15 Keto Diet Plan Dinners You’ll Want to Cook Up ASAP
Updated: Jul. 05, 2018
Almost any recipe can be altered to become a keto diet plan dinner favorite. A little less carbs and a little more fat make these dinners right on point. Best of all, they're totally delicious, which will help you stay on track.
Spicy Italian Keto Stuffed Peppers
Bell peppers are one of the best low-carb keto-approved vegetables you can dd to your keto diet plan dinners. While this recipe for Spicy Italian Keto Stuffed Peppers is made with spicy sausage, you could also use sweet (mild) sausage if you prefer. Just be sure to read the label and make sure no extra sugar has been added.
Instead of white rice, which is typical;y called for in stuffed pepper recipes, this recipe uses low-carb riced cauliflower and diced mushrooms, to add filling fiber without loading up on carbohydrates.
If you’re new to the eating plan, learn what it’s really like to follow the ketogenic diet.
Doner Kebab Salad
“At its most basic level [the keto diet] is comprised primarily of fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates,” says Brandon Olin, host of The Deskbound Podcast. Eating this way “flips a switch in the body that causes it to preferably burn fat for fuel as opposed to carbohydrates,” he explains.
Olin’s Doner Kebab Salad maximizes on that nutrient profile: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are coated with a flavorful Greek yogurt sauce that helps the moist cuts of meat retain more flavor. The chicken is served on a bed of cabbage with a heaping serving of Greek yogurt-based tzatziki sauce. If this is all new to you, don’t miss these 11 keto dangers before you start this diet.
Keto Butter Chicken
One of the best things about a low-carb keto diet plan is how versatile it can be. From Italian to Indian, it’s possible to eat most cuisines and still meet your carb goals.
Keto Connect‘s Keto Butter Chicken is one incredibly flavorful but simple dinner. Many traditional Indian dishes require hours of simmering and a bounty of ingredients. This dish keeps things weeknight-friendly, while not skimping on the tantalizing warm and spicy notes you love in classic butter chicken.
Zoodles with Avocado Sauce
If you’re not familiar with zoodles, they’re noodles made with zucchini—the perfect low-carb accompaniment to creamy sauces, tomato sauces, and more. In this Zoodles with Avocado Sauce dish, bright lemon juice combines with fragrant basil and creamy, fat-rich avocado for a luscious sauce. This dish is every bit as good as your favorite fettuccine or spaghetti—it just has many fewer carbs.
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Chicken Taco Salad
The keto diet works by extremely limiting carbohydrates. This creates a complex metabolic reaction in your body that makes it burn fat instead of glucose—a process known as ketosis. “When this biological mechanism is running, and someone is burning more calories than they consume, the body will begin to break down stored body fat for fuel,” Olin says. To be successful on the plan, you need to boost the healthy fats in your diet, and this Chicken Taco Salad could be just the thing: It delivers a hefty serving of fat from the olive oil-based cilantro-lime vinaigrette and a heaping serving of sour cream.
Fathead Pizza
Eating keto does not mean giving up on pizza; it just means changing how you make it. For this Fathead Pizza, the crust is made with a secret keto-friendly ingredient: almond flour. It’s held together with melted mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, and an egg.
Once the crust is all finished, the toppings for a keto pizza can proceed as usual. Look for a sauce that’s low in sugar, and sprinkle on your favorite meaty toppings, low-carb veggies like mushrooms and peppers, and a hefty dose of shredded cheese.
It’s good to have keto versions of your favorite foods, so you don’t fall off the wagon. Learn why most people fail on the keto diet.
Bacon & Egg Sandwich
One of the very best things about the keto diet is that classic breakfast foods like eggs, bacon, ham, and sausage all get the greenlight. Eggs provide a good dose of protein with healthy fats. This “sandwich” recipe calls for a bacon “bun.” It’s a breakfast-for-dinner keto option that you can pull together in no time. If you’re looking for more keto meals, these 10 keto recipes will make you forget you’re on a diet.
Sheet Pan Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
If you need to limit protein but crave filling fat, turn to Sheet Pan Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. This dish needs only two ingredients and no more than an hour of your time—and it has just the right macro balance with 7 grams of fat, 4 net carbs, and about 8 grams of protein.
It can be a meal in itself or eaten as a side dish to a grass-fed steak or grilled chicken breast. Here are 12 things that happen to your body on a keto diet.
Easy Keto Cashew Chicken
Your takeout options might seem limited on the keto plan, but you can recreate some of your dining-out favorites right at home. Keto Connect’s Easy Keto Cashew Chicken is a flavor match for your favorite Chinese takeout—but without the carbs from rice, sugary sauce, and breaded coating. Even better, the whole dish is ready in just 15 minutes. If you miss rice, try cauliflower rice instead. Here’s what it’s really like to follow the keto diet (hint: it’s crazy easy).
Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup
The primary ingredients broccoli cheese soup are already keto-friendly. But this Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup adds a luscious pour of heavy whipping cream, butter, and xanthan gum—a common keto-friendly thickener that can replace high-carb flours.
For busy weeknights, this soup is a satisfying dinner choice. It’s ready in under 20 minutes and even the non-keto eaters in the house will love it.
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Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream Cheese
Calling all steak lovers: meat eaters tend to love the Keto diet, because it offers plenty of opportunities to have steak and other cuts of red meat. Just add a hefty dose of fats using a flavored mayo or cream cheese, as in this Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream Cheese recipe. To complete this keto dinner, serve it with a side of non-starchy vegetables like asparagus or a spinach salad. Shopping tip: Buy grass-fed beef when possible; it has a higher ratio of healthy fats compared to conventionally-raised beef.
Lemon & Rosemary Chicken
Simple is delicious, and keto can be simple. This Lemon & Rosemary Chicken requires just seven ingredients but it’s so flavorful everyone will think you fussed. Serve with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts (bonus points if you add a mayo dipping sauce), and you’ve got a low-carb, keto-compliant dinner that everyone at the table will appreciate.
Tenderloin Steak Diane
You can make a keto dinner for two that feels like a restaurant-quality splurge thanks to this recipe for Tenderloin Steak Diane. Whipped cream, butter, and steak sauce form the base of the luscious sauce. Mushrooms (a hardy keto-friendly veggie) turn soft and silky when cooked down in this flavor-packed dish. Serve with roasted broccoli or a side of loaded mashed cauliflower for a full-plate meal.
Baked Keto Chicken Tenders in Buffalo Sauce
Tangy buffalo sauce and creamy blue cheese are a match made in keto heaven. The combination can be used to spice up pork tenderloin, mix with spaghetti squash, or turn typical chicken tenders into an exciting keto dinner.
This recipe from Keto Connect calls for premade buffalo sauce to save time and effort: Baked Keto Chicken Tenders in Buffalo Sauce. Pick up a block of your favorite funky blue cheese and grate it on top, or nab a store-bought blue cheese dressing for an even easier dinner. This one has keto go-to recipe potential.
Buttery Grilled Shrimp
Fish and seafood are rich sources of healthy fat and protein for keto dieters. In this Buttery Grilled Shrimp, double up on the fat content by basting delicate shellfish with butter as they gently cook on the grill. Once they’re done, you can eat them as they are or serve with a side of asparagus with melted butter. Save any leftovers to make a simple shrimp salad for the next day’s lunch.
Ready to try the keto diet? These 13 impressive weight-loss transformations may be all the inspiration you need.
Originally Published: July 05, 2018
