8 Easy One Pot Low Carb Dinners

Nothing is worse than having a great dinner only to come back to the kitchen to see a whole sink full of dishes. I've put together this list of easy low carb recipes that cuts down the washing up to a bare minimum.


1) Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Ginger, minced
• 1 tsp Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into stir fry slices
• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce (reduced salt)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 head of Broccoli, chopped
• 1 Carrot, chopped
• 1 handful of Green Beans
• 1/2 Red Capsicum
• 1 small packet Cashews (approx. 150g)
• 1 bag of Bean Sprouts

Method
Heat a large pan over a medium to high heat. Add in ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Add in chicken and stir fry until browned. Pour over soy sauce and add all the veggies except the bean sprouts. Cook for approx. 10 minutes or until veggies have just started to softened (they'll be perfectly cooked when the colours are really vibrant!). Add in cashews and sprouts and stir so everything is covered in sauce (you can add a bit more soy sauce if too much has evaporated).
 

2) Frittata

This has been on our recipe page for a little while, but it's a great one-dish meal. You can use any fillings you'd like - these are just our suggestions!
Ingredients

• 300g Broccoli
• 100g Snow Peas
• 200g Low-Fat Fetta
• 200g Shaved Ham
• 1 tsp Thyme (fresh is best, but dried is fine!)
• 500g Egg Whites (we used a carton of Simply Egg Whites to make it nice and easy. You can buy it at Coles and Woolies)

Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan forced). Place veggies, fetta, ham and thyme in an oven proof dish. Pour over egg whites and place in the oven. Cook until golden brown on top. Enjoy with a salad or on some toast!

3) Spaghetti (without the pasta)

A great alternative to regular spaghetti - packed full of veggies to keep your energy up and no carbs to weigh you down.
Ingredients

• 100g Chopped Onion (approx. 1 Onion
• 200g Celery
• 500g Lean Beef Mince (although you could use pork mince if you prefer)
• 800g Tinned Tomato
• 200g English Spinach
• 200g Mushrooms
• 100g Bean Sprouts
• Shaved parmesan

Method
Drizzle some olive oil in a saucepan and heat over a medium stovetop. Add the onion and celery, and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion softens – stirring on occasions to make sure it doesn’t stick. Add the mince and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until browned, breaking up any lumps as you go. Lower the heat and add the tinned tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. Cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Place the bean sprouts in a bowl, top with the bolognese and some shaved parmesan (the sauce will heat the sprouts, but still leave them nice and crispy!). Don't forget that there's also a great low carb Garlic Bread recipe to go with this!

4) Pesto Zucchini Spaghetti


This recipe is from Perry's Plate and looks absolutely divine.
Ingredients

• 4 Medium Zucchini, sliced into noodles
• Generous pinch of salt
• 6 slices Bacon
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups Broccoli florets
• 2-3 tbsp Basil Pesto
• Fresh Parmesan

Method
Place zucchini strips in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle zucchini with salt and toss to combine. Let the zucchini sit for 15 minutes while the salt extracts the moisture. Drain excess water, squeezing zucchini, if necessary. Meanwhile, cook bacon over a medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan and pat dry with paper towel to remove excess oil. Crumble the bacon and set aside. Return the bacon pan to medium heat, add the green onions and broccoli, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add zucchini and 2 tbsp of pesto, tossing to combine all ingredients. Taste and add more pesto if needed. The mixture only needs to warm up, so 2-3 minutes of cooking ought to do it. Serve with bacon crumbles and freshly grated Parmesan.
 

5) Italian Omelette


Omelettes can make just as good dinners as they do breakfasts. This has tons of flavour and is really satisfying with a few slices of Protein Bread.

Ingredients

• 4 Egg Whites
• 1/2 punnet Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 Red Capsicum, cut into pieces
• Handful of Mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded Mozzerella
• 2 tbsp fresh mixed Italian Herbs
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 2 slices Protein Bread

Method

Place a medium pan over a medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms, Mozzerella and herbs. Melt butter in pan, then pout in mixture. Leave for approx 2 minutes, flipping omelette in half when edges have start to come away from the pan. Toast Protein Bread and enjoy!

6) Mini Eggplant Pizzas
 

Ok so this involves one pan and one tray, but if you line the tray with baking paper you shouldn't even have to wash it up! These little guys are an amazing treat to squash any pizza cravings you might be having.
Ingredients

• 1 large Eggplant
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup finely grated Mozzerella
• dried chilli flakes (optional)

Sauce Ingredients

• 3 tsp extra-virgin Olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tin DicedTtomatoes
• 1/2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano

Method
Slice eggplant into thick slices (ensuring they're all approx the same for equal cooking time), and place on paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and sit for approx. 30 minutes to draw the water out. Preheat oven to 190ºC when the eggplant has been sitting for approx. 15 minutes. While the eggplant is sitting, make the sauce. In a pan over medium heat, drizzle in the olive oil and garlic, sauting until garlic has browned. Add the dived tomatoes and herbs and let simmer for 10 minutes, or until it has thickened. Wipe the eggplants with paper towel to remove excess water and salt, and place on a lined baking tray. Brush the tops with olice oil and Italian seasoning, and roasted for about 25 minutes. Remove eggplant from the oven, turn, and top each piece with the tomato mixture and a generous topping of cheese. Place eggplant into a grill to melt and brown the cheese, removing when you're happy with it (approx. 6 mins)

7) Lettuce Leaf Tacos


Absolutely delish! All that needs to be said.

Ingredients

• 500g lean minced beef
• 1 sachet Taco Seasoning
• 1 tin diced Tomatos
• 1 Cos Lettuce
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• Shredded low-fat cheese
• Sour cream, guacamole, salsa (option toppings)

Method
Heat a pan over medium heat, drizzle with your choice of oil, and place mince in pan. Brown mince, breaking up any lumps as you go. Sprinkle over taco seasoning and tinned tomatoes. Cook until the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated slightly and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, and top lettuce leaves with mince, veggies, cheese and toppings if desired.
 

8) Low Carb Pizza

We've had this recipe for Lebanese Beef Pizza on our website for a while now, and it's one of our favourites. Here are some alternative toppings to try:

 

Base Ingredients (for 2 family sized pizzas)

 

• 160g of pizza mix
• 6 large eggs
• 120mls water (1/4 cup)
• 20ml olive oil (optional

Toppings

• 150g Hot Danish Salami, sliced
• 150g Hot Danish Salami, sliced
• 1/2 Spanish Onion, diced
• 1/2 punnet Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/2 block Danish Fetta
• Kalamata Olives (pitted)
• Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded low-fat tasty cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two pizza trays with baking paper Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. The mixture will be quite thin rather than doughy, this is normal. Divide the mixture between the trays and using a spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth the mixture out to the edges of the tray. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes to pre-bake the bases, before adding the toppings. Note: it’s really important to cook the pizza base before adding the toppings to make sure it’s nice and crispy! Remove the base from the oven, and add all the toppings, finishing with a slight sprinkle of tasty cheese. Place back in oven for approx. 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and started to brown.