1,449 light recipes

Broiled salmon steaks with citrus vinaigrette: orange and lime juice, garlic, and fresh cilantro doubling as marinade and finishing sauce. Bright, light, and broiler-quick on a busy weeknight.

Pasta with smoked mozzarella: bow-tie pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh asparagus, thyme, and melty smoked mozzarella. A light pasta dinner that works hot or as a next-day salad.

Chocolate mint cake with a light peppermint sponge topped with whipped chocolate mint frosting. The fat-free batter uses applesauce and egg whites for an airy, tender crumb.

Hot fudge sundae cake that bakes its own chocolate sauce underneath the cake layer. Pour hot water over the batter before baking, and the oven creates a fudgy pudding sauce beneath a light chocolate cake.

Layered orange pineapple cake with a crunchy coconut-pecan praline topping, whipped cream frosting, and crushed pineapple baked inside. A showstopper from a box mix.

Chocolate raspberry cream cake layers a flourless almond-chocolate base under silky raspberry mousse, finished with lightly whipped cream and fresh berries. Elegant springform dessert built for special occasions.

Linguine with crab and mushrooms in a light white wine sauce with chicken broth, turmeric, tomato paste, and fresh tarragon. A quick seafood pasta for two that's ready in 40 minutes.

Chicken delish is a lattice-topped chicken and ham pie with toasted almonds, mushrooms, and a nutmeg-spiced cream broth poured over the top. Classic midcentury potluck casserole, baked golden.

Herbed biscuit egg bake lines a pan with a thyme-rosemary biscuit crust, then fills with eggs, sauteed onion, broccoli, and sharp cheddar. Brunch quiche-meets-biscuit casserole baked golden in 40 minutes.

Mock-chiffon chocolate cake with folded egg whites for an airy, light crumb, served with homemade chocolate whipped cream. Uses oil instead of butter for extra moisture.

Shell-on shrimp simmered in a herby Worcestershire and white wine sauce over garlicky angel hair pasta. Paprika, rosemary, and thyme infuse every strand in this soul-warming shrimp pasta dinner for four.

Linguine with white clam sauce made from canned clams, garlic, olive oil, and fresh parsley. A classic Italian-American pasta dish with a lightly thickened briny sauce.

Chocolate coconut cake roll spirals a light cocoa sponge around a fluffy cherry-coconut whipped cream filling. Rolled warm so it won't crack, then chilled and dusted with powdered sugar. A retro showstopper.

Pan-fried sole fillets in a quick rice wine and ginger sauce, brightened with lemon and finished with toasted pine nuts and scallions. A light, Asian-inspired fish dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.

Spinach pasta with red peppers tosses wide spinach noodles in a garlic-heavy sauce of sauteed capers, basil, rosemary, and sweet red peppers. Light, vibrant, and oil-free.

Baked potato with curried mushrooms, tomato puree, yogurt, and fresh mint. A vegetarian loaded baked potato with an Indian-spiced filling that's light enough for a weeknight meal.