Ideas for a light dinner? Here are light recipes and tips for tasty dishes

For a tasty light dinner you don't need much effort: just play carefully with the ingredients you have at home and… reduce the condiments. Here are our best recipes!

The arrival of good weather is the ideal season for a light dinner or light lunch, which does not weigh you down but nourishes and satisfies. But we don't necessarily have to wait for sunny mornings and scorching afternoons to resort to light recipes: eating light is beautiful, good and good for you.

You were late at the office again , you have guests and there wasn't time to prepare those spectacular recipes that you had jotted down: do you want to cook a quick and light dinner for them but you don't know what to put on the stove? Below we offer you some tips, some advice and recipes chosen for you and for your light dinners.

Tips for a light dinner

Sometimes, even a quick meal is a light dinner for weight loss. Furthermore, preparing light dishes certainly does not mean giving up the taste of the best ingredients, or putting unappealing dishes on the table. On the contrary, it means adding gourmet touches and interesting compositions, cooking intelligently, to prepare a light and quick dinner for you and your guests.

– One of the most important tips is not to overdo it with ingredients and seasonings. Sometimes just a hint of seasoning on a dish is enough to bring out otherwise hidden flavours. And this doesn't make the dish heavier. It becomes even more important if the calories given by the condiment are "important".

– Pay attention, therefore, to the oil which should be used sparingly and possibly raw. Also try to use few sugars , animal fats and, obviously, salt. What to use as a substitute for oil, butter and other fats? Spices and aromatic herbs !

– Aromatic herbs, if used well, are the sure way to impress your guests' eyes and palates. And they are also good for you, as well as being good. Think of parsley, rich in vitamin C and perfect with everything! Be careful, however, in boiling dishes, the heat attenuates the flavor of the aromatic herbs.

– Special attention should also be paid to vinegar . Of course, choosing ones with a low level of acidity can help us, but not too much, because otherwise you risk giving little flavor . When the recipe does not indicate it, you can use balsamic vinegar for seasoning. Or even soy sauce, which is already salty anyway, so you will need to avoid adding salt.

– Finally, a trick that some chefs use and that you could try too is to add citrus juice (orange, grapefruit, lime or lemon) to dishes that allow it.

The best recipes for a light and tasty dinner

And, after the advice, let's see some recipes for a light dinner, a selection of delicious dishes to prepare quickly and effortlessly !

1. Sautéed courgettes
2. Light omelette
3. Vegetable meatballs
4. Stuffed tomatoes
5. Pasta alla Norma light
6. Light chicken salad
7. Steamed fish
8. Chickpea meatloaf
9. Hamburger
10. Light tiramisu

1. Sautéed courgettes

Sautéed courgettes are ideal for a light and tasty dinner. Full of vitamins, fiber and mineral salts which all remain on the plate thanks to the short cooking .

This is a very easy and quick dish to prepare as the courgettes must remain crunchy . In our recipe, we seasoned them with parsley and a drizzle of oil: try it and they will amaze you ! Here are the ingredients you will need:

• 800 g of courgettes
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt and Pepper To Taste

2. Light omelette

The light omelette is an excellent idea for a light summer dinner. Perfect for an aperitif or a summer dinner, because it uses vegetables typical of this season , such as cherry tomatoes, and is prepared quickly and easily.

We'll make it in a pan, but the great thing is that you can also prepare it in the oven with a baking dish and a bit of wax paper! To make this light omelette a little more appetizing you can add a couple of spoons of grated pecorino… but in this case it won't be so light anymore! Here are the basic ingredients:

• 350 g of cherry tomatoes
• parsley to taste
• 1 clove of garlic
• 8 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of EVO oil
• Salt and Pepper To Taste

3. Vegetable meatballs

There are many ideas for a light and quick dinner: we really like this light variant of the classic aubergine meatballs recipe . Instead of fried, they should be cooked in the oven (at 180°C for about 25 minutes), saving a lot of calories, but without sacrificing taste. They are a tasty, vegetarian and at the same time light dish that not even the most convinced carnivores will be able to say no to!

Again, you can omit the cheese . You will need:

• 700 g of aubergines
• 2 eggs
• 150 g of grated cheese
• 180 g of breadcrumbs
• 1 clove of garlic
• parsley to taste
• Salt to taste
• pepper as needed

4. Tomatoes stuffed with quinoa

There is also the need to prepare a light dinner to lose weight, respecting a diet. So these tomatoes stuffed with quinoa are a fresh and original idea , ideal for helping with the swimsuit rehearsal. You can enjoy a couple of them as a delicious main dish or serve them as an appetizer during an aperitif with friends. The necessary ingredients are common, but expertly combined to obtain a vegetable side dish that is different from the usual. Plus, they're also gluten free !

Below we leave you the ingredients necessary for the light version (but if you want you can add 8 slices of stringy cheese such as Galbanino):

• 8 copper tomatoes
• 200 g of quinoa
• 300 g of spinach
• 50 g of grated cheese
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt to taste
• oil to taste

5. Pasta alla Norma light

You can also have light dishes for dinner by creating a light variant of a slightly challenging classic, such as the fabulous pasta alla Norma, notoriously the tastiest you can cook .

Pasta alla Norma light differs from the classic preparation for two reasons: first, the aubergines must be cooked in the oven , rather than fried; furthermore, the sauce will not be prepared with a classic sauté of garlic or onion, but it will still be as tasty as it is light. You will need:

• 600 g of cherry tomatoes
• 400 g of pasta
• 400 g of aubergines
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a few flakes of parmesan cheese
• basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

6. Light chicken salad

This light chicken salad is a tasty and light main dish. Thanks to strips of chicken and seasonal vegetables that enrich the verudra base, it will be perfect and tasty .

The basic ingredients for making a light chicken salad are:

• 400 g of chicken breast
• 3 tomatoes
• mixed salad to taste
• onion to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste

You can also add some rather tasty cheese such as feta or you can use other more delicate types of cheese such as primosale. Finally, how about adding some slivered almonds with toasted sunflower seeds or chia seeds for a touch of crunch?

7. Steamed fish

Here is a very tasty second course: steamed fish , a light but completely nutritious and tasty recipe. For this recipe, the fish must be cooked in a bamboo steamer – a little-known tool in our country, but very popular in oriental cuisine – which allows you to create a skillful and tasty dish while maintaining it very light.

Pair it with a good dry white wine (ideal for fish). Here are the ingredients needed to amaze all your guests:

• 300 g of hake fillets
• salt
• pepper and thyme to taste

8. Chickpea meatloaf for a light and tasty dinner

Chickpea meatloaf is a healthy and light main dish : the perfect choice for those who want to stay fit without giving up taste!

Also suitable for those who follow a vegetarian diet, inside – in addition to canned chickpeas reduced to puree – it also has vegetables and eggs. You can exploit this base by enriching it with your favorite vegetables as an alternative to green beans . Here's what you need:

• 200 g of pre-cooked chickpeas
• 100 g of couscous
• 150 g of vegetable broth or water
• 100 g of pre-cooked green beans (and vegetables to taste)
• 1 onion
• 1 egg
• 30 g of extra virgin olive oil
• breadcrumbs to taste
• Salt to taste

9. Vegetarian fast food for everyone: the hamburger

A good vegetarian burger , if cooked properly, has nothing to envy of meat ones and has the advantage of being much lighter .

It is perfect for an evening with friends: it satisfies those with a sweet tooth, vegetarians and those intolerant to dairy products and eggs! Then, it's easy to prepare even if you're not super expert in the kitchen and it's even easier to enjoy in company .

You can make tasty veggie burgers from:

• soy
• red beans
• vegetables
• carrots
• chickpeas

10. The light tiramisu that everyone likes

Light tiramisu is a fantastic dessert with ricotta, yogurt and fructose that you can prepare in no time. To be honest, it's not a diet dessert (because there aren't any) but instead of the more caloric mascarpone we used simple fresh ricotta and yogurt.

The other touch that makes this dessert a little healthier is the use of fructose instead of refined sugar. If you have trouble finding it, however, you can use honey. You need:

• 400 g of fresh ricotta
• 1 pot of plain yogurt
• 70 g of fructose
• 1 untreated lemon
• dry sugar-free biscuits (or sugar-free ladyfingers)
• milk or unsweetened iced tea to taste

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