Maybe you want to make smarter food choices, or maybe you’ve just been eating too much takeout recently – I know I have! Whatever the reason, it’s not always easy to find low-cal, healthy meals that are tasty and filling. That’s why I’ve done the work for you! This list of 25 incredible 300 calorie meals is full of family faves, like “fried” chicken and steak, along with some truly delicious healthy alternatives, like healthy shrimp tacos and teriyaki chicken wraps. Everything here is low-cal and brimming with flavor. You just have to know the right way to season things and some clever little kitchen hacks to make your meals lighter. Let’s dig in!
1. Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These Asian-inspired chicken wraps are the perfect taco alternative. As much as we all love tacos, you can’t deny the extra calories found in those tortillas. With these, you get the same great finger-food experience, with half the calories! Using lettuce instead will give you a lovely crunchy texture and keep things nice and light.
2. Skinny Oven Fried Chicken
So, how do you make your oven-baked chicken tenders crunchy like they’ve been fried? It’s all in the coating! This clever recipe adds corn flakes to the mix of breadcrumbs and seasonings to ensure it’s super crunchy and turns wonderfully golden. You’ll also need to cook them nice and high – 450°F to be precise. This will ensure your coating crisps up and that the chicken stays juicy.
3. Skinny Baked Tilapia with Lemon & Capers
Tilapia is such a lovely white fish with a very mild flavor that pairs great with everything from sweet chili to garlic. But when you’re looking to keep things healthy, this lemon and caper recipe is a must-try! At just 172 calories per serving, you might think that this lacks in flavor. But since the lemon and capers are so strong, this is anything but bland.
4. Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is a fantastic cut of meat. Not only is it pretty easy to make, but it’s super lean to boot. The trick to ensuring your pork is perfectly cooked and juicy is to pull it out of the oven once the internal temperature reaches 145°F. After the 15-minute rest, it will be 165°F and ready to devour.
5. Skinny Grilled Lemon Chicken
As soon as the weather turns warm, I start using my grill again. There’s just something about that beautiful char that makes your food so much tastier! To get the most out of your chicken, always marinate it. In this case, use lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme, but a low-calorie salad dressing would work too. I always use Italian dressing for something fresh and zesty. I like to make my chicken in bigger batches. Marinate a whole bunch in a big Ziplock bag and grill off a few days’ worth so you can grab and go whenever you need it.
6. Steak Salad
Just because you’re looking for something with fewer calories doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in some tender steak! This recipe suggests you cut your steak into cubes and fry them off in the seasonings – salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme. But I think there’s an easier way! Make your steak how you normally would. Get your pan smoking hot and fry for a few minutes on either side before leaving to rest, then cut through and serve in strips instead. That way, you don’t run the risk of overcooking and drying out your meat.
7. Healthy Jambalaya with Shrimp and Sausage
Jambalaya is a terrific dish to make when you want to cut a few calories. It’s loaded with veggies, herbs, and spices, and is naturally low-carb. Since it’s already pretty healthy, you’ll just need to make a few tweaks to ensure it’s under 300 calories per serving. The easiest thing you can do is swap out the Andouille sausage for something a little leaner – chicken sausages are my choice. To get it even lower, try swapping out the rice for cauliflower rice!
8. Super Low-Cal Healthy Creamy Vegetable Soup
It’s hard to believe that this ultra-creamy soup is low-cal, but the proof is in the pudding… or the ingredient list 🙂 So, how can you make this thick and creamy soup without lashings of butter and cream? Would you believe me if I told you it’s all veggies? It’s true! To make this unbelievably creamy soup, you’ll cook zucchini, cauliflower, onion, and garlic, with some vegetable stock until tender. Then just blitz that down until it’s silky smooth! Clever, huh?
9. Pepper Steak with Pan-fried Onions, Tomatoes and Spinach
When I make steak, I automatically make some form of potato to go with it. That’s where the calories usually shoot up, so swapping those out with extra veggies is a great way to have your steak and eat it too 😉 Onions are flavorful and steak’s best friend. Pair that with some blistered and juicy tomatoes, and you won’t miss the potatoes for a second! That being said, we all love potatoes, and giving them up isn’t easy. Check out the following recipe for a superb low-cal potato side that goes well with steak, chicken, and even fish.
10. Skinny Potato Pancakes
Potatoes are a household staple for a reason – they’re delicious, versatile, and pretty darn cheap, too! Giving them up isn’t easy; that’s why this low-cal potato side dish is perfect when you’re trying to cut some calories. The great thing about this recipe is that they’re not getting fried in hot oil for too long. Since you’ll use mashed potatoes, you’ll just be finishing them in the pan until they get a nice golden crust.
11. Low-Calorie Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
Low calorie and ready in under 15 minutes? This one’s a winner already! Making your own teriyaki sauce might not sound like a 15-minute meal, but I promise, it’s super simple! Combine water, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch in a small pot and whisk until it looks blended. Then you just need to pour it over your chicken and let the heat from the pan cook and thicken it up. The beauty of making your own is that you can control exactly what goes in. For example, if you want to cut out the sugar altogether, or replace it with coconut sugar, go ahead and make the change! Adjust to your taste and enjoy!
