Low-cal Vegetarian Meals

SusanDSME

Anybody want to share low-cal vegetarian meal ideas? I'm realizing how much I've relied on pasta, which is such a diet buster. I've started making pesto with spaghetti squash, which the whole family loved. Lentil stew, carrot soup, chili are all pretty low in calories... but I could use some more ideas! What are your favorites?

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37lbs_to_go

There are some great recipes at No Meat Athlete. Not sure if they're low calorie but they sure taste good. Here is one of my faves. Super versatile.
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/grain-green-and-bean/

Karrie078

I make variations of stuffed peppers which are filling and tasty. I also add beans and legumes to salads and home made wraps amd tacos. The stuffed peppers seem to be the lowest calorie meal... all depending on which ingredients use of course.

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AnnPT77

Soy spaghetti or fettuccine with PB2 (or similar defatted peanut powder) peanut sauce and plenty of veggies. (Soy pasta texture, which tends to be oddly chewy, works for me in pseudo-Asian dishes, but not as a replacement for regular pasta.)

Mac & cheese bulked up with winter squash, and with some Greek yogurt but less cheese, based on chickpea pasta.

Tempeh Rueben-style with sauerkraut, browned onions, something tomato-y (sliced tomatoes, tomato sauce, whatever) and cheese. Works with or without bread, or can be a scrambled egg therme if you eat eggs.

Black bean soup with browned onions, canned tomatoes, chili oowder, nutritional yeast, cocoa powder.

Soft tacos or enchiladas with black beans and sweet potato chunks plus seasonings.

In general, veggies instead of pasta/grains as a volume ingredient: Stuffed veggies (squash, eggplant, peppers, whatever), veggie slices (like eggplant or pepper slabs) as a substrate for pizza toppings, lasagna-like casseroles with veggie layers (squash, eggplant, root veggies) or even firm tofu layers and appropriate fillings between, mixed roasted root veggies as a volume side unstead of grain-based foods, etc.

Obviously, if you omit dairy, any cheese mentioned would be the nondairy subs.

janejellyroll

thecharon wrote: »

Next time you are shopping look for stock up things like quinoa, barley, brown rice, even lentil or black bean pastas. They can replace white pasta many times.

Those are all similar in calories though . . .

nic_27_grassisgreener

Some of the things you mentioned are staples for me: Chili, lentil soup, veggie soups. I also like doing tofu stir fried with veggies. Sometime served with rice, and sometimes without for less calories. Frittata is lower calorie than a quiche. I also like loaded baked potatoes for a meal. A baked potato topped with beans, greek yogurt, salsa, and anything else really.

Most things I make are "low-enough" calorie (for me) for the proper portion sizes, even pasta. Only rarely are things so loaded with cheese or something that either I feel like I can't eat as much as I want, or I need to especially plan my day for the larger meal.

lemurcat12

Pasta really isn't a diet buster if you watch portions.

That said, I try to focus on protein -- big salad with some beans or chickpeas (or both) on it, and maybe some tofu. Lentil curries and soup, black bean stew, white beans with vegetables, beans and rice (with veg), stir fry with tofu. If you eat dairy and eggs, omelets, and low fat dairy like greek yogurt and cottage cheese are good in lots of things and as a side.

estherdragonbat

I've discovered that my supermarket sells spiralized vegetable 'noodles'. Turnip noodles are surprisingly good in a stirfry. I mean, really surprisingly; I was going to get the zucchini ones, but I wanted to use sliced zuke in the stirfry itself. I don't know how well they'd work as a general pasta substitute. I just threw these in my frying pan toward the end of the stirfry, just enough to soften them and added sweet-and-sour sauce. Would they work with marinara? I kind of doubt it, but I may give it a shot sometime.

Cat3141

thecharon wrote: »

Next time you are shopping look for stock up things like quinoa, barley, brown rice, even lentil or black bean pastas. They can replace white pasta many times.

janejellyroll wrote: »

Those are all similar in calories though . . .

And lower in protein (except the bean pastas), so pretty much the opposite of what you want. Lentil and bean based pastas tend to be higher in calories than whole wheat pasta, but they're higher in protein and fiber, so they pack a lot of nutrition into those calories. My local Target stocks Banza (chickpea pasta) at an affordable price--it's not exactly like wheat pasta, but we like it. Aldi also sometimes has red lentil pasta at an affordable price.

Anything bean-based will be higher in protein and fiber which should make them filling. Vegetable soup with beans or lentils. Roasted vegetables, mixed with a bean of your choice on top of a potato or sweet potato. Stir fried veggies with tofu (or beans) and a light sauce.

Pasta isn't all bad, it's really about what you serve with it. I usually mix my pasta with things that are high in protein and fiber. So pasta (bean or whole wheat), mixed with roasted cauliflower, chickpeas or crumbled tempeh, and finished with garlic, chili flakes, and a few strips of tempeh bacon (or liquid smoke). Marinara with lentils or TVP, mixed with steamed broccoli or spinach--you can add pasta or not.

Also, try googling Vegenomicon chickpea cutlet. They're quick to make and tasty. I omit the oil in the mix, but am generous with the oil in the pan when cooking them.

Cat3141

37lbs_to_go wrote: »

There are some great recipes at No Meat Athlete. Not sure if they're low calorie but they sure taste good. Here is one of my faves. Super versatile.
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/grain-green-and-bean/

NMA tends to be more moderate-to-high calorie, because it's a site for athletes. To keep calories at a lower level, watch the sauce you select, increase the greens, and decrease the grains.

janejellyroll

When I was in a deficit and didn't really want to use calories for regular pasta or rice, I would replace them with shirataki noodles (not everyone enjoys the texture, but I'm fine with them), kelp noodles, shredded cabbage, or cucumber/zucchini noodles. I would also serve foods on a bed of roasted vegetables (usually broccoli or cauliflower) because you can add a lot of volume for not a lot of calories.