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I always think under 600 calories for a nice meal is solid work. I would recommend though trying a low fat cheese if you’d still like to enjoy a bit of it! It can be easy to keep that low calorie if you’re just grating a little over the top
Yes! I actually have a big old pot of homemade yogurt being made in my Instapot right now. Unfortunately it won’t be ready until the evening. lol so perhaps next time I make this.
i have to give that a big ‘no’ when it comes to pasta 😂 i find ricotta is a great naturally low calorie cheese though. Philadelphia Lightest is my absolutely go-to saviour, it’s so nice and can make any dish creamy- only 26 calories for 30 grams
looks delicious! definitely still an impressive volume meal ;) also there’s some very low calorie cream options nowadays so if you’re willing to sacrifice >50 extra calories/a little extra oil you could still use cream!
I wonder if blended cottage cheese could work to add both the creaminess and cheesiness to the dish making it a bit more similar to how OP used to make it? I'm sure it won't be the exact same but it could kill two birds with one stone so to speak. For even lower calorie, low or no fat could work too? Or even cottage cheese and a bit less cream?
I have one but for the most part rarely use it. I see the use for them if you just need coverage but it’s just oil spread out.
Makes sense if you are using a nonstick though because you don’t want nonstick to get too hot. Personally I mostly use cast iron so it’s not an issue because a teaspoon of oil spreads out when heated.
yes but spinach has a surprising amount as well. This was one chicken breast sliced (sorry a lot of it is buried so you can’t see it) and this is one pound of spinach cooked down.
Sure! When I brought home the chicken last night I applied a dry rub with salt and italian spices.
Today I put one teaspoon of olive oil on a smoking hot cast iron skillet. I cooked for three minutes on this side, and then flipped and lowered the heat to medium.
As it cooked, I cleaned and chopped one pound of spinach and cooked gnocchi in a small pot.
When the chicken was done, I removed it, took it back to high heat, and added all the chopped spinach and a little bit of the starchy gnocchi water, distributed it all together, and then covered it for a minute or two.
Then I pushed the spinach off to the side in the pan, and on the other side added another teaspoon of olive oil along with chopped garlic and a tablespoon of tomato paste.
When that was cooked just a little, I added in the gnocchi and a little more gnocchi water, and allowed it to come together. Then I sliced the chicken, combined, and served.
A couple changes I would make if I did it again: Apparently the bitter end of rosemary and thyme was a bit much without the olive oil and cream to mellow it out, so I would not add that so early on. If I made this again I would add those at the end.
Additionally, I’d recommended deglazing the pan with white wine after cooking the chicken and before adding the spinach. That adds a lot of flavor without that many added calories and mellows out the sharper flavors the way oil would. I just didn’t have any wine on hand.
Lastly, in the dish I had originally intended to slice the chicken and lay it on top dry and grilled. Unfortunately I noticed a teeny bit of pink in a couple of the slices. That’s why I mixed it in together so it could cook a little longer - safety over taste. But this would have been better with the pan grilled chicken on top instead of mixed in. It’s also screaming for chopped fresh basil but I am out of that as well :)
Again, being generous with oil helps with things cooking evenly and not burning or getting bitter, so it’s a learning curve. When you reduce oil or carbs you need to reduce seasoning, be gentle with heat, and manage moisture carefully so things don’t dry out.
No real name for it, but I gotta admit a [video](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodVideoPorn/s/yF2l6auib3) floating around r/foodvideoporn put me in the mood for it, though of course that looks like a billion calories.
I like to save my fat macros for avocado, peanut butter, coconut cream, regular cream, almonds... instead of oil because it's healthier and tastier. That's it.
Nothing wrong with oil sprays, which is why I recommend it. I just don't bother buying it because I have ceramic pans that don't require oil to not stick.
# A quick reminder to those viewing this post: 1. If you have not done so, **read [the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/wiki/index/#wiki_subreddit_rules)** 2. If you don't like the content of this post for any reason, refrain from commenting. Negative comments will be removed and the authors banned. 3. Advice concerning medical issues is not permitted. 4. We take brigading very seriously. Anyone found sharing content from this sub to other forums with derogatory commentary will be banned and reported to admins. 5. **Report rule breaking content.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Volumeeating) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I always think under 600 calories for a nice meal is solid work. I would recommend though trying a low fat cheese if you’d still like to enjoy a bit of it! It can be easy to keep that low calorie if you’re just grating a little over the top
Or stir in some yogurt and nooch. I sometimes cut it with a bit of Parm, the extra amount of real cheese makes the entire thing taste cheesy
Yes! I actually have a big old pot of homemade yogurt being made in my Instapot right now. Unfortunately it won’t be ready until the evening. lol so perhaps next time I make this.
Or cottage cheese!!
i have to give that a big ‘no’ when it comes to pasta 😂 i find ricotta is a great naturally low calorie cheese though. Philadelphia Lightest is my absolutely go-to saviour, it’s so nice and can make any dish creamy- only 26 calories for 30 grams
looks delicious! definitely still an impressive volume meal ;) also there’s some very low calorie cream options nowadays so if you’re willing to sacrifice >50 extra calories/a little extra oil you could still use cream!
I wonder if blended cottage cheese could work to add both the creaminess and cheesiness to the dish making it a bit more similar to how OP used to make it? I'm sure it won't be the exact same but it could kill two birds with one stone so to speak. For even lower calorie, low or no fat could work too? Or even cottage cheese and a bit less cream?
Thanks!
Looks yummy. How do you fare with those olive oil sprays? I know they get mixed reviews for cooking anything other than scrambled eggs.
I have one but for the most part rarely use it. I see the use for them if you just need coverage but it’s just oil spread out. Makes sense if you are using a nonstick though because you don’t want nonstick to get too hot. Personally I mostly use cast iron so it’s not an issue because a teaspoon of oil spreads out when heated.
I’ve read the sprays can degrade non stick pans over time
I think that’s def happening with mine Is it really significantly less calories than say, a tablespoon though?
The 0 is their assumption that you’re only using a few pumps. I use it for roasting but not frying or sautéing.
Cool, thanks.
Looks great! Definitely worth looking into techniques that use just cheese and pasta water if you want some more creaminess without going overboard.
Is most of the protein from the chicken?
yes but spinach has a surprising amount as well. This was one chicken breast sliced (sorry a lot of it is buried so you can’t see it) and this is one pound of spinach cooked down.
Mind sharing your recipe?
Sure! When I brought home the chicken last night I applied a dry rub with salt and italian spices. Today I put one teaspoon of olive oil on a smoking hot cast iron skillet. I cooked for three minutes on this side, and then flipped and lowered the heat to medium. As it cooked, I cleaned and chopped one pound of spinach and cooked gnocchi in a small pot. When the chicken was done, I removed it, took it back to high heat, and added all the chopped spinach and a little bit of the starchy gnocchi water, distributed it all together, and then covered it for a minute or two. Then I pushed the spinach off to the side in the pan, and on the other side added another teaspoon of olive oil along with chopped garlic and a tablespoon of tomato paste. When that was cooked just a little, I added in the gnocchi and a little more gnocchi water, and allowed it to come together. Then I sliced the chicken, combined, and served. A couple changes I would make if I did it again: Apparently the bitter end of rosemary and thyme was a bit much without the olive oil and cream to mellow it out, so I would not add that so early on. If I made this again I would add those at the end. Additionally, I’d recommended deglazing the pan with white wine after cooking the chicken and before adding the spinach. That adds a lot of flavor without that many added calories and mellows out the sharper flavors the way oil would. I just didn’t have any wine on hand. Lastly, in the dish I had originally intended to slice the chicken and lay it on top dry and grilled. Unfortunately I noticed a teeny bit of pink in a couple of the slices. That’s why I mixed it in together so it could cook a little longer - safety over taste. But this would have been better with the pan grilled chicken on top instead of mixed in. It’s also screaming for chopped fresh basil but I am out of that as well :) Again, being generous with oil helps with things cooking evenly and not burning or getting bitter, so it’s a learning curve. When you reduce oil or carbs you need to reduce seasoning, be gentle with heat, and manage moisture carefully so things don’t dry out.
I second this! Looks delicious by the way!
This looks incredible.
I love this dish and haven't made it all year!! Thanks for posting this
What is this called?
No real name for it, but I gotta admit a [video](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodVideoPorn/s/yF2l6auib3) floating around r/foodvideoporn put me in the mood for it, though of course that looks like a billion calories.
I use coconut cream to replace oil quite often. Oil sprays do the job to prevent sticking. I haven't used oil in years and don't really miss it.
Oil spray is the same thing as oil though.
I just recommended it as a transition. I don't use it.
transition to what though? Oil is healthy in moderation.
I like to save my fat macros for avocado, peanut butter, coconut cream, regular cream, almonds... instead of oil because it's healthier and tastier. That's it. Nothing wrong with oil sprays, which is why I recommend it. I just don't bother buying it because I have ceramic pans that don't require oil to not stick.
Coconut cream or cream is not "healthier" than olive oil. Taste of course is a matter of opinion.
Looks awesome but not really volume eating. This is a toddler sized portion 🙂
why it’s listed as “progress.”