7 Tasty Bakes You Can Make with Sandwich Thins
When you’re on a slimming journey, you might think your favourite bakery-style treats are off limits. From sweet pastries to savoury bites, flaky, buttery bakery goods often come with a hefty calorie count.
In true Pinch of Nom style, we’re here to show you that nothing is off the menu! No matter whether you’re calorie counting or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers, there’s always a way to enjoy the foods you love – bakery treats included!
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What are sandwich thins?
It’s easier than you might think to recreate classic takeaway bakes at home, using a nifty little ingredient! In recent years you might have spotted ‘sandwich thins’ on the supermarket shelves. Typically found in the bread aisle, there are branded and supermarket-own versions of these low-calorie thins. Each pack includes thinly-sliced squares of bread that are ideal for slimming-friendly sandwiches.
We’ve discovered that these work really well as a substitute for pastry too! When you add a tasty filling, crimp the edges closed and brush on some beaten egg, you’ll find the sandwich thins bake until they’re glossy, crispy and super-satisfying to bite into.
To make things even easier, you can grab a CRIMPiT from Amazon. This helps to seal the edges and keep all the yummy fillings inside!
Steