50+ Italian Healthy Dinners Recipes You’ll Love

Italian Healthy Dinners Recipes are the best. They are easy, quick, simple, perfect for two, or for the entire family. Plus, they can be low calorie, low carb, vegetarian, and even vegan.

Everyone knows that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest diet you can follow without actually having to diet and restrict yourself. And that’s because it’s one of the most balanced. It’s also the ideal one to follow when you want to stay fit while enjoying good food.

If you like Italian food, and who doesn’t, an Italian Mediterrannean diet is the way to go. Here’s why:

Italian food is delicious, full of nutritional goodness, simple, easy and quick to prepare, perfect for adults and small ones, and not too expensive either.

 

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Below you’ll find 50+ Italian Healthy Dinners Recipes to make throughout the year. Enjoy.

 

Healthy dinners easy and low calorie – Balsamic Beef and Mushrooms

healthy dinner easy

This balsamic beef and mushrooms recipe is one you are going to love for weekday dinners.  It’s a simple dish, easy and quick to make; yet it’s aromatic and sophisticated. It’s also great for dinner dates at home; just light up a few candles and open a bottle of Chianti. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Pasta with Cauliflower & Asiago cheese

healthy dinners for family

Cauliflower with pasta and asiago cheese is one of our recent healthy dinners recipes, which we developed specifically for our newsletter subscribers. In our Summer seasonal email, we asked them to vote which vegetable they wanted us to cook more with, and they chose cauliflower.

PS: If you too, would like to be part of our community, and receive delicious recipes right in your inbox, you can join our newsletter here.

Here’s how I would describe this recipe – a rustic home-style pasta that might sound deceptively simple but packs a lot of flavour. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners low calorie – Roasted Peppers and Tomato Soup with Gold Balsamic

healthy dinners low calorie

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup is a comforting soup, one of those perfect healthy dinners recipes for Autumn and Winter. Given its colours, it’s also a great dish to make around Halloween. The key in achieving its distinctive flavour is using farm-fresh vegetables and artisan extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Out of all the balsamic vinegars of Modena in our range we chose the gold balsamic because of its sweet and sour flavour with fruity shades. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners low calorie – Salad with Chicken and Balsamic Kale

healthy dinners low calorie

This Salad with Chicken & Balsamic Kale is a stunning one. Being a seasonal recipe you can make all year round, it’s the perfect lunch or dinner to make when you are feeling like making a garden-fresh home-style salad. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners ideas for two – Black Squid Spaghetti with Swordfish

healthy dinners for two

Black squid spaghetti with swordfish is going to become your favourite fish pasta, if you love fish. Imagine yourself dining at the marina while looking at small boats and larger yachts. This is the dish you’ll want to order, along with a glass of white wine. With this recipe we’re bringing the marina trattoria to your kitchen. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners with chicken – Balsamic Marinade Grilled Chicken

healthy dinners with chicken

Balsamic Grilled Chicken Marinade is ideal for an easy Sunday roast. We are taking a classic dish and making it 1099% better. Imagine taking out of the oven a big casserole with a medley of vegetables topped with tender chicken thighs glazed with a sweet and ever so slightly sour balsamic grilled chicken marinade. Your kitchen smells divine and your mouth is watering. Are you ready to make this? Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Authentic Ragù Bianco or White Bolognese

healthy dinners for family

This authentic Italian meat sauce recipe melts in your mouth. It’s the right pasta sauce to try if you love meaty pasta but are bored of eating bolognese all the time. In Italian, we call this ragu’ bianco. We are pairing it with a nice artisan paccheri pasta which has a thick hearty bite. Here’s the recipe so you can make it.

 

Healthy dinners vegan – Veggie Chilli with Quinoa & Italian Hot Chilli Spread

healthy dinners vegan

When the weather gets colder and colder there is nothing better than making a veggie chilli full of vegetables and protein with a little hot chilli kick to warm up your body. We have got a delicious recipe for you featuring our hot chilli peppers spread. This makes plenty for leftovers too. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners recipes with salmon – Creamy Salmon Pasta Lactose-free

healthy dinners salmon

Creamy Salmon Pasta is back. If you have been following us for a long time, you’ve probably made our popular Penne al Salmone pasta, which we shared on our old blog. Well, now you can find it also on our new blog. We have revisited the recipe and tweaked it a little to make it even better.

If you have never tried it but love salmon pasta, you are going to really enjoy this unique home-style salmon pasta featuring sundried tomatoes for extra flavour.

Are you ready to make it? Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners low carb – Fiorentina-style Steak

healthy dinners low carb

Instead of using sirloin we are using pork neck steak. The idea is to take the Fiorentina cooking concept which focuses on keeping the ingredients to a minimum and applying it to our pork steak. This way you can really taste the meat flavours. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Orecchiette Pasta with Turnip Tops Pesto

healthy dinners vegetarian

This orecchiette pasta with turnip tops pesto will satisfy all your cravings of a classic pesto pasta. There is a twist though.., you’ll not be eating the usual basil pesto pasta but an innovative turnip tops pesto pasta that is creamy, rich, and wholesome. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners simple – Chickpeas Pasta with a kick

healthy dinners simple

There is something about Autumn that inspires us to cook and eat more legumes, would you agree? Today I am showing you a simple and quick recipe to make a delicious chickpea pasta featuring chickpeas and our calamari shaped pasta. It’s a simple recipe that will fill your kitchen with a spicy aroma. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners low carb – Potato Salad from Puglia

healthy dinners for family

Here’s another simple salad from Puglia. It’s a potato salad you can throw together in roughly 40 minutes. It makes a tasty healthy lunch for home, school, and work. You can however make it for dinner and serve it with some protein or a platter of cheeses, hams, and some bread. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Beef Broth with Orecchiette

healthy dinners for family

Beef broth is the perfect weekday dinner for those cold days. Imagine having a warm bowl of beef broth when you come from work.. and to make it even better we are adding a traditional Italian pasta which comes from Puglia, it’s called orecchiette. Here’s the recipe.

 

Quick healthy dinner – Spaghetti Aglio Olio with a twist

quick healthy dinner

Spaghetti aglio e olio is a traditional Italian garlic pasta. Today we will be giving it a spin by adding some pepato cheese. It’s like marrying spaghetti aglio olio with cacio e pepe. Whether you are cooking for one, two, or more people this easy pasta recipe is so simple yet tasty that it’s always a winner. The best part is that there is minimal prep work, so your pasta should be ready in 15 minutes. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Vegetarian Lasagna with Italian Flavours

healthy dinners vegetarian

If you are vegetarian, you might miss eating the traditional lasagna with the bolognese sauce. In reality, you don’t have to as you can make yourself a really tasty meat free vegetarian lasagna. And in this recipe, we will show you how, step by step from making your vegetarian bolognese sauce to assembling your vegetarian lasagna. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for one – Baked Fish from Puglia

healthy dinners for one

Looking for easy fish healthy dinners recipes, or maybe an alternative to fish pie? Here is a baked fish recipe that is delicious and simple to make. This sea bream recipe will make your entire kitchen smell like an Italian seaside restaurant. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Vegetable Pasta with Cannonata

healthy dinners for family

Hungry and craving pasta? I suggest you try this tomato and vegetable pasta that is meaty, spicy and very tasty. If you love Italian sausage, and don’t mind some heat, you are going to really love this recipe. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Sweet Peppers Pasta Bake

healthy dinners vegetarian

If you are vegetarian, you are always googling vegetarian pasta recipe, I get you. I’m mostly vegetarian too (hi, Alessia speaking :). Here on the blog, we have many vegetarian pasta recipes, as well as other non-pasta ones that make delicious healthy dinners recipes. And this one is another great one to try. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Lamb Stew with Red Sauce

healthy dinners for family

Here’s a traditional lamb stew recipe from Puglia. It’s another simple dish that is full of flavour and makes a perfect Sunday meal. You can prepare it ahead, place it in the fridge, and then cook it before lunch or dinner. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegan – Vegan Mushroom Risotto with Chilli

healthy dinners vegan

Do you love Italian but also like spicy food? If so, this is the recipe to try. It’s a tasty classic mushroom risotto with Belmorso hot chilli pepper spread, and it is perfect whether you are vegan, looking to eat less meat, or just feel like a mushroom risotto with a kick. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Bruschetta Pasta Italiana

healthy dinners for family

Raise your hand if you love bruschetta, mine is already up :)). Since we love it so much, why limit ourselves to just bruschetta bread? No worries, we have another bruschetta recipe for you… a bruschetta pasta. Yes, and it’s so yummy. Imagine the taste of bruschetta but with pasta instead of bread, so tasty. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners low calorie – Lean Beef Pizzaiola with Truffle Oil Fries

healthy dinners low calorie

Our take on pizzaiola style meat is a little different than the usual, but we promise it’s really tasty and also healthy. Our lean beef pizzaiola is similar to a caprese salad, and to make this dish even more indulging – though without the extra calories – we are serving the lean beef with truffle oil fries. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners ideas for two – Lemon Fettucce

healthy dinners ideas for two

If you like tagliatelle or fettucce, Fettucce al limone is an easy recipe that is perfect for those busy or lazy nights. With just a few key ingredients in your pantry and your fridge/freezer, you can create a gourmet pasta in under 20 minutes. Sounds good? Add this one to your healthy dinners recipes list. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Blue Cheese Sauce with Spinach Leaves Pasta

healthy dinners vegetarian

Here’s an extra cheese and yummy blue cheese sauce pasta featuring this gorgeous Belmorso Spinach Leaves shaped pasta. (PS: this pasta shape is made with spinach so it’s extra healthy, and your kids won’t know it :). Here’s the recipe.

Healthy dinners low carb – Cucumber Salad or Cialledda from Puglia

healthy dinners low carb

Cialledda is a very simple cucumber salad, which is traditional in Puglia. It’s also called acquasale. It’s one you can enjoy all Summer long, and can be enjoyed for lunch, a picky style dinner, or as a side. This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for one – Pork fillets with Garlic paté, Lemon and Rosemary

healthy dinners for one

If you have some pork fillets in your freezer and don’t know what to do with them, here is a delicious way to use that meat and enjoy every bite. These pork fillets are ready in under 20 minutes, which is perfect for weekday dinners when you just want to sit and relax on the couch with a glass of wine. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Vegetarian Pasta Bake (Our Take on Feta Tomato Pasta)

healthy dinners vegetarian

Today’s recipe is very simple but unbelievably tasty. It’s a vegetarian pasta bake full of flavour but also pretty healthy. It’s our take on feta tomato pasta that took Tiktok by storm. Obviously, we are using a typical Italian cheese instead of feta. We are also using a high quality Italian extra virgin olive oil and a traditional Belmorso pasta shape that stays aldente. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners with chicken – Chicken Pesto Pasta with Roasted Garlic

healthy dinners with chicken

Us Italians love our pesto pasta, and you probably love it too. So how about making it even tastier by adding chicken and roasted garlic? If that’s sounds good, here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners simple – Ricotta Pasta (simple and healthy)

healthy dinners simple

Italian tomato pasta is the quintessential pasta dish to make when you want something quick, easy, and tasty. How about making it even tastier and more nutritious by adding some ricotta? If that sounds tasty to you, here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Baked Sausages with Broccoli and Pesto

healthy dinners for family

If you love sausages, this recipe is perfect for you. This baked sausages with broccoli and pesto recipe is easy and fairly quick to make. It’s one of those all-in-one casserole dishes that is ideal for weekday dinners. You can enjoy the leftovers the next day, and you can even use them to make a leftovers pasta dish. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Lentil Bolognese

healthy dinners vegetarian

Have you been looking for a great lentil bolognese that is as delicious as the real deal but meat free? If so, I am happy to tell you that you just found it. Have a go at making this lentil bolognese and you won’t be disappointed. I also would like to suggest you make a few extra portions, because it’s so good you will want to have it for lunch the next day and also store some in the freezer for a rainy day. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners with mince – Cannelloni Verdi with Spinach and Beef

healthy dinners with mince

If you love lasagna but want something different, here is a great cannelloni recipe for Sundays as well as any special occasion like birthdays or Christmas and New Year. This recipe takes a little longer than our usual recipes but it’s worth it :). Plus, you can enjoy the leftovers the next day or two. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners low carb – Tomato and Basil Soup with EVOO Crostini

healthy dinners low carb

This tomato and basil soup makes a great Winter dinner and can be enjoyed the next day for lunch. Tomato and basil are the quintessential Italian flavours, so we thought we would recreate them in the form of a minestrone soup, perfect for those cold days when you want one of those low-calorie healthy dinner recipes full of flavour. Here’s the recipe.

 

Quick healthy dinner – Tortellini with Pink Sauce (lactose-free)

quick healthy dinner

Who doesn’t love tortellini? However, if you are not sure whether to serve them with a tomato sauce or a white cream, no problem as this recipe incorporates both. This creamy delicious pink sauce is perfect to switch things up and try an innovative yet very simple pasta sauce. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners with chicken – Chicken Pasta Bake

healthy dinners with chicken

Are you looking for a new pasta recipe that is going to impress your guests, yet easy to make? You just found it. This chicken pasta bake is not your usual Italian tomato pasta, and because it includes protein, it makes the perfect filling dish which you can serve in between a starter and a dessert. If you are intrigued, here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners with salmon – Baked Salmon with Mediterranean Flavours

healthy dinners salmon

While salmon is associated mainly with Scotland, Norway and other northern countries in Europe, Italians love their salmon too. So I thought I would share with you a Mediterranean recipe featuring this very popular fish. Get ready to be amazed by the simplicity of this dish, and later surprised by its taste. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for one – Norma Pasta from Sicily

healthy dinners for one

Pasta with tomato sauce is the most popular Italian dish, and I am sure you can agree it’s delicious. However, the Sicilians take it to a next level by adding eggplant and salted ricotta cheese. They call it pasta alla Norma. The Sicilians eat this pasta all the time, very often for lunch before their main course. Here’s the recipe; you really need to try it!

 

Healthy dinners with mince – Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

healthy dinners with mince

Here’s a simple and delicious recipe: meatballs in tomato sauce. It’s very Italian. popular all around the world, and it makes the tastiest dinner that both adults and kids will love. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners easy – Spaghetti with Cod and Turnip Tops Pesto

healthy dinners easy

This cod recipe is packed with protein and flavour. And because it’s a quick one to make, you can make it easily as a weekday dinner. Once you do, the incredible aroma will sweep you off your feet, making this pasta become your new favourite. Here’s the recipe; go make it.

 

Healthy dinners with chicken – Involtini di Pollo (breaded chicken rolls)

healthy dinners with chicken

This delicious chicken recipe is great for the holidays and any special occasion. And if you really like it, you can obviously make it throughout the year for Sunday lunch, or whenever you have more time on your hands. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Roasted Vegetables with Italian Balsamic

healthy dinners vegetarian

You probably cook oven roasted vegetables all the time. What if I told you that with just the addition of one simple ingredient you can completely elevate the taste of your roasted vegetables and make everyone enjoy them a little more? If it sounds intriguing here’s the recipe. You can serve this with a protein or make a healthy veggie bowl for a wholesome dinner.

 

Quick healthy dinner – Lemon Artichoke Pasta

quick healthy dinner

Need a quick but tasty pasta salad? Try this lemon artichoke pasta ready, in 15 minutes. You can enjoy this for lunch or dinner, whenever you are short on time. It’s a 5 ingredients recipe full of taste. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners ideas for two – Ravioli with Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

healthy dinners ideas for two

This simple recipe is full of flavour, what we Italians like to call Gusto, and is an easy one to make when you want something different but not too complicated. It’s also a great one to impress guests. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Sausage Pasta Bake

healthy dinners for family

Here’s another sausage pasta recipe. This one features a sausage variety from Tuscany, called Firenze sausages. We are using them to make a scrumptious sausage pasta bake. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for one – Simple Salad with a Classic Italian Dressing

healthy dinners for one

In case you don’t know how to make a classic Italian salad dressing, here’s the recipe. And if you do, I suggest you look at it because the secret is in the ingredients we use.

 

Healthy dinners low carb – Courgette Casserole

healthy dinners low carb

This recipe might not look the prettiest (it’s one of the first we made on the blog), but I promise it tastes really good. It’s a simple and healthy Italian courgettes or zucchini casserole that you can enjoy as a starter or main course. It’s not vegetarian, but you can easily make it so. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners simple – Spaghetti Abruzzesi

healthy dinners simple

Here’s a quick, easy, and delicious spaghetti recipe. We are calling it Spaghetti Abruzzesi. This is a recipe inspired by Abruzzo, its popular pasta recipes, and its renowned Zafferano or Saffron. If you like carbonara and enjoy saffron, you are going to really like this one. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners for family – Crocchette di Patata or Croquettes

healthy dinners for family

As a kid, croquettes were my favourite. I remember buying them from a shop near my school together with sausages whenever I had to stay longer at school for extra curricular activities. What about you?

If you too love potatoes and sausages you are going to find this recipe irresistible, I promise, and so are all your Aperitivo guests. Here’s the recipe. Don’t worry. you can serve this as an aperitivo food or as a main course with a salad.

 

Healthy dinners vegetarian – Not Your Usual Tomato Pasta

healthy dinners vegetarian

This vegan pasta is an amazing one as it can be enjoyed by everyone. It’s simple, delicious, made with genuine Italian products…and yet it’s not your usual tomato pasta. So, it’s perfect to please a crowd while still being different. Here’s the recipe. I am pretty sure you have never tried this one.

 

Healthy dinners vegan – Gnocchi Salad with Sweet Peppers Spread

healthy dinners vegan

Pasta salads are perfect for Summer, but this one can be enjoyed warm, so it’s an all-year rounder!  You can make this in under 15 minutes and put on your table a delicious and unique pasta dish. Here’s the recipe.

 

Healthy dinners easy – Quinoa with Italian Flavours

healthy dinners easy

It’s fascinating to think that quinoa was only used to feed the livestock way back in history, and now it has become this fancy expensive plant that looks like a grain and is so good for us. In this recipe we are sharing our favourite way to make quinoa with a recipe full of Italian flavours.

 

Healthy dinners low calorie – Lentils Casserole (yes, 🙂 lentils)

healthy dinners low calorie

This is one of those healthy dinner recipes that I’d say it’s perfect for Autumn, but also Winter. It’s warm, hearty, and delicious; plus, it has all the Italian flavours we all love. Here’s the recipe.

 

Thank you so much for getting to the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed this long one featuring all the delicious healthy dinners recipes you can make. Please, leave a comment telling us which one made you the hungriest.

Don’t forget you can join our newsletter here and get new healthy dinners recipes delivered to your inbox weekly. From time to time, you’ll get Italian desserts and aperitivo recipes too.

Ciao and buon appetito.

 

Alessia
Author: Alessia

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