Healthy Summer Dinner Recipes For Weight Loss

With hot sunny days and warmer evenings, sometimes deciding what to eat for dinner can be a bit of a chore - you want something substantial enough, but light to eat... and nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen when the sun is shining outside!

Our collection of 17 light and easy summer dinner recipe ideas are vibrant, full of flavour, quick and easy to make and, most importantly, calorie counted.

Light

Enjoy a taste of summer inspiration with meal ideas from 'Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki' to 'Pan Fried Haddock with Meditterranean Salsa'. Hot, balmy evenings don't have to mean the only choice is a simple salad...

Tasty Vegan Summer Dinner Recipes

So easy to make, these skewers are great for the BBQ (or grill) when the weather starts to warm up. A delicious, light summer dinner everyone can enjoy. View recipe

Bright and colourful, this summer salad is super quick to prepare. The tangy lemon prawns complement the fresh avocado perfectly. View recipe

Delicious Italian gnocchi dish that's quick and easy, on your table in 20 mins. A fresh and tasty evening meal for only 442 calories. View recipe

Summer Dinner Recipes That Don't Involve An Oven

A quick and tasty midweek summer meal, our Mexican beef taco recipe includes salsa and guacamole for only 445 calories. View recipe

Fresh, full of flavour, nutritious, and ready in 20 minutes - what more do you need! A perfect summer recipe. View recipe

An indulgent summer salad that's sure to satisfy. Easy and quick to make for when you just want to enjoy the sunshine. View recipe

Top Mediterranean Diet Recipes

A twist on classic pizza - this tasty and light recipe uses French stick and low fat mozzarella - keeping it under 300 calories, including a fresh salad. View recipe

Bursting with flavour and great fun to prepare, this ginger, garlic and chilli stir fry is full of delicious Asian flavours - all for only 320 calories. View recipe

Packed full of punchy flavours, these quesaadillas are a delicious way to bring a bit of Latin America to your back garden on a sunny summer evening. View recipe

Dinner Recipes For Weight Loss

Nutritious and flavoursome - this salad bowl with a zingy Moroccan dressing is high fibre, high protein, and full of goodness for a summer evening. View recipe

Top your favourite steak with this delicious, vibrant chimichurri dressing that you can make yourself. Served with zesty lemon potatoes and salad - all for around 400 calories. View recipe

A quick and easy Greek salad - low calorie and boasts 3 of your 5-a-day. Enjoy it with a toasted bagel for under 400 calories. View recipe

Meal Prep Ideas For Weight Loss (healthy Shrimp Recipes And More!)

With sunny Spanish flavours and a variety of seafood this fantastically filling meal will be a hit with family and friends and can serve up to 6. View recipe

Easy

Bright and colourful, these shrimp tacos are super quick to make and totally delicious. Served with a fresh mango salsa for a zingy tasty meal at only 476 cals.View recipe

A fabulous fragrant light curry - you’ll love this Thai green chicken dish. Serve with either rice or noodles for a full on flavour hit. View recipe

Calorie Summer Dinner Recipes

If you're looking for some help planning your low calorie diet, with delicious recipe and meal combinations, why not take a look at our 26 most popular weekly diet plans?

There's also some great advice for How to Plan a Diet if you want a little more flexibility than a pre-set menu. With really useful strategies to get you on the right track...

Inside are 30 scrummy breakfasts, 30 luscious lunches and 30 delish dinners, giving you 27, 000 different combinations - enough to have a different menu every day for over seventy years!

Healthy Recipes For Weight Loss

Easily calculate the calories in your own home-cooked recipes using our extensive UK food database, or get ideas and inspiration for calorie counted meals from the searchable WLR recipe database.

Inside are 30 scrummy breakfasts, 30 luscious lunches and 30 delish dinners... So go ahead, start building your own delish diet plan today!There’s a certain synchronicity between the arrival of summer and the growing desire to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. For many, summer is a time of renewed energy and motivation to pursue wellness and vitality. And there’s no better companion on this journey than the Mediterranean Diet. We are going to help you on your journey with some of our favorite Mediterranean summer recipes.

Best

Why is losing weight with the Mediterranean Diet easiest in the summer? The answer lies in the abundant seasonal produce and the lifestyle that accompanies this sun-drenched season.

Low Calorie Summer Recipes For Dinner

Firstly, summer is the time when fruits and vegetables are at their ripest and most plentiful. From juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers to sweet peaches and succulent berries, there’s an array of produce available that’s perfect for refreshing and satisfying Mediterranean dishes. Summer recipes filled with these vibrant, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables not only offers a range of essential nutrients but also helps keep hunger at bay.

Moreover, the simplicity of Mediterranean cooking really shines during summer. Quick grills and light, no-cook meals are staples of this diet, making it ideal for those hot days when the thought of standing over a stove is less appealing. A quick salad with a drizzle of olive oil, grilled fish or chicken, and some fresh fruit for dessert can be a perfect, low-calorie meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor or satisfaction.

Summer also brings longer days, providing more opportunities for physical activity, an essential component of weight loss. The lifestyle of the Mediterranean region isn’t just about diet; it emphasizes overall physical wellness and active living. Taking advantage of the warm weather and extended daylight to enjoy a leisurely swim, a walk after dinner, or a game of beach volleyball aligns well with the Mediterranean lifestyle, burning calories and aiding in weight loss in the process.

Minute Anti Inflammatory Summer Dinner Recipes

In addition, the social aspects of summer lend themselves well to the Mediterranean Diet. This way of eating encourages the enjoyment of meals with friends and family, reinforcing mindful eating habits, and helping avoid overeating. The art of savoring food and conversation at outdoor gatherings, picnics, or barbecues not only makes the eating experience more pleasurable but can also help us feel satisfied with smaller portions, an important factor in weight management.

Finally, the Mediterranean Diet is synonymous with hydration. The importance of drinking water cannot be overstated, especially in summer. But hydration doesn’t have to be boring. Incorporating refreshing and naturally flavored water with slices of lemon, cucumber, or muddled berries can quench thirst and keep you hydrated, aiding digestion and potentially controlling hunger, contributing to your weight loss goals.

There must be as many Niçoise salads as there are Niçois! You can find a lot of variations. Some have anchovies, others don’t, sometimes, in restaurants, you can have rice or not. The original recipe is therefore difficult to find! However, this version is my favorite, it’s simple but tasty. The sauce brings a real plus with the shallots (I don’t know why but shallots are very French for me). I also prefer not to add rice, I think it’s lighter without it and you already have lots of flavors.

Healthy

Light Summer Dinner Recipes

This veggie quiche with swiss chard is one of the most classical variations of a Ligurian torta salata, a savory pie extremely popular in my home region. It’s a very traditional dish that can easily be found in every deli and every inland restaurant, and sometimes even in bakeries. In fact, here in Liguria we have a long tradition for savory pies, so much that the oldest record dates back to the Middle Ages.

Greek salad is the ultimate summer recipe. It is definitely a meal in a salad, but in Greece they would always include some nice crusty sourdough bread. Nutritionally speaking, it has it all, healthy protein, anti-inflammatory fat and amazing, hopefully organic vegetables. Save some of the bread for the bottom of the salad. The dressing is great for dipping!

Lunch has never been as simple as this Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon, Fresh Dill and Capers! This is the perfect blend of flavors: salty capers and smoked salmon, tangy lemon juice, the crispy bite of red onions paired with creamy avocado and warm crunchy toast.

Best Healthy Dinner Ideas

Egyptians love bread which is why sandwiches of all kinds make up many popular breakfast and lunch foods. While many of these sandwiches have their origins outside Egypt, such as hamburgers, fajitas or Syrian shwarma, there are a few homegrown exceptions, such as hawawshi. One of my favorite summer recipes is to grill the pita pockets alongside zucchini and peppers.

Rooted in the nutrient-rich Mediterranean cuisine, one of my favorite summer recipes brings together the heart-healthy benefits of grilled salmon, an abundance of fresh, crisp vegetables, and a tangy, creamy yogurt dill dressing that adds a delectable finish to this power-packed meal. Whether you’re on a weight loss journey or simply want to enhance your diet with nutrient-dense foods, this recipe is an excellent choice that doesn’t compromise on taste or satisfaction.

You can’t beat this beet recipe! This is a flavorful, well-rounded and crunchy salad to show how delicious and beautiful your winter vegetables can be. Use our recipe for dijon vinaigrette.