I love three things, Italian food, cooking and a challenge, but I am a bit stuck as to how i can make Italian food and still be relatively healthy at the same time? I know tomato based sauces are obviously better than cream based ones but I have to limit my tomato intake as it aggravates my acid reflux. Does anyone have any advice about low calorie Italian recipes. Also, if anyone comes across a calorie free panna cotta, I would not say no to that! lol
Low Calorie Italian Food
- Thread starter Clairelouise84
- Start date
There are also lots of salads in Italian cooking, and in general it's not an unhealthy cuisine. If you use fresh ingredients instead of store-bought stuff then you'll see a HUGE difference in your calorie intake. As for panna cotta, I've heard of people using fat free half and half instead of the milk and cream, so you could try that.
" Zimino " is an interesting category of italian recipes with fish or chickpeas with greens ( spinach, swiss chard, escarole )
Often Zimino recipes call for tomato, but you can skip that, i tried without tomato and comes fine.
Often Zimino recipes call for tomato, but you can skip that, i tried without tomato and comes fine.
I have to agree that a lot of Italian cooking is rich and high in calories. But, I don't think every day Italians eat that way daily. They fish cooked in fairly healthy ways. I personally love a Caprese salad, which I think is fairly healthy. However, if you want desert like Tiramisu, I don't think there is really anyway to avoid the calories. I think a Baccala salad is very authentic and fairly healthy as well.
Thank you, I will definitely try making a salad with some new veg that I do not normally use. I only cook from scratch now so I am quite happy to only use fresh, none of the sauce mixes for me, the salt in them is mind blowing isn't it? Oooh that is a very good idea thank you! I will definitely try making it with a lower fat cream, we don't have half and half in this country but I think Elmlea would be a similar thing and that is much lower in calories, thank you!
I will try some grilled fish, I am still learning to cook and have a long way to go so I will enjoy using some different fish instead of the usual salmon and cod that I normally cook with. Thank you
Thank you very much, I will definitely give that a try, I have to say I am loving all the new recipes and ingredients to cook with, it is making dinner times so much more interesting!
Thank you, I am definitely going to experiment with some more fish dishes. Sadly no, I don't think you can avid the calories in a tiramisu which is really unfair! I will keep looking for a tasty, low calorie desert, if such a thing exists I will share it with the world!
Italians eat a lot of veggies don't they? Especially in Tuscany, I think. Caesar salad is delicious: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2516/chicken-caesar-salad
Thank you for that, I am trying my best to eat my greens but I am not normally a fan, I am getting better though. I agree with you there though, Caesar salad is delicious and that looks like a great recipe.
Also, feta cheese. It's more of a Greek cheese but it's used in Italian food too, I think. Feta is the least fatty of all cheeses so if you trying to watch the calories, it's great. http://theitalyforum.com/threads/feta-cheese-pasta.4812/
http://www.calorie.it/alimenti/formaggi-latticini-yogurt/calorie-fior-di-latte/
Mozzarella 250 calories X 100 grams
Bufala: 288
Feta: 250
Ricotta ( cow milk ) 146
Ricotta ( ewe's milk ) 157
Go ricotta, try Caprese salad with ricotta in place of mozzarella.
Mozzarella 250 calories X 100 grams
Bufala: 288
Feta: 250
Ricotta ( cow milk ) 146
Ricotta ( ewe's milk ) 157
Go ricotta, try Caprese salad with ricotta in place of mozzarella.
Depends on what brand you buy, I guess. The feta I buy is 10% fat and only 170 kcal/100 g compared to buffalo mozzarella which is 300 kcal/100 g.
Have you tried making sauces with yellow tomatoes instead? I believe they are lower in acid than traditional red tomatoes - plus the bright yellow color looks really nice with other ingredients such as sauteed greens thrown in, or some herbs.
I would also perhaps consider getting a good electric food steamer, possibly one with separate compartments that cook independently, because there are many dishes you can steam rather than cook with traditional methods, and it will save you a lot of fat and calories - not to mention steaming is one of the healthiest ways of cooking because it doesn't produce carcinogens like grilling can, and it preserves most of the nutrients as opposed to boiling, which leeches a lot out.
I would even steam Italian Turkey Sausage links in mine and sometimes serve them with some steamed greens and potatoes lightly dressed with olive oil. But you could even steam very delicate fish that would otherwise fall apart if you tried to fry it, or stick to the pan if you tried to broil it. You can even place a small bowl in the unit with some butter/wine/herbs to melt as the food cooks, then pour it over it when serving. I've even steamed diced tomatoes with rice in it, then tossed some parmesan in at the end when they were done cooking.
I would also perhaps consider getting a good electric food steamer, possibly one with separate compartments that cook independently, because there are many dishes you can steam rather than cook with traditional methods, and it will save you a lot of fat and calories - not to mention steaming is one of the healthiest ways of cooking because it doesn't produce carcinogens like grilling can, and it preserves most of the nutrients as opposed to boiling, which leeches a lot out.
I would even steam Italian Turkey Sausage links in mine and sometimes serve them with some steamed greens and potatoes lightly dressed with olive oil. But you could even steam very delicate fish that would otherwise fall apart if you tried to fry it, or stick to the pan if you tried to broil it. You can even place a small bowl in the unit with some butter/wine/herbs to melt as the food cooks, then pour it over it when serving. I've even steamed diced tomatoes with rice in it, then tossed some parmesan in at the end when they were done cooking.
It's not like red tomatoes are particularly calorie rich to begin with. They're 80% water. I don't think using yellow ones instead will make a difference. That's just overkill.
Caprese with ricotta? Does that work? I'm not a huge fan of that cheese and I don't really see that combo being as good as the traditional caprese.
My nonna would probably have said "Ahhh, you worried about calories? You need to eat more!"
I'm a firm believer that everything is okay in moderation. If I am feeling like pizza or a pasta dish, I'll order them. I don't like restricting myself to salads or that sort of thing if I'm really craving something else.
Plus when I'm on vacation I tend to do a ton of walking so it really balances itself out most of the time!
I'm a firm believer that everything is okay in moderation. If I am feeling like pizza or a pasta dish, I'll order them. I don't like restricting myself to salads or that sort of thing if I'm really craving something else.
Plus when I'm on vacation I tend to do a ton of walking so it really balances itself out most of the time!
Italian food is generally quite healthy compared to many other cuisines. There are loads of Italian salads as well, so those are pretty low-calorie as well. Try sticking to fresher ingredients, and as many people have mentioned above, try and sub in cheeses richer in calories with lower calorie cheeses, like ricotta. Try and use loads of veggies in your Italian cooking, and try to make everything from scratch (no store-bought sauces!).