Dinner can be the hardest thing to transition to low-sodium. There are ways to make just about any dish low-sodium, you just need to find the right ingredients. Another alternative is to use simple ingredients that are already low-sodium. The ideas below use relatively simple ingredients and are easy to make.
- Chicken, Rice and Broccoli: Simple ingredients and straight forward. Chicken Breasts do have natural sodium. Be sure to check labels as sodium can differ depending on how it’s prepared and packaged. You can season chicken with simple spices, pepper, lemon juice or oregano or rosemary. True Lemon is a great 0 sodium spice to add some flavor to your chicken. It’s also tasty on fish and in soups. Cook some White or Brown plain rice at (0mg) and make some plain steamed broccoli either frozen or bought fresh (20-30mg). (Broccoli naturally has 30mg in one cup). A dinner like this will be around 150mg or less. (Beware of pre-marinated or cooked chicken breast and pre-seasoned veggies. Always read the label).
- Fish (Salmon or other), with Rice and Veggies: Same as above but with your choice of fish. I love using paprika, garlic powder and pepper to season salmon. I like eating my fish with Broccoli or Brussel Sprouts, but you could even do a small garden salad or Spinach. Choose fresh or frozen with no added seasonings. You can also find No-salt added canned veggies as well.
- Steak, Baked Potato, and Broccoli: Again, and with any meat, make sure to look at the labels when choosing your steak and stay away from pre-seasoned or pre-cooked meat at the grocery store. Season with Ms. Dash No Salt Steak Seasoning or Ms. Dash Burger Seasoning, both are very good. Steam up some veggies Broccoli or Asparagus or something else and season with pepper or eat plain. Baked potato can be topped with sour cream and chives or simply butter and pepper. If your using butter be aware of the sodium in the butter. You can purchase no-salt added butter, but these usually do not come as a spreadable kind. (If you doctor recommend you not eat red meat this would not be a good option for you).
- Fajitas: Fajitas have simple ingredients – chicken breast or steak, onion, bell pepper and tortilla. Be sure you check labels on chicken as sodium will differ depending on how it’s processed. Also, most tortillas, surprisingly, can have a lot of sodium. My favorite low-sodium tortilla or wrap is Tumaro’s Honey Wheat Wrap at 80mg. You can use Ms. Dash No-Salt Southwest Chipotle seasoning, cumin and chili powder to flavor your fajitas. (Please see our Chicken Fajita Recipe for more details)
- Grilled Chicken and Veggies: More chicken and simple veggies like onion, zucchini, bell pepper, squash, broccoli… pick your favorites. Cut everything into bite sized pieces, cover in olive oil add pepper, oregano, basil and any other no salt added spices you wish then toss on a pan and either grill on the stove or cook in the oven. Eat over rice or quinoa.
- Tacos: Tacos are easy and can be made low sodium. You can use ground beef, but I like to use ground turkey as it is a bit more heart healthy. Use cumin and chili powder to season your meat. There’s also _____ no-salt added Taco Seasoning. There are low-sodium or 0 sodium taco shells at many grocery stores (always double check labels). and you can use a sprinkle of Swiss cheese or tiny bit of cheddar. Add diced tomatoes, onion, lettuce and Homemade Low-Sodium Guacamole or Homemade Low-Sodium Salsa if you want to get fancy.
- Chicken Noodle Soup/Chicken and Rice: Soup is great for a cold day or if you’re sick, and it’s relatively simple to make at home. Most canned soups have a ton of sodium. There are a select few that are low-sodium though, take a look at our Low-Sodium Products and Where to Find Them for more info on these. You can make your own pretty easily though. Just boil up some raw chicken and shred. Use noodles or rice and add sauteed onion garlic, carrots and a couple stalks of celery. (Celery has natural sodium, so be careful how much you add.) Add spices like oregano, cilantro, True Lemon etc… You can also use no-salt added chicken broth, but usually I just use the water I boil my chicken in as my broth.
- Spaghetti and Meat Sauce: Spaghetti Noodles are 0mg sodium. Cook as directed. Then, cook either ground beef or ground turkey. You can purchase no-salt added pasta sauce or make your own with no salt added tomato sauce and add oregano, Italian seasoning etc. (Check our Low-Sodium Products and Where to Find Them for more info on these.) Add tomato sauce to the meat and pour over noodles. You can serve with Homemade Garlic Toast with a Low-Sodium Bread, brush with butter or olive oil, season with Italian seasoning, Rosemary, Oregano and Bail and toast in the oven.
These are all fairly simple recipes to get you started, but there are several more low-sodium dinner recipes. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We have many more Low-Sodium Recipes you can take a look at. You can also learn to convert your favorite recipe into a low-sodium version.