12. Low-Cal Southwestern Chicken Soup
Here’s another impossibly thick and creamy soup with a little secret – it’s loaded with pumpkin puree! Not only will the kids never know they’re getting a whole portion of vegetables with their dinner, but the pumpkin will add such a lovely flavor to the mix! Using rotisserie chicken will cut down on your prep time, but if you want to keep this super low-cal, feel free to cook your own chicken and use that instead.
13. Healthy Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is a pretty healthy dish in general, containing plenty of veggies and a nice tomato-based broth. But it also tends to be full of pasta, which is higher in calories and full of carbs. This recipe doesn’t skimp on flavor, being full of fire-roasted tomatoes, buttery beans, and loads of veg. But it cuts down on calories by using quinoa in place of rice or pasta. Better still, it cooks right in the pot for an easy one-pot meal.
14. Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce
The key to keeping your tacos carb-free is to use corn tortillas, and the great thing about tacos is that they’re super delicious with just a few ingredients. These shrimp tacos are bursting with fresh flavors, and you only need a handful of ingredients. If you’ve tried a bag of broccoli slaw from the store, I highly recommend it. It’s usually full of shredded veggies and adds such great color to your food, too. Plus, it gives your tender shrimp a nice bit of crunch!
15. Healthy Tortilla Pizza
If you like your pizza crust thick and fluffy, this isn’t the best option for you. But if you like a thin crust with plenty of toppings, this might just be a great middle-ground for when you’re craving pizza. If you’ve never tried brown rice flour tortillas before, now’s the time! They’re a terrific low-carb option and taste great.
16. Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Stuffed peppers are a lovely, hearty dish that’s loaded with veggies and plenty of protein. Since they’re served in a whole bell pepper, you know you’re getting a decent portion of nutrients. This recipe calls for ground beef, but if you want to make it even healthier, try using ground chicken or turkey. When it’s mixed in with the tomatoes and seasonings, nobody will tell the difference!
17. 300-Calorie Healthy Lasagna
Being full of pasta, meat, and cheesy goodness, you might be wondering just how you can make such a filling dish healthy. Well, the trick is to make a few alterations and substitutions. The biggest one is cutting back on the pasta and replacing it with sliced zucchini. Another great switch is to go with low-fat ricotta and mozzarella for a lightened-up cheese layer that’s just as creamy but low-cal.
18. Healthy Taco Salad
One thing is for sure: taco seasoned beef is just as delicious with or without the tortillas. I always make way too much on Taco Tuesday, which means my Wednesday lunch is already sorted! Just add your leftovers to a big bowl of lettuce and enjoy! Of course, it doesn’t just have to be leftovers. If you want something a little different from your regular chicken salad, this one’s for you.
19. Guilt-Free Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Noodles Pasta
Zucchini noodles, or zoodles as we like to call them, are a fabulous pasta alternative that you can buy pre-oodled in the store! They’re low-carb and work surprisingly well as a pasta alternative. Being pretty mild in flavor, they go with everything from Alfredo sauce to marinara. With this recipe, you’ll keep things simple with a fast and easy garlic and parmesan finish.
20. Shrimp And Asparagus Stir Fry (Under 300 Calories)
The thing I love most about asparagus is that it has such a lovely crunch, even after it’s cooked. Plus, the flavor isn’t overpowering, which means the shrimp can really shine. Not only that, but this two-ingredient stir fry is lightning fast to throw together since neither the shrimp nor the veg needs very long in the pan. This is great as is, or you could easily bulk it out with extra veggies or some zoodles if you have extra.
21. Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
I’ve made this recipe for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it’s always a hit. I pair it with a fried egg for some added protein with breakfast, but it’s pretty hearty by itself. Not only is it super filling, but it’s a terrific make-ahead meal that can easily be turned into any number of dishes. We’ve had it with pasta, in tacos, or as part of a taco salad.
22. 10-Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
This recipe is easy, vegan, and less than 150 calories per serving! How’s that for a healthy dinner! Since your canned chickpeas are already cooked, they don’t need too long in the pan. You’ll cook everything down to help marry the flavors and thicken it up, but you won’t spend half an hour waiting for something to be safe to eat. I admit I did add some coconut milk to mine because I prefer it a little creamier, but without that, it still bursts with amazing flavors.
23. Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is rich, naturally creamy, and the perfect meal for a chilly afternoon. I like to use sweet potatoes in mine, rather than regular ones, to make it extra sweet and vibrant. I highly recommend roasted all your vegetables before adding them to the soup – you won’t believe the difference it makes! If you prefer your soup even creamier, try adding some Greek yogurt or coconut cream at the end of the cook.
24. Skinny Burrito Bowls
Burrito bowls are exactly what you think: all the best parts of the burrito, served in a bowl instead of a tortilla. This makes them carb-free and much healthier. The best part about these is that you can swap out your rice for quinoa or cauliflower rice with ease, and it will still taste just like a burrito. I like mine with shredded chicken, but ground turkey is a fantastic low-calorie option too.
25. Low-Calorie Italian Casserole
I think the issue with a lot of low-calorie meals is that they’re just not filling, leaving you hungry and looking for snacks within a couple of hours. Not here though! This Italian casserole will fuel you up all day, and did I mention it’s gluten-free? You could even make this vegetarian-friendly if you used a tofu substitute or a can of beans. Click on a star to rate it!
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