Try these filling dinner recipes that won’t have you piling on the pounds

IT’S that time of year when satisfying, wholesome dishes are on the menu – but comfort food doesn’t necessarily have to be fattening.

Pinch of Nom food bloggers Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson’s latest recipes are perfect for winter, and won’t have you piling on the pounds.

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Their latest book, Comfort Food, has 100 new slimming recipes and includes delicious yet healthy dishes.

Kate says: “Satisfying, homely dishes remind so many of us of childhood and give us a sense of nostalgia.

“For us, cooking comfort food is about sharing and getting everyone together around the table, too: Hearty stews that tick all the boxes, slow-cooked dishes that are wholesome yet full of flavour, roasts with all the trimmings, and healthy twists on family favourites.”

In day one of an exclusive three-day series Natasha Harding brings you ten delicious dinner recipes.

• Extracted from Pinch of Nom Comfort Food: 100 Slimming, Satisfying Recipes by Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson (Bluebird, £20) out on December 9, 2021. Photography: Mike English.

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VODKA PASTA

SERVES 4

Per serving: 512 Kcal / 84g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 400g dried fusilli pasta (or pasta of your choice)
• low-calorie cooking spray
• 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp Italian mixed herbs
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 50ml vodka
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml vegetable stock
• (1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 200ml boiling water)
• 120g low-fat cream cheese
• a few basil leaves, to garnish

METHOD:

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, then drain it well.
2. While the pasta is cooking, spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
3. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes until they have started to soften, then stir in the garlic, chilli flakes and Italian mixed herbs and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomato puree and vodka, stir and cook for a further 3 minutes.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and cream cheese, stir, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes – the mixture should still be bubbling.
6. Remove the sauce from the heat and mix the pasta into the sauce. Serve, scattered with basil leaves, and enjoy!

OVEN-BAKED PASANDA CURRY

SERVES 4

Per serving: 191 Kcal / 4g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 500g diced chicken breast
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp granulated sweetener
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 120g red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 250ml chicken stock (1 chicken stock pot dissolved in 250ml boiling water)
• 2 tbsp low-fat cream cheese
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• To accompany: (optional) 50g uncooked basmati rice, per portion, cooked according to packet instructions (+ 173 Kcal per 125g cooked serving)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C/gas mark 6). Put the chicken, spices, sweetener and ground almonds in an ovenproof dish and mix to ensure the chicken is coated evenly in the spices and almonds.
2. Scatter over the sliced onion, pour over the stock and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and carefully stir in the cream cheese. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top and pop back in the oven for another 5 minutes, until the almonds have started to become golden.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Serve with your choice of accompaniment.

STEAK AND CHIPS PIE

SERVES 4

Per serving: 316 Kcal / 38g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 400g diced stewing steak, all visible fat removed
• 300g carrots, peeled and diced
• 200g mushrooms, cut in half
• 300ml beef stock (1 stock pot and
• 1 very low-salt stock cube dissolved
• in 300ml boiling water)
• 15g cornflour
• 500g potatoes, peeled
• ½ tsp all-purpose seasoning (such
• as Schwartz ‘Season- All’ spice mix)
• To accompany:
• 80g steamed green vegetables
• (+ 35 Kcal per serving)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C/gas mark 4).
2. Spray an ovenproof casserole dish with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until it starts to soften, then add the diced steak and cook for 5 minutes until the steak has browned on all sides. Add the carrots, mushrooms and stock to the pan, stir well, then cover with a lid and place in the preheated oven for 2–2½ hours.
3. When the steak is cooked and tender, mix the cornflour with a little water and stir it into the pie mix. Cover and cook for another 20–30 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 220C (fan 200C/gas mark 7).
5. Cut the potatoes into chips about 1cm (1⁄2in) wide and place in a bowl of cold water to rinse off the starch.
6. Drain the chips in a colander then dry them using some kitchen towel. Place them on a baking tray, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and sprinkle over the spice mix.
7. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the chips once. The chips will be slightly tender at this point but not completely cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C (fan 160C/gas mark 4). Arrange the chips evenly over the top of the steak mix and cook in the oven uncovered for 15–20 minutes until golden.

