Recipes Under 600 Calories

Morning smoothie

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Morning smoothie

Enjoy this refreshing smoothie made with mango and banana. Ready in a matter of minutes, this smoothie is perfect whether you're enjoying breakfast on the go or leisurely at home on the weekend.
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Total Time 10 mins
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 mangoes 
  • 2 bananas
  • 600 ml chilled orange juice
  • 4 tsp honey

Instructions
 

  • Peel and cut the mangoes and bananas into chunks, then put them in a blender with the orange juice and honey. Whizz until smooth.

Asparagus and salmon parcels

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Asparagus and salmon parcels

Wrap salmon in parcels with asparagus, dill and capers to create plenty of buttery juices to go with this nutritious, protein-packed meal
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Total Time 45 mins
Servings 2
Calories 516 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g asparagus trimmed
  • 2 x 120 g salmon fillets skin removed
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 1 lemon zested and juice, plus wedges to serve
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • a handful dill chopped
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 300 g new potatoes halved, large ones quartered
  • 75 g frozen peas

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut two 20cm x 20cm squares of baking paper and put each on top of a large piece of foil. Divide the asparagus between the squares of baking paper with the salmon fillets on top and season generously. Divide the garlic, lemon zest and juice, butter, dill and capers, then gather up the sides of the parcels to seal completely. Lift onto a baking tray and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, cook the new potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes until tender to the point of a knife, adding the peas to the water for the final minute of cooking, then drain well.
  • Serve the potatoes and peas with the salmon, asparagus, all of the buttery juices and more lemon wedges, if you like.

Thai watermelon salad

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Thai watermelon salad

Watermelon is this year’s trendy ingredient and stands in for green papaya in this update of a Thai classic. It’s best to buy a whole watermelon and use the flesh closest to the skin as this tends to be a bit firmer
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Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4
Calories 131 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
  • 5 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 3 bird’s eye chilli
  • 500 g watermelon seeds removed and cut into chunks
  • 1 tbsp roasted peanuts roughly chopped
  • a handful of leaves mint shredded
  • a handful of leaves Thai basil shredded

Instructions
 

  • Mix the sugar into the fish sauce. In a mortar, pound the garlic with a pestle, then add the chillies and pound again, leaving the chillies bruised but intact. Add the lime juice and fish sauce and pound again. Tip into a bowl with the watermelon and toss everything together. Sprinkle with peanuts and the herbs to serve. Avoid eating the whole chillies unless you are a heat fanatic; they’ll be incredibly hot!

Vegan fajita bowl with cauli rice

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Vegan fajita bowl with cauli rice

Try this vibrant, nutritious bowl for a well-balanced vegan meal that has less than 200 calories
Print Recipe
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 2
Calories 174 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • olive oil
  • 1 or 2 small red peppers seeded and sliced
  • 1 red onion sliced
  • 1 tbsp chipotle paste
  • 200 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 small cauliflower chopped
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt or granules
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1/2 small avocado stoned and sliced to serve
  • coriander a few leaves chopped to serve
  • lime wedges to serve

Instructions
 

  • Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the peppers and onions for 10 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Add the chipotle paste, tomatoes and a splash of water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
  • For the spiced cauliflower rice, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like grains. Toast the cumin in a non-stick frying pan in 1 tsp olive oil, add the garlic salt, paprika, oregano and chilli flakes, and fry for a minute before adding the cauliflower rice. Stir-fry for 4-6 minutes until the cauliflower is tender, and smells a little toasted. Season well with black pepper (and only a little salt if using garlic salt). Divide between bowls. Add the peppers on top, the avocado, and coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

Soy steamed sea bream with ginger and spring onions

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Soy steamed sea bream with ginger and spring onions

Give your sea bream a fragrant lift with fresh ginger, soy sauce, red chilli and spring onions. This recipe is best made in a steamer, but is still easy to cook without one
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Total Time 20 mins
Servings 2
Calories 331 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger ½ sliced, ½ shredded
  • a small bunch coriander  stalks and leaves reserved
  • 2 large skinless sea bream fillets
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 3 spring onions cut into 5 cm pieces, then shredded
  • 1/2 red chilli deseeded and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • cooked long-grain, basmati or jasmine rice to serve
  • steamed green vegetables to serve

Instructions
 

  • Put two lines of ginger slices with coriander stalks on top onto a small heatproof plate. Put the plate into a stove-top bamboo steamer (see cook’s notes below for an alternative cooking method). Lay the fish fillets on top and season. Mix together the soy sauce, wine and sugar, then pour over, and scatter over the shredded ginger, spring onions, red chilli and garlic. Put the steamer over a pan of simmering water, cover with the lid and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the fish is just cooked.
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan until shimmering. Once the fish is cooked, remove the lid and carefully pour the hot oil over the spring onions, ginger and fish. Serve with steamed white rice and green vegetables.

Cook's notes

  • To make this without a steamer, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut two 20cm x 30cm sheets of baking paper and put them onto a large baking tray. In the middle of each put a line of ginger slices and coriander stalks, lay the fish fillets on top and season. Sprinkle over the shredded ginger, spring onion and chilli. Gather up the paper around the fish, scrunching to seal but leaving a little opening at one end. Mix together the soy, wine and sugar, then carefully pour into the parcel before sealing tightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Shaoxing wine is a Chinese spirit made from rice that adds depth when cooked – it is available from large supermarkets.

Tuna pasta bake

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Tuna pasta bake

An absolute classic, made even more wonderful with the addition of dried chili flakes and rosemary. It's a real crowd pleaser!
Print Recipe
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 3
Calories 474 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g fusilli
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • a good pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 200 g tin of tuna in olive oil drained
  • 1 tsp rosemary needles chopped (optional)
  • 75 g mature cheddar  grated

Instructions
 

  • Cook the fusilli following pack instructions, then drain well.
  • Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the onion for 10 minutes until softened a little. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and half a tin of water, then simmer for 10 minutes. Season.
  • Stir the tuna into the sauce with the rosemary (if using) and drained pasta, and tip into a 26cm x 18cm baking dish. Scatter over the cheese then bake for 20-25 minutes or until piping hot and bubbling. Serve with a green salad, if you like.

Cottage cheese alfredo

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Cottage cheese alfredo

Make a low-calorie, smooth and creamy pasta sauce in 15 minutes using just cottage cheese, milk, garlic granules and a little cornflour... magic!
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Total Time 15 mins
Servings 2
Calories 460 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g Cottage cheese
  • 250 ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 150 g wholewheat spaghetti
  • 25 g parmesan (or veggie alternative) finely grated
  • 1/2 tsp ground black peppercorns
  • a small bunch flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Tip the cottage cheese, milk, cornflour, garlic granules and a little seasoning into a high-powered blender or food processor, and whizz until completely smooth. Pour into a frying pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce until the consistency of pouring cream.
  • Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water following pack instructions, drain well, reserving some of the cooking water, then tip into the sauce in the frying pan with the parmesan and black pepper. Toss well, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it’s a little claggy. Divide between two plates and finish with the parsley.

Honey sesame chicken with long-stemmed broccoli

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Honey sesame chicken with long-stemmed broccoli

Slather hunks of tender chicken breast in a sweet, sharp sauce and pair with leafy greens for a protein-rich meal
Print Recipe
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 2
Calories 379 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 chicken breasts  cut into pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 4 spring onions cut into 3cm pieces
  • 300 g long-stemmed broccoli  trimmed
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds   toasted

SAUCE

  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • 1 tbsp tomato ketchup

Instructions
 

  • Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and fry the chicken breast pieces with lots of seasoning for 5 minutes or until starting to turn golden, then add the garlic and cook for a minute.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the cornflour and rice vinegar, then add the remaining sauce ingredients along with 100ml of water. Tip this into the pan along with the spring onion pieces and simmer for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
  • Cook the broccoli in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through, then drain well. Divide the broccoli between two plates then pile on the chicken and sauce, and scatter over the sesame seeds.

Turkey ragu

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Turkey ragu

Like a healthier spaghetti bolognese, this turkey ragu comes packed with celery, courgette and carrots, plus a little Marmite for added flavour
Print Recipe
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Servings 4
Calories 478 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g turkey breast mince
  • 1 tbsp olive oil 
  • 1 onion  finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery finely chopped
  • 1 courgette finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Marmite
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 320 g wholewheat spaghetti
  • a few leaves basil

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the mince onto a non-stick baking tray and use a spoon to break into small pieces, spreading out so it’s in a thin layer. Put into the oven for 40 minutes, stirring halfway, until browned.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large lidded pan or casserole and add the onion, carrot, celery, courgette and garlic with a large pinch of salt. Stir well, put on the lid and cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the veg is very soft. Pour 500ml of boiling water into a jug and whisk in the Marmite and tomato purée. Pour into the pan along with the crispy turkey mince, scraping the bottom of the tray to get any crispy bits. Season and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until thickened.
  • Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions in a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente. Divide the spaghetti between four shallow bowls, top with the sauce and scatter over the basil leaves.