21 Healthy Dinner Recipe Ideas – From Rice Bowls to Veggie Ramen and a Gingery Prawn Omelette

“Healthy eating” is a nebulous term: for some it means a low-calorie diet, for others it’s all about loading up on nutrient-packed veggies. Whatever healthy eating means to you, we’ve rounded up a series of dinner recipes that are light and fresh, and will help you work more vegetables, herbs and legumes into your diet. Most importantly: they taste good. There's a miso-marinated salmon and veggie rice bowl, a luscious huevos rancheros and a punchy prawn omelette singing with ginger. Here are 21 healthy recipes to add to your dinner roster.

Sam Low’s spicy steamed salmon in chilli bean sauce

Steamed salmon is the first dish many of us reach for when we’re aiming to be a bit healthier. Give it a little oomph by dousing it in 2022 Masterchef New Zealand winner Sam Low’s spicy and fragrant chilli bean sauce, the perfect foil to this dish ’s delicate steamed fish.

Alison Roman’s summer vegetable soup with hominy and lime

Alison Roman’s cookbook Something From Nothing is all about harnessing the power of your pantry. But if you don’t have a tin of hominy (dried, nixtamalised corn kernels) on hand, this restorative recipe makes a great case for seeking one out from a Latin American grocer. Not to mention eating more soup in summer.

Hetty McKinnon’s cucumber and cabbage noodle salad with black bean sauce

With her books Community and Neighbourhood, Hetty McKinnon proved to be something of a vegetable whisperer, blending flavours and ingredients from across the globe with serious aplomb. This fresh, crunchy number shows just why she’s a bestselling author. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes, perfect for sharing and every forkful is a flavour bomb.

Shiyamalee Somaweera’s red lentil curry

Fast food doesn’t have to be bad for you – this comforting lentil curry is on the table in around half an hour, and builds up flavour using ingredients you can find in your local supermarket. Oil and salt are kept to a minimum in this recipe; much of the flavour is derived from coconut milk.

The Fishmonger’s Son’s miso-marinated salmon and veggie rice bowls

You’ll need to start this dish a day or two in advance to really let the miso marinade sink in – but it’s worth the wait: miso and salmon are notoriously great bedfellows. Because salmon is the star of this show, you can toss in whatever veggies you have on hand to amp up the nourishment factor.

Rupal Bhatikar’s raw green mango dal

Chef Rupal Bhatikar reckons you need a handful of recipes to turn to when you need a quick meal to recharge after a day at work. This is one of her go-tos: a healthy and wholesome dal buzzing with nourishing spices and green mango, and is on the table in less than an hour.

Molly Baz’s cauliflower salad with ranch dressing

Starring both raw and cooked cauliflower, this big and bold salad by US chef Molly Baz has plenty of nooks and crannies for its creamy vegan ranch dressing to hide in. “This dish is simply never not thriving,” writes Baz.

Parwana’s banjaan borani

Putting a vegetable at the centre of your dinner is a sure-fire way to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need. In this recipe, Adelaide Afghan stalwart Parwana foregrounds eggplant and makes it sing with plenty of herbs and spices and a big dollop of garlicky yoghurt dressing. Plus, it’s ready in just 45 minutes.

Sarah Pound’s chickpea salad with maple and tahini dressing

A similar salad to this one went viral in 2022 because Jennifer Aniston supposedly ate it. Whether or not that’s true is irrelevant: all you need to know is this melange is a textural bonanza of crunchy nuts, soft feta, smooth chickpeas and creamy maple and tahini dressing

Yotam Ottolenghi’s stuffed eggplant in curry and coconut dal

You can always count on Yotam Ottolenghi to bring plenty of flavour-packing veg to the table. Here, that looks like paneer-stuffed eggplant bolstered by a ginger-spiked coconut dal. You can prep it all the day before so you have a nutrient-rich, tastebud-entertaining dish ready to whack in the oven when you get home from work.

Smith & Deli’s larb salad

Skip the sad salads and make this larb instead. It’s entirely vegan and perfect for hot summer days when the brief is light and fresh – think plenty of chilli and herbs dosed up with lime juice and a scattering of veggies.

Stephanie Alexander’s veggie-packed huevos rancheros

Stephanie Alexander is on a mission to pack more veggies into our diets – and with this Mexican-inspired recipe she’s onto a winner. It brings together bolstering beans with a zippy tomato salsa and eggs for protein. And while huevos rancheros is typically a Mexican breakfast food, it’s hearty enough for a weeknight dinner.

Danielle Alvarez’s nutty and crispy spring rice salad

Danielle Alvarez, the former head chef at Sydney restaurant Fred’s, came direct from four years at Alice Waters’ famous Chez Panisse, an early proponent of farm-to-table cooking and veg-driven “California cuisine” – a background reflected in this textural salad of squishy sultanas, brittle dried rice and pistachios, finished with a sweet curry vinaigrette. “It’s all about different levels of crunch,” Alvarez says.

Such and Such’s ginger-spiked prawn omelette

Quick, easy, and perfect for summer nights when the kitchen is a room you want to avoid, this satisfying prawn omelette from Canberra restaurant Such and Such ticks a lot of healthy-eating boxes. You’ll get your protein fix from the eggs and prawns, a thwack of chilli to clear out the sinuses and plenty of ginger, which boasts a clutch of health benefits.

Alice Zaslavsky’s shaved zucchini and edamame salad with pickled ginger

If salads aren’t your bag, the cookbook author’s “dump ’n ’dress” number might just push you over the edge into team salad. With just a few ingredients, it’s bound to become a firm favourite once the weather heats up. And though salad recipes tend to be easy, Zaslavsky says this one is even simpler than most. Bonus: it’ll last a few days in the fridge.

Up South Bondi’s plant-based bowl 

Need a flavour-packed lunch for the warmer months? Viral baking sensation Cherry Yap has the goods. Her Bondi Cafe’s textured lunch bowl is bursting with so much flavour, it’s easy to forget it’s good for you: an array of veg (both cold and hot), pureed cauliflower florets in place of rice and a poached egg on top for protein, plus a light dressing of miso, tahini and sesame oil.

Yasmin Newman’s kinilaw

Kinilaw is the Philippines’ answer to ceviche – and, like ceviche, it’s bursting with fresh fish and citrus. But it leans even further into the tropical flavours with coconut milk and green mango, as well as a hit of ginger. The result is a light, summer-y dish that’s a real weeknight treat.

Hello Auntie’s pho dac biet

If hearty and nutrient-rich is your MO, get this pho on the stove now (it takes a while) – we promise it’s worth it. Its broth base is a cornucopia of nutrients from the bones and spices, and does double duty in both hydrating and filling you up.

Turmeric roasted carrots and cauliflower salad

Your insides will thank you for this turmeric-spiced salad. Used in Ayurvedic medicine to help restore the balance of the gut’s microbiome, turmeric’s earthy flavour and the brightness of citrus of herbs is a winning combination. “People will have a different opinion about turmeric after they’ve had this,” says Bowls Baby’s Diana Caruso.

Fukuryu’s vegetarian miso ramen

While most ramen is made with a rich, meaty broth, this version harnesses veggie power, bringing more nutrients into the fold. Plus, the meat is swapped out for thick chunks of pumpkin – but you’ll still get a protein fix from the soy eggs.

Botanica’s summer green bean and lemon salad

Brett and Alison Hutley, the owners of Brisbane’s Botanica cafe, have been tossing together salads since 2013 for those both hungry and in a hurry. This particular one is designed for summer, but with three ingredients and just 15 minutes of preparation required, it makes a simple, delicious meal or side dish all year round.