14 Easy Dinners Under 400 Calories
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The basis of every healthy diet is an understanding of what you’re eating—both in terms of ingredients and nutrition. If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re likely looking at one number: calories. These delicious dinners all clock in under 400 calories, sides and all. You’ll find every type of protein and plant in these options, because variety is the spice of life, especially when you’re trying to lose weight.
These recipes come from our Quick & Healthy and Low-Calorie Meal Plans. Both of these plans offer truly delicious dinners that are unique and exciting so you’ll keep coming back for more and enjoy the process of shedding pounds. Utilize these 14 under-400 calorie dinners to jumpstart your weight-loss goals. Then, sign up for a healthy meal plan that can help you maintain your success or lose even more. Weight loss starts in the kitchen, and having a meal plan you can trust is a vital tool.
Greek Beef Lettuce Wraps
Who doesn’t love a lettuce wrap? Add a Mediterranean flair to ground beef with oregano, and throw in some green olives and tomatoes for a Greek-inspired dinner with the Greek Beef Lettuce Wraps. Marinated cucumbers are a refreshing side. The whole meal comes to just 382 calories.
Vietnamese Grilled Flank Steak
Soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and ginger paste are a powerfully flavorful combination, and they’re strong enough that you only have to marinate flank steak for a few minutes for major flavor impact. Plus, the thin flank steak in this Vietnamese Grilled Flank Steak recipe cooks quickly, so dinner is ready in a hurry. Finish off the plate with a fresh and flavorful side of Grapefruit and Papaya Slaw for a meal that’s just 394 calories.
Sheet Pan Honey-Ginger Salmon and Green Beans
If there was ever a better meal than the sheet pan dinner, we don’t know of it. The whole meal cooks at once, and you only have one dish to clean at the end. The great thing about quick-cooking salmon is that it remains moist and flaky while the green beans turn tender and crisp. Sheet Pan Honey-Ginger Salmon and Green Beans is the perfect weeknight dinner, and it’s just 330 calories. (For another 170, you can include a side of Jasmine Rice.)
Thai Coconut-Curry Roasted Vegetable Bowls
With just 395 calories, Thai Coconut-Curry Roasted Vegetable Bowls are a delicately spicy and entirely plant-based dish that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. Chickpeas are chewy and filling, as is the cauliflower. We suggest serving over small-grain basmati rice, but you could use any grains you have on hand for this quick vegetarian option.
General Tso’s Chicken
Forget takeout! When the dinner is this fast and this good, there’s no reason to order out. This take on General Tso’s Chicken is balanced and flavorful. Brown sugar blunts the heat of chili garlic sauce. To add a boost to the bed of rice, stir in some freshly minced ginger, and you’ll have a restaurant-worthy dish under 400 calories.
Penne Pasta with Bacon and Pan-Roasted Tomatoes
Pasta under 400 calories? You better believe it. Tomatoes add a lot of flavor and moisture, but they don’t add a lot of calories. That leaves room for bacon and a sprinkle of cheese. The side dish for Penne Pasta with Bacon and Pan-Roasted Tomatoes is almost a dessert—brûléed plums with sweetened sour cream—so save it for after the meal and you have dinner plus dessert for under 400 calories. Now that’s a win!
Bang Bang Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
When we tell you these will certainly be in your weekly rotation after you try them, we’re not kidding. The spicy-sweet sauce on these Bang Bang Shrimp Lettuce Wraps is positively addictive. You can make it as hot as you’d like with a little extra sriracha or cool it off with more mayo if sensitive palates are at dinner. Serve with a side of sesame edamame for a dinner under 350 calories.
Grilled Steak Salad with Homemade Ranch
With 370 calories, this Grilled Steak Salad is an easy-fix dinner you’ll want to keep in your back pocket. But a salad is a salad, you say? Well, not when it’s dressed with Homemade Ranch. And this isn’t a salad that will leave you hungry in an hour or two. It’s meant to fill you up and last you until your next meal.
Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters
Here’s another vegetarian dinner under 400 calories. For these Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters, we use grated zucchini to form the bulk of the meatless fritters, but we add moisture and creaminess with part-skim ricotta cheese. Whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs hold everything together so you can give these fritters a fry to make them brown and crispy. With the Greek salad, this dinner is just 315 calories.
Barbecue Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash
Hash is that dish you make when you have a lot of your favorite foods on hand but aren’t sure how to eat them all together. Just cook them in a skillet, and put an egg on it. That’s exactly the approach in this Barbecue Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash. Rotisserie chicken chops off lots of cook time, and we save even more time by buying peeled, cubed sweet potatoes. (If you have the time, you can save some money by doing it yourself.) When everything is complete, add a sunny-side-up egg to make an easy “dressing,” and you’ve got a plate of serious comfort food.
Flounder in Puttanesca Sauce
Cooking fish in flavor-packed broths or soups is a simple way to make sure the protein stays moist and absorbs loads of flavor. This Flounder in Puttanesca Sauce is a great example of that cooking principle. And because you’re using quick-cooking flounder, the whole dish is ready in under 30 minutes and for 420 calories with a side of garlic toast.
Chicken with Creamy Tarragon Sauce
Seared chicken with an easy pan sauce is one of the fastest weeknight dinners. It’s also one of the easiest ways to play with flavors you’re curious about. Tarragon is a versatile herb that gets little love, but we’ve added it to this sour cream-based sauce to make Chicken with Creamy Tarragon Sauce. Serve with roasted baby carrots for a simple dinner with 359 calories.
Ham and Cheese Hash Brown Waffles
Breakfast for dinner under 400 calories? We’ve done it with these Ham and Cheese Hash Brown Waffles. Break out your waffle iron. Stuff hash brown potatoes with diced ham and Cheddar cheese, and you’ve got yourself a breakfast-inspired dinner everyone at the table is sure to love. Serve with scrambled eggs and strawberries for a complete breakfast experience.
Cheesy Baked Eggs with Creamy Greens
Frittatas, quiches, and baked eggs dishes are an easy way to boost your protein intake without the expense of meat. For these Cheesy Baked Eggs with Creamy Greens, we turn a package of super greens soft and creamy with milk and cheese, then we add in eggs and bake until firm. It’s a unique, simple dinner that will give you loads of ideas for using up ingredients you have on hand in the future.
Want more dinners under 400 calories?
Many of the dishes on our Quick & Healthy and Low-Calorie Meal Plan are below 400 calories, and all—even with their sides—are under 500. These plans include a great mix of dishes that all your family members—even the ones not watching their waistline will enjoy. Try these plans free for 14 days to see how easy healthy eating can be.
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