Low calorie recipes: 16 dinners under 400 calories

What are the best low calorie dinners?

A chicken and vegetable traybake, a prawn and courgette stir-fry, and a white bean and tomato stew are the 3 strongest. Each lands between 320 and 390 calories, carries over 25 g of protein, and fills a normal-sized bowl.

What all 3 share is a high ratio of vegetables to starch and a lean protein cooked with a measured amount of fat rather than a free pour. Those 2 decisions account for most of the difference between a 400-calorie dinner and a 700-calorie one.

Where the calories actually hide

Most people underestimate the same 5 things, and each is easy to reduce without changing the recipe.

Six swaps that keep the plate full

These change the number without changing the volume, which is the only kind of change worth making if you want to repeat it.

• Cauliflower rice for half the rice. Keeps the bowl the same size and removes roughly 150 calories.
• Yoghurt dressing for mayonnaise. Greek yoghurt with lemon, mustard and garlic saves about 150 calories a serving and adds protein.
• Blended cottage cheese for cream. Saves around 150 calories per 100 ml and turns a sauce into a protein source.
• Chicken thigh with the skin removed rather than switching to breast, which keeps the flavour and cuts most of the fat.
• Courgette or aubergine as half the pasta. Roasted first so it does not water down the sauce.
• A strong cheese in half the quantity. Parmesan or mature cheddar delivers the same flavour at half the weight.

The dressing swap is the one most worth adopting permanently. Two tablespoons of mayonnaise is about 180 calories and no protein, while the same volume of yoghurt dressing is around 30 calories and adds a few grams, and on a salad it is difficult to tell the difference.

Five under 350 calories

These are the lightest here and the most volume per calorie, which makes them the ones to reach for on a day that got away from you.

• Prawn and courgette stir-fry. About 320 calories and 30 g of protein. Courgette is mostly water, so the bowl is large.
• Egg and vegetable shakshuka. Around 300 calories. Two eggs poached in a large quantity of tomato and pepper.
• Tofu and pak choi broth. About 310 calories. A hot broth is the most filling format per calorie of anything here.
• Miso chicken noodle soup. Roughly 340 calories with 32 g of protein, using a small quantity of noodles in a lot of liquid.
• White bean and tomato stew. About 350 calories, and the fibre keeps it satisfying for hours.

Five more between 350 and 400

These carry more protein and suit a day with training in it, where the lightest options would leave you short.

• Chicken and vegetable traybake. About 380 calories with 40 g of protein, and 8 minutes of work for 25 unattended.
• Cod with lentils and greens. Around 390 calories. The lentils bring the fibre that keeps it working for hours.
• Turkey mince chilli. About 380 calories, and it makes 4 portions that reheat without losing anything.
• Chicken shawarma salad bowl. Roughly 390 calories with 40 g of protein, using yoghurt as both marinade and dressing.
• Roast vegetable and feta salad. About 360 calories. Lower in protein at 18 g, so add an egg or chickpeas if it is a training day.

The turkey chilli is the most practical of these for a whole week, because it produces 4 portions in one session and the calorie count per portion does not drift the way a plated meal does.

How do you stay full on fewer calories?

Target the 3 things that drive fullness rather than trying to eat less of the same food. Protein, fibre and water all increase satisfaction per calorie, and every recipe above uses at least 2 of them.

1. 1Put 30 g of protein in every meal. It is the most satiating macronutrient by a clear margin.
2. 2Add a pulse. Beans and lentils bring fibre, which slows the meal down and keeps it working for longer.
3. 3Choose soup or stew once or twice a week. The water content makes the same ingredients more filling.
4. 4Halve the starch, double the vegetables. Same plate size, roughly 150 fewer calories.
5. 5Measure fat, not food. Oil, cheese and dressing are where the numbers move; the vegetables never are.

Nothing here is medical advice, and a specific calorie target is worth discussing with a professional rather than taking from a recipe page. The practical planning side is in meal plan for weight loss.

For the numbers behind your own recipes, calculate calories in a recipe and track macros in recipes cover the method. The protein side is in high-protein recipes. On tools, ReciBites vs Samsung Food and ReciBites vs Mealime are the relevant comparisons.