8 Very Low-Calorie Recipes That Still Help You Feel Full
1. Vegetable Egg-Drop Soup
About 120 calories
Ingredients
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup spinach
- Garlic, ginger and black pepper to taste
Directions: Simmer the mushrooms in the broth until tender. Add spinach. Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring.
A large bowl for around 120 calories is hard to beat.
2. Southwest Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Pepper
About 180 calories
Ingredients
- 1 large bell pepper, halved and seeded
- ⅓ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons cooked quinoa
- 2 tablespoons corn
- ¼ cup chunky salsa
- 1 tablespoon chopped onion
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder
- Squeeze of lime
- Cilantro, optional
- Jalapeño, optional
3. Salsa Baked Potato with Creamy Yogurt
About 190–200 calories
Ingredients
- 1 medium baked potato
- ¼ cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons plain unsweetened yogurt or Greek yogurt
- Chopped scallions or cilantro
- Black pepper
- Pinch of cumin or chili powder, optional
Directions: Split the hot baked potato and fluff the inside with a fork. Spoon over the salsa, add the yogurt, and finish with scallions or cilantro and black pepper.
This one is especially interesting because plain boiled or baked potatoes score very highly in satiety research. The trick is keeping the toppings light rather than turning the potato into a butter-and-cheese delivery system.
4. Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal
About 150 calories
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup water
- ½ apple, chopped
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Sweetener, optional
Directions: Cook everything together until thick and creamy.
Using plenty of water increases the volume of the oatmeal without adding calories.
5. Berry Yogurt Bowl
About 130–145 calories
Ingredients
- ¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup strawberries or raspberries
- Vanilla or cinnamon
- Sweetener to taste, optional
Directions: Spoon the yogurt into a bowl, stir in vanilla or cinnamon, and top with the berries. Add a little sweetener if the fruit is tart.
Raspberries will make it especially filling because they’re much higher in fiber than strawberries.
6. Zucchini Pizza Boats
About 170–190 calories
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
- ⅓ cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
- ¼ cup chopped mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- Garlic powder
- Oregano or Italian seasoning
- Black pepper
- Fresh basil, optional
Directions
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Scoop just a little of the center from each zucchini half to make a shallow boat.
- Bake the zucchini cut-side up for about 8 minutes.
- Fill with marinara, mushrooms, onion, and seasonings.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella.
- Bake another 8–10 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted.
- Add basil if desired.
7. Big Bowl of Savory Popcorn
About 130 calories
Ingredients
- 4 cups air-popped popcorn
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional
Directions: Toss the warm popcorn with the seasonings.
Four cups is a lot of food for roughly 120–140 calories, depending on your toppings. This is one of the best choices when what you really want is something you can keep nibbling on.
8. Cabbage-Lentil Soup
About 160 calories for a generous bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- ⅓ cup cooked lentils
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 cups low-sodium broth
- Garlic, thyme and black pepper
Directions: Simmer the cabbage, carrots and onion in broth until tender. Add the lentils and seasonings and cook another few minutes.
This combines three things that tend to help with fullness: a large volume of food, lots of liquid, and fiber-rich lentils and vegetables.
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