes since beef is so versatile.
One of the easiest and healthiest dinners is steak. When you’re serving steak, you also have a wide variety of options for sides. A simple salad or some roasted vegetables pair perfectly.
Also, ask your picky eater about the tastes and textures he or she prefers. You can have them look at our recipes to find meals that look appealing.
If you know what they crave, particularly if it’s a high-carb favorite, we are apt to have an equally delicious healthy low carb or keto version.
Foods like lasagna, pizza, and other favorites can easily be made more healthy by following our recipes. We even have bread recipes that can be used as a healthier option.
Whatever you’re looking for, chances are we have it, including healthy desserts to enjoy after dinner.
Money-saving tips for eating keto or low carb
Everyone has a budget, and we can all benefit from limiting expenses. To learn how to save money while cooking, read our comprehensive guide: How to make a low carb or keto diet cheaper.
One of those easy tips is to save money at the grocery store. Always check for sales on meats and vegetables, eggs, and dairy — any of the items you use most often.
Typically ground beef or ground pork are among the least expensive meats. Depending on where you live, seafood may or may not be pricey; it also cooks quickly.
Larger chunks of meat are also generally less expensive and can be simple to cook if you’re using an instant pot. They’re also perfect for putting in a slow cooker so that the meal is ready when you are without a lot of hands-on cooking time.
Also, look for seasonal vegetables which are often less expensive. For example, in the spring and fall, you can often find asparagus and some lettuces for lower prices because they may be grown locally and are more plentiful.
Shop vegetables that are easy to find year-round which often makes them less expensive. Zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, and peppers are generally lower in cost, but add a lot of flavor to meals.
We have additional practical ideas for selecting groceries in our guide, Low Carb and Keto on a Budget.
Lastly, you may have heard that you need special foods or products in order to eat keto or low carb. In this article, The keto diet two ways, we explore what that looks like. Spoiler alert! We think simple is better.
