These 31 healthy Mexican dinner recipes are ones you can feel good about, whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or just your average weeknight.
Happy May!
Cinco de Mayo is fast-approaching, and while I really don’t need an excuse or a designated day to enjoy Mexican food, I will definitely jump at a holiday that encourages me to celebrate by eating a taco or two! Are you with me?
Mexican food is one of my favorites and the proof is in the number of recipes here on the blog like my favorite guacamole to slow cooker Chile Verde, to stuffed pasilla peppers here in my recipe archives. But today we’re leaning into our healthier main meal frame of mind and that’s where these 31 recipes come in.
These 31 recipes are all weeknight-friendly (you can make many of them in just 30 minutes), low-carb, and full of lean protein and veggies. Plus, there are several seafood and vegetarian options. Guilt-free, easy Mexican meals you can make any night of the week? Now that calls for my favorite margarita! Because you know…balance.
From burrito bowls that blow Chipotle out of the water, to big, hearty salads with all of the fixins, these 31 healthy Mexican recipes are the perfect way to kick off May and celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
Make meal planning your month of meals a snap.
First, download this free printable weekly meal planner/to-do list to fill in, tape to the fridge, take to the grocery store, or use for reference next year when you can’t remember what the heck were your fave recipes from this one.
And then sign up for your free weekly meal plan and prep list here.
You get the idea. Now let’s dig in.
These lightened-up Mexican meals are coming at you just in time for Cinco de Mayo! So without further ado…
May 1: One-Pot Mexican Shrimp Orzo with Zucchini
FoodieCrush
One pot and 30 minutes are all you need to make this easy orzo made primarily with pantry staples you likely already have hanging around. It’s studded with plenty of healthy shrimp and zucchini, and is full of great Mexican flavors, making it an obvious choice for any night of the week!
May 2: Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole
Well Plated
Casseroles are notoriously known for excessive calories and globs of cheese, but not this one. It’s made with protein-packed quinoa, black beans, and chicken, and has a healthy does of veggies. And thanks to Greek yogurt and a reasonable amount of cheese, it’s just as creamy and satisfying as a casserole should be.
May 3: Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Healthy Seasonal Recipes
Stuffed peppers are the ultimate comfort food and these babies are low-carb, gluten-free, perfectly cheesy and spicy, and they come together in just 20 minutes!
May 4: Healthy Mexican Street Corn Burrito Bowls
Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Inspired by Mexican street corn (yaas), these colorful burrito bowls are guilt-free and full of so much awesome flavor.
May 5: Kale Taco Salad with Roasted Jalapeño Lime Vinaigrette
Plays well with Butter
This kale salad represents what all kale salads should be (totally hearty, tasty, and yes, healthy). This one one is loaded with honey chipotle chicken, black beans, corn, radishes, a quick pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese, and a roasted jalapeño lime vinaigrette that will be your new favorite summer salad dressing, and it’s a keeper in our book.
May 6: Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
Freutcake
You know the drill — warm weather means grilling season, and these shrimp tacos with shredded cabbage and avocado crema are definitely worth firing up the grill for. The shrimp are marinated in a citrus-rum mixture beforehand (um, yes please), and everything comes together in under 30 minutes.
May 7: Ground Turkey Tacos in Lettuce Wraps with Cilantro Lime Crema
Joyful Healthy Eats
Think outside the tortilla with these ground turkey and lettuce tacos with tomato, avocado, and a super refreshing cilantro lime crema that’s buy delicioso.
May 8: Easy Chilaquiles with Eggs
FoodieCrush
Breakfast for dinner never tasted so good. This crave-worthy classic features tortilla chips, runny eggs, and an authentic enchilada sauce that’ll knock your socks off. Plus, it can be on your table in under 20 minutes.
May 9: Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde
Skinnytaste
The words enchiladas and light can actually exist in the same sentence. Filled with shredded chicken, white beans, and green chiles, and topped with a green chile enchilada sauce and just enough cheese, these hit the spot.
May 10: DIY Burrito Bowl
Oh She Glows
This gluten-free and vegan burrito bowl is for vegans and carnivores alike. It’s easy, healthy, filling, and completely versatile (try quinoa or cauliflower rice instead of traditional brown or white rice, or mix up the type of beans you use). Whatever you do, definitely don’t miss out on the avocado-lime sauce!
May 11: Instant Pot Chipotle Chili
My Food Story
This super flavorful, chipotle-spiked chili tastes like it spent all day simmering away on the stove, but it only takes 30 minutes in the Instant Pot.
May 12: Meal Prep Carnitas Burrito Bowls
Fit Foodie Finds
Take an hour on a Sunday and prep these yummy bowls for quick and healthy lunches or dinners all week long. You can cook the carnitas in the slow cooker, and while they’re cooking, make your cilantro lime rice, chop your lettuce, and prep your beans and street corn.
May 13: Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Fajita Salad
Cafe Delites
Ditch the carb-heavy tortillas and turn your fajitas into a big, hearty, healthy salad. This one’s bursting with flavor, especially thanks to tender chicken thighs in a chili-lime marinade that doubles as a vinaigrette, stir-fried peppers and onion, and cool, creamy avocado.
May 14: Blackened Fish Taco Salad
Chef De Home
This loaded salad has everything you love about fish tacos — flakey, blackened fish, juicy tomatoes, avocado, kidney beans, red onion, jalapeño, roasted corn, cilantro, and tortilla chips, all on a mixed bed of lettuce and kale. And don’t even get us started on the avocado lime cotija dressing.
May 15: Fresh Huevos Rancheros
Cookie and Kate
If huevos rancheros is on the menu, we’re ordering it. This vegetarian dish may be a popular choice for breakfast and brunch, but we love it so much, we eat it for dinner just as often. And with plenty of protein from refried black beans and a perfectly runny fried egg, it always fills us up.
May 16: Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls
How Sweet Eats
This honey-chipotle marinade has become one of our favorite ways to flavor chicken on the grill. Paired with fluffy coconut-lime quinoa and a fresh and zesty side salad, these chicken bowls are the perfect light but hearty summer dinner we crave.
May 18: Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos
Gimme Some Oven
These healthy vegetarian tacos feature turmeric-roasted cauliflower, black beans, avocado, and a zippy tahini-lime crema you’ll definitely want to put on everything.
May 19: Fiesta Chili Lime Chicken Salad with Mango Avocado Salsa
Little Spice Jar
Marinated chili-lime chicken, avocado, mango salsa, and grilled red peppers bring mega flavor to this satisfying salad that’s so tasty you don’t even need dressing.
May 20: Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce
FoodieCrush
These Baja-style Cajun-spiced fish tacos are filled with a cool and refreshing avocado and cilantro tartar sauce, shredded cabbage, and fresh cilantro, beach-view and cerveza not included (but definitely recommended).
May 21: Skinny Refried Bean & Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Ambitious Kitchen
These refried bean and chicken enchiladas were lightened-up with a few simple tweaks, like baked and shredded chicken breast (instead of rotisserie chicken, which has more calories and fat), less cheese, and refried black beans, feature and a wonderfully authentic homemade enchilada sauce that will have you vowing to never use the store-bought stuff again.
May 22: Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
FoodieCrush
Slow cooker Mexican flavored beef gives these savory enchiladas their start, with a healthy dose of butternut squash to round out the healthier side. Give these an even lighter bite when you go easy on the cheese—if you can.
May 23: 20 Minute Skillet Blackened Shrimp Fajitas
The Recipe Critic
Restaurant-worthy shrimp fajitas in just 20 minutes? We’re so there.
May 24: Vegetarian Chili
A Beautiful Plate
You won’t miss the meat in this hearty, nutritious, and smoky 3-bean chili, made with fire-roasted tomatoes, toasted ancho chili peppers, veggies, and kale.
May 25: Skinny Taco Salad
Well Plated
Forget the soggy, bland iceberg lettuce and greasy ground beef taco salads you used to know, because this one’s getting a healthier (and tastier) makeover. Made with lean ground turkey, black beans, crispy tortilla strips, tomatoes, avocado, crunchy romaine lettuce, and a Greek yogurt salsa dressing (yes, please), this taco salad will be your new favorite.
May 26: Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
Two Peas and Their Pod
This slow-cooker shredded Mexican chicken takes just 10 minutes to prep and is perfect for your next DIY burrito bowl, tacos, salad, nachos, and more.
May 27: Mexican Grilled Chicken Tacos
RecipeTin Eats
A bold marinade brings awesome flavor to the grilled chicken in these Mexican street food-inspired tacos. Even if you skip the taco part, make. this. chicken, because it’s all about that marinade, baby.
May 28: Chickpea Corn Fiesta Salad
Brewing Happiness
This 30-minute vegetarian salad (easily made vegan, by the way), starts with a bed of crisp romaine that then gets topped with crunchy tortilla strips, spiced chickpeas, corn, poblano pepper, avocado, and cotija cheese, and tossed with a lemon-honey dressing.
May 29: Enchilada Style Baked Chicken
The Harvest Kitchen
You can have the whole enchilada with this easy, low-carb chicken, baked with black beans, corn, tomatoes, and a homemade enchilada sauce. It all get topped with cheese, green onions, cilantro, and black olives, and it seriously could not be simpler to make.
May 30: Grilled Steak Tacos
FoodieCrush
Steak doesn’t have to be expensive. These tacos call for flank steak — an inexpensive but super flavorful cut that’s perfect for the grill. The steak’s marinated in a spicy, tangy citrus-adobo sauce, so it’s nice and tender and bursting with flavor. Top the tacos with some chopped onion and tomato, cotija cheese, avocado, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime, and you’ll really be livin’ right.
May 31: Mexican Cobb Salad
What’s Gaby Cooking
The classic cobb gets a Mexican spin with this totally loaded but healthy salad recipe. It’s got shredded romaine, spicy sautéed shrimp, black beans, cheese, guac, and pico de gallo, and we could seriously eat this salad every day.
This recipe round-up was curated and written by FoodieCrush contributor Hayley Putnam of Seven Day Weekend. Follow her foodie tastes and other flights of fancy on Pinterest and Instagram.
Thanks for stopping by and visiting FoodieCrush. Have something to say or a recipe round-up request to make your dinnertime meal making easier? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at heidi@foodiecrush.com or let me know in the comments below.
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