Low Saturated Fat Dinner Ideas

The NHS reckons we’re eating around 20 per cent more saturated fat each day than our bodies need, increasing our cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease.

But you don’t need to skip those creamy pasta sauces and curries completely - check out these low-fat dinner ideas.

Low-Fat Creamy Turkey Curry
Creamy curries often contain ingredients like butter, double cream and full-fat coconut milk. This version is made with low-fat yoghurt, which contains only 0.9g saturated fat per 100g.

Even though it’s low in fat, this curry is creamy and has a light, citrus tang thanks to the lemon. Serves 2.

Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small onion
130g turkey breast
1 heaped tbsp mild curry paste
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp tomato puree
salt and black pepper
100g low-fat yoghurt
chilli powder, to taste (optional)
pinch of sugar (optional)
juice of half a lemon
small handful chopped fresh coriander

Method
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and gently fry the onions until they’re well browned and softened. Cut the turkey breast into bite-sized pieces and stir into the onions. Once the turkey is sealed, add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock, tomato puree and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add some chilli powder if you like and leave to simmer gently. 

Once the turkey is cooked through, stir in the yoghurt and mix until smooth and creamy. Throw in the chopped coriander and squeeze in the lemon juice. Taste, checking the seasoning and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if needed - or maybe a pinch of sugar if you think it needs a little sweetness. Serve hot, with more coriander for sprinkling on top.

[Five surprisingly healthy foods]
[The healthy superfoods we should all be eating]

Coriander and Lime Grilled Cod with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
Fish is naturally very low in saturated fat - just grill for a few minutes on each side for a quick healthy dinner.

Here, we’ve skipped the butter and served the fish with a juicy salsa. Perfect for summer. Serves 2.

Ingredients
2 fresh boneless cod fillets
2 limes
large handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of light brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely grated
salt
1 tomato
half an avocado

Method
Squeeze the juice from one of the limes into a plastic zip-lock bag, adding three-quarters of the chopped coriander, olive oil, sugar and garlic along with it. Squeeze the bag to mix the contents and then add the fish fillets, making sure the fish is evenly coated. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your salsa: remove the seeds from the tomato and chop the flesh into small chunks. Dice the avocado half too, and mix with the tomato. Add a pinch of salt and squeeze in the juice of the second lime. Add the rest of the chopped coriander and mix well. Cover with cling film and leave to one side.

Once the fish has had its marinating time, preheat the grill to medium. Lay the marinaded fish on a foil-lined tray and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the fish) until cooked all the way through. Serve the cooked fish with the salsa on top, with rice, couscous or a green salad alongside.

[Swap Western foods for Eastern to live longer]

Low-Fat Creamy Tomato Pasta
You don’t have to give up creamy pasta sauces if you’re watching your fat intake. Pasta sauces are often made using mascarpone, which contains around 30g saturated fat per 100g.

We’ve made this version using cottage cheese - which packs a much more innocent 3.6g saturated fat per 100g. Serves 4.

Ingredients
350g dried pasta (we used tagliatelle)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
salt and black pepper
pinch of sugar
handful fresh basil leaves
70g cottage cheese

Method
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water.
 
To make the sauce, heat the oil and gently fry the garlic until soft and aromatic. Tip in the tomatoes and stir in the tomato puree, seasoning well with salt and black pepper. Taste, adding a pinch of sugar if you think it needs it. Allow the sauce to simmer for 3-4 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Add the basil leaves to the sauce and then blend until smooth. Tip the cottage cheese into a jug and blend this too, until smooth. Put the sauce back on the heat and then stir the blended cottage cheese into it. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with the creamy sauce. Taste and season again, if needed, and serve with a sprinkling of low-fat hard cheese, if you like. 

What are your favourite low-fat meals? Share your ideas with us on Twitter.

Common foods that should carry a health warning: