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Carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice are staples in our diet. But if you’re looking to cut down your intake, you’re not alone. Reducing the carbs you eat is a popular way to encourage a healthy lifestyle and can also be effective in managing conditions like type 2 diabetes.
Over 11% of the global adult population has diabetes, and over 90% of these have type 2. Research suggests that a low-carb diet may be a safe and effective way to help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels in the short term.
However, Diabetes UK highlights that it’s not recommended for children as it can affect growth. There’s also little evidence to show the benefits of a low-carb diet for people with type 1 diabetes
Plus, it’s important to note that a low-carb diet means reducing your intake to less than 130g per day, but it shouldn’t mean no carbs at all. Some carbs contain key vitamins, minerals, and fibre – an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet.
So, whether you’re hoping to lose a little weight or manage diabetes and better protect your health, here are eight delicious low-carb recipes.
1. Taco lettuce wraps
Mexican food is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, especially dishes like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.
However, the tortillas can make these dishes high in calories. So, if you’re in the mood for some Mexican food but would like to make a lighter, lower-carb version, why not forgo the taco shells and make some lettuce wraps instead?
Large, sturdy lettuce is best to use – either Iceberg or Romaine. The outer leaves work well as they’re crispy, pliable, and big enough to make good-sized taco wraps.
You can use any of your favourite taco fillings. You may like to try this beef taco lettuce wrap from Home Cooking Memories, this chicken taco version from Gimme Delicious, or this ground turkey taco one from SkinnyTaste. Alternatively, check out Pinch of Yum’s firecracker vegan lettuce wraps.
If taco lettuce wraps don’t appeal to you, you’ll find plenty more ideas in our article: 8 mouthwatering Mexican meals to cook at home. With a few simple swaps, these recipes can also be made low-carb.
2. Aubergine lasagne
Lasagne is one of the most popular comfort meals around, but as it contains pasta sheets, it can be fairly high in carbs and calories. However, if you love tucking into a tasty lasagne, this recipe can be made low-carb with just one swap.
Whether you like a classic beef lasagne or a veggie version, swapping the lasagne sheets for slices of aubergine can turn this meal into a lower-carb, gluten-free alternative.
Cut your aubergine into thin slices, sprinkle with salt to draw out moisture and any bitter flavours, leave for 10 minutes, then pat dry. Next, drizzle with olive oil and roast or griddle until soft – then simply layer them as you would regular lasagne sheets.
For more details on how to make low-carb aubergine lasagne, have a read of this recipe from Tasty – or check out the video below.
3. Thai curry with quinoa
Fragrant, warming, and delicious, Thai curry is seriously comforting. Because it’s packed with fresh veggies, as well as lots of herbs and spices like garlic, ginger, chilli, and lemongrass, it’s great for boosting your immune system, too. But, because it’s often served with large portions of white rice, Thai curry can be surprisingly high in carbs.
So, why not swap your rice for quinoa? While quinoa isn’t significantly lower in carbs than white rice (quinoa has 39g per cup compared to rice’s 44g), the quality of the carbs is far superior.
Quinoa is a low glycemic index (GI) food, which means it helps maintain steady blood sugar levels. White rice is high-GI, which means it can raise blood glucose levels and increase the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Plus, quinoa is a complete protein, high in fibre, and rich in potassium and magnesium.
Thai green curry also uses coconut milk – although this can offer a healthy dose of good fats, it’s known for being calorific. So, if you’re looking to cut calories, consider using a light or reduced-fat version instead.
You can make your own Thai spice paste, but if you’re looking for a quick dinner, simply use a shop-bought curry paste. Thai green curry is spicier than red curry, but both are delicious! For extra protein, you can add chicken, fish, or tofu.
For more detailed recipe instructions, check out this Thai vegetable curry with quinoa recipe from Sainsbury’s, or watch the video below.
4. Sausage and vegetable tray bake
A sausage and vegetable tray bake is great for when you’d like something delicious and hearty, but don’t want to spend hours slaving over the stove.
Aside from chopping the vegetables, there’s hardly any prep involved – and to make things even easier, you can always buy pre-prepared vegetables from the supermarket. Plus, because everything is cooked in one dish, there’s very little washing up!
Sausage and vegetable tray bakes are versatile dishes which can be adapted seasonally. While many recipes include potatoes, to make the meal lower in carbs, you can swap these out for other veggies like peppers, onions, carrots, courgettes, butternut squash, and tomatoes.
This summer sausage traybake from Sainsbury’s Magazine is a great choice, as is this Italian sausage and pesto tray bake recipe from Olive Magazine. You can also swap traditional pork sausages for chicken, turkey, or veggie ones for lower-fat alternatives. For a plant-based sausage tray bake recipe, try this recipe from Healthy Living James.
5. Egg-fried cauliflower rice
Egg-fried rice is cheap, quick, and delicious – and for many of us, it’s a go-to meal when we haven’t got much food in the house (or we’re not in the mood to cook anything fancy).
Classic egg-fried rice uses rice, eggs, spring onions, cooking oil, and soy sauce (although the beauty of this dish is that you can throw in any ingredients you have). But, swapping the rice for a cauliflower alternative doesn’t just make this dish low-carb – it also gives you an extra dose of veg.
Cauliflower rice is made by either blitzing chunks of raw cauliflower in a food processor or grating it. Aside from being super healthy, cauliflower adds a lovely nutty flavour to the dish.
Egg-fried cauliflower is a deceptively simple dish – although, like classic egg-fried rice, it benefits from generous amounts of hot sauce drizzled on top! You can follow this recipe from Once Upon A Chef or watch the video below.
Alternatively, for more ways to cook with this versatile vegetable, check out our article: The health benefits of cauliflower and how to cook low-carb meals with it.
6. Courgetti bolognese
If you’re a fan of spaghetti, why not try the popular low-carb alternative, courgetti – spaghetti made from spiralized courgettes? Replacing standard spaghetti with vegetable versions, or having half of each, has become increasingly popular and, aside from reducing carbs, it’s a great way to get your five-a-day.
Butternut squash spaghetti works just as well as courgette, but courgetti is quicker to cook, and its soft texture makes it easier to spiralize.
You can buy spiralizers online, but if you don’t fancy purchasing more kitchen equipment, you can also use a julienne peeler lengthways on the courgette. The shape won’t be identical, but the texture will.
To find out more about making courgetti, have a read of this guide from BBC Good Food. And to learn how to make a low-carb, low-calorie courgetti bolognese using turkey mince, check out this recipe from BBC Good Food.
7. Frittata
A frittata is an Italian-inspired egg dish that’s high in protein and low in carbs. Essentially a crustless quiche, frittatas are really versatile and a great way to use leftover ingredients.
Plus, because they’re quick to cook and usually filling, frittatas are a good choice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And, even better, they cook in one pan, so you don’t have to worry about much washing up.
What makes frittatas different from other egg dishes is that they’re cooked in a pan on the stove until the edges firm up, then finished in the oven (so make sure you cook your frittata in an oven-safe pan).
You can add whatever extra ingredients you fancy, but onions, spinach, mushrooms, cheese, and tomatoes are popular choices. You might like to try this spinach frittata from the Diet Doctor or this pea, feta, and summer herb frittata from BBC Good Food.
To learn more about making the perfect frittata, check out this article from Bon Appétit, or watch Jamie Oliver making one below.
8. Naked burger
Most of us enjoy a juicy burger now and then, whether it’s beef, chicken, or veggie – and switching out the bun is a simple way to make it low-carb. If you think the idea of a burger without a bun sounds a bit sad, you probably haven’t tried the right recipe!
One option is to switch the bread for a mushroom ‘bun’, like this smoky beef burger on a mushroom bun from My Foodbook or these veggie cashew cheeseburgers in a portobello bun from This Rawsome Vegan Life.
Alternatively, just skip the bun altogether and focus on your toppings. If you’d like to go all out, why not build a burger topped with bacon, avocado, cheese, and a fried egg, like this one from Nyssa’s Kitchen?
Or, to keep things lower in calories, you could make this naked salmon burger with sriracha mayo from SkinnyTaste. If you’d like to keep things plant-based, why not try this bunless black bean burger from Archana’s Kitchen?
Final thoughts…
There are many reasons why cutting back on carbs can be healthy, but that doesn’t mean your diet shouldn’t be delicious, diverse, and satisfying. The popularity of low-carb diets like the keto diet also means that there’s no shortage of innovative low-carb recipes to try.
If you’re looking for a sustainable diet that can support health and weight loss, you might find one that suits you in our article: 10 popular diets to try. And, for more nutritious and tasty meal ideas, check out our food and drink section.
Are you following a low-carb diet? Or are you thinking about reducing your carb intake? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
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