I need a low calorie protein to add to pasta

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Nertak
Nertak Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Recently I have been making a meal out of

500 calories of penne pasta
100 calories of pasta sauce
100 calories of bell peppers

This is my highest calorie meal of the day, and it has been working out well. I like it, and I am successfully losing weight. The problem is this meal does not supply me with any protein. Can anyone give me suggestions on low calorie protein I could add that will be filling without making the calories skyrocket?

I would reduce the amount of penne pasta so compensate for the protein added. So the meal would stay around 700 calories. I just need it to be as filling as it is now. The obvious choice, meatballs, adds allot of calories without being very filling. When I tried it I ended up still being hungry afterwords.

Thanks in advance for the advice :)

Replies

  • Captain_Wobbles
    Captain_Wobbles Posts: 240 Member
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    BOOM!
    boom_zpsbe7be1e0.jpg
  • LULU4178
    LULU4178 Posts: 69 Member
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    I add white beans to mine.
  • panchakshara
    panchakshara Posts: 37 Member
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    one chicken breast plus one serving of cheese should total around 200-250 calories, with about 34 grams of protein.
  • Tal_Kyrte
    Tal_Kyrte Posts: 38 Member
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    Beans! They are an excellent source of protein, and can be bought cheap as well. Any type of legumes will do the job, but I am partial to black beans.
  • maccaria
    maccaria Posts: 51 Member
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    Zebra steaks!

    150g serving has 148 calories, 35.5g protein, 0.15g carbs, and 0.75g fat
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    If you're not vegetarian then I would say chicken or prawns hands down. Far more protein than any beans and will not increase the calories by more than 100 calories. Plus with more protein in the meal you may be able to cut down the pasta quantity without missing it.

    As an aside I use fresh pasta a lot because you get more for your calories! :) Half a bag for 400 calories and it's a HEAP of pasta. :happy:
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    CHICKEN! Sub about 100 calories of your pasta for some chicken.
  • skytoads
    skytoads Posts: 79
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    Tuna or other seafood can be a good option.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Are you really eating 400g of red peppers!!! As thats what 100 calories equates to
  • Katy009
    Katy009 Posts: 579 Member
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    tuna....you can eat it a million ways with pasta or rice
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    Shrimp are super fast, very low calorie, full of protein and extremely delicious in pasta, hot or cold.
  • LessHeavyVeggie
    LessHeavyVeggie Posts: 208 Member
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    I use 0% greek yoghurt in the sauce - 100g = 57cals = 10.3g protein
  • SarahxApple
    SarahxApple Posts: 166 Member
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    Are you really eating 400g of red peppers!!! As thats what 100 calories equates to

    This^

    Also to echo others, beans, fish, chicken or you could opt for veggie friendly meat substitutes.
  • Nertak
    Nertak Posts: 34 Member
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    I don't weigh the peppers. I chop up 3 and add them to the pasta. In the add food section I found "bell pepper raw-red" which says a medium bell pepper is 37 calories. I have the food scale I just wasn't using it for the peppers. Next time I make it i'l weigh them. I use green, yellow, orange, and red as I buy them in bags of 6 with random colors if that matters.

    You guys are saying its really off? Or that my meal is just huge? lol
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
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    Ground chicken or turkey makes a great substutie for ground beef and you can make meatballs from it if you like. I always use it to make spaghetti sauce since I prefer the taste over beef too.
  • b0nnyd0g
    b0nnyd0g Posts: 84 Member
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    There is something about turkey mince that never looks nice so is unappetising - think it is because it is so pale !! BUT the flavour is fab for burgers, meatball, etc especially with a teaspoon of curry powder or garlic stirred in, yummy and very low fat/calorie !!
  • moodyfeesh14
    moodyfeesh14 Posts: 811 Member
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    shrimp or scallops
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    Chicken breast.
  • vegkitten
    vegkitten Posts: 106 Member
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    Small chunks of smoked tofu are really great for adding protein without having that tofu texture/taste. Something about smoked tofu makes it a really nice consistency.

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