KUNG PAO PORK

SERVES 4

Per serving: 298 Kcal / 38g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 400g lean diced pork
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced, to garnish

For the sauce:

• low-calorie cooking spray
• 60g onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 160g red pepper, deseeded and cut into 2cm (¾ in) dice
• 60g carrot, peeled and cut into 3mm
• thick batons
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 x 225g tin bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 tbsp light or dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp granulated sweetener
• 60ml cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

To accompany: (optional)

• 50g uncooked basmati rice per portion, cooked according to packet instructions (+ 173 Kcal per 125g cooked serving)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C/gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Place the pork, cornflour, Chinese 5 spice and sesame oil in a sandwich bag and shake until the pork is completely coated in the cornflour mix.
3. Spread the coated pork out on the lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, turning the pieces of pork after 20 minutes.
4. While the pork is cooking, make the sauce. Spray a frying pan with a little low-calorie cooking spray and place over a low heat.
5. Add the onion, red pepper and carrot and sauté for 6–7 minutes until they start to soften, then add the garlic and bamboo shoots and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add all of the remaining sauce ingredients, mix well to combine and simmer over a low heat for 10–15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
7. Once the pork has cooked and is crisp and golden, add it to the sauce and stir.
8. Serve immediately with your choice of accompaniment, and garnish with the sliced spring onions.

VEGETARIAN COTTAGE PIE JACKETS

SERVES 4

Per serving: 454 Kcal / 77g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 4 baking potatoes (about
• 1.5kg total), pierced with a fork
• low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 250g Quorn mince
• 250ml vegetable stock
• (1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 250ml boiling water)
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp Henderson’s relish or
• Worcestershire sauce
• 100g frozen peas
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• ¼ tsp English mustard powder
• sea salt and black pepper

To accompany: (optional)

• 80g steamed green vegetables (+ 35 Kcal per serving)
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup (+ 15 Kcal per tbsp)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (fan 200C/gas mark 7).
2. First, cook the potatoes. We like to cook them in the microwave for 20 minutes on high before crisping them up in the oven. (If you don’t have a microwave you can cook them in the oven instead, individually wrapped in foil, for 1–1½ hours – just put them in ahead of time!)
3. Spray the potatoes with low-calorie cooking spray and crisp up the skin in the oven or preheated air fryer for 10 minutes. While the potatoes are crisping up, spray a lidded frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
4. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until the onions are softening, then add the Quorn, stock, dried herbs and Henderson’s relish.
5. Stir and bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, removing the lid for the final 5 minutes to allow any remaining stock to reduce and the mixture to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the peas.
6. Halve the cooked potatoes and scoop out the flesh – they will be very hot so do this with an oven glove or let them cool a little first!
7. Put the flesh in a bowl with the egg and mustard powder, season and mash until creamy. Fill the hollow potato skins with the filling mixture and place on a baking tray.
8. Add a dollop of mash to each potato half, using a fork to roughen up the top of the mash. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the mash has a golden crust. Serve with your choice of accompaniment.

BEEF STEW AND DUMPLINGS

SERVES 4

Per serving: 463 Kcal / 57g carbs

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YOU NEED:

For the stew:

• low-calorie cooking spray
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 400g diced stewing beef (all visible fat removed)
• ½ tsp garlic granules
• ½ tsp onion granules
• ½ tsp beef extract, such as Bovril
• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson’s relish
• 2 large carrots (about 120g each),
• peeled and diced
• 8 shallots, peeled and cut in half
• 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
• 200g swede, peeled and diced
• 100g button mushrooms, left whole
• 300g potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 500ml beef stock (1 very low-salt
• beef stock cube and 1 beef stock pot
• dissolved in 500ml boiling water)
• 15g cornflour

For the dumplings:

• 100g self-raising flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolks

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C/gas mark 4). Spray a casserole dish with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then add the beef and cook for a further 5 minutes until browned all over.
2. Add the garlic and onion granules, beef extract, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce or Henderson’s relish and stir. Add the remaining stew ingredients, except the cornflour, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
3. While the stew is cooking, make the dumplings. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the salt and egg yolks and mix slightly with a fork.
4. Using your hands, rub in the egg yolk the same way you would if using fat, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of cold water, a little at a time, until it comes together to form a dough.
5. You will need a firm dough that’s not too wet, so the amount of water you need will depend on the size of your egg yolks. Shape the dough into four equally sized dumplings and set aside in the fridge for later.
6. After the stew has been cooking for 2 hours, mix the cornflour with a little water, then stir it into the stew.
7. Add the dumplings to the stew, replace the lid and cook for another 30 minutes, until the stew has thickened and the dumplings are puffed up. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes if you want the dumplings to be browned a little.
8. Remove from the oven and serve.

FORGOTTEN LAMB

SERVES 6

Per serving: 424 Kcal / 3.6g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 100g reduced-fat natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1kg half-leg of lamb

METHOD:

1. To make the marinade, mix all of the ingredients except the lamb in a large non-metallic mixing bowl. Put the lamb in the bowl, coat it well in the marinade, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Transfer the lamb to a roasting tin and cook for 1 hour, or according to the instructions indicated on the lamb packaging.

KATE’S TAGINE

SERVES 4

Per serving: 460 Kcal / 45g carbs

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YOU NEED:

For the spice mix:

• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground turmeric

For the tagine:

• low-calorie cooking spray
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (visible fat removed), about 600g in total
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
• 6 shallots, peeled and cut in half
• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 200g swede, peeled and cut into chunks
• 200g parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 250ml chicken stock
• (2 very low-salt chicken stock cubes dissolved in 250ml boiling water)
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200g peeled and deseeded butternut squash, cut into chunks
• 1 pepper (any colour), deseeded and diced
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1½ tbsp tomato puree
• 1 x 410g tin sliced peaches in natural juice, drained

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C/gas mark 6). Combine all the spice mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Spray a large casserole dish or tagine with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook them for 2–3 minutes on each side until browned (no need for them to be cooked through). Remove from the dish and set aside.
3. Add the garlic and shallots to the casserole dish or tagine and cook for about 5 minutes until slightly browned, then add the carrots, swede, parsnips and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix.
4. Stir in the chicken, stock and chopped tomatoes, cover with a lid and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, stir in the butternut squash, diced pepper, chickpeas, tomato puree and sliced peaches.
6. Cover and cook for a further 45 minutes. If there is still a lot of liquid after 45 minutes, leave the lid off for 30 minutes so the liquid reduces. Serve!

CREAMY GARLIC SALMON

SERVES 4

Per serving: 350 Kcal / 7.4g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 250g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Henderson’s relish or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 400ml fish or chicken stock (1 fish or chicken stock cube dissolved in 400ml boiling water)
• 4 skinless, boneless salmon fillets (about 125g each), cut into quarters
• 175g low-fat cream cheese
• salt and pepper
• a few chives, chopped, to garnish

To accompany: (optional)

• 50g uncooked basmati rice per portion, cooked according to packet instructions (+ 173 kcal per 125g cooked serving)
• 80g steamed green vegetables (+ 35 kcal per serving)

METHOD:

1. Spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5–10 minutes until lightly golden.
2. Add the white wine vinegar, Henderson’s relish or Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and stock, stir well, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced by half.
3. Add the salmon pieces and simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until the salmon is opaque and flakes when tested.
4. Carefully turn over the salmon pieces halfway through cooking, taking care not to break up the fish too much.
5. When the salmon is cooked, gently stir in the cream cheese until completely blended in. Again, take care not to break up the salmon too much.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve, sprinkled with some chopped chives and with your choice of accompaniment.

CHICKEN, BACON AND LEEK COTTAGE PIE

SERVES 4

Per serving: 403 Kcal / 39g carbs

YOU NEED:

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• 740g potatoes, peeled and quartered
• low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 large leek, trimmed, washed and sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 500g diced chicken breast
• 100g unsmoked bacon medallions, cut into strips
• 2 tsp English mustard powder
• 325ml chicken stock (1 very low-salt chicken stock cube dissolved in 325ml boiling water)
• 100g low-fat cream cheese
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves chopped
• 10g fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 25g reduced-fat Cheddar, grated

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (fan 200C/gas mark 7). Put the potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 15–20 minutes until soft.
2. Meanwhile, spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the leek and onion and fry for 2–3 minutes until soft, then add the chicken and bacon and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the mustard powder, then stir 300ml of the chicken stock into the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add 75g of the cream cheese and all the thyme leaves to the chicken, stir until well mixed, then transfer to a medium ovenproof dish. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and leave for a few minutes to dry, then mash until smooth.
5. Add the remaining 25g of the cream cheese, the chopped parsley and the remaining chicken stock to the mashed potatoes and mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Spoon the potato over the chicken mix and level it out using the back of a fork. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and cook in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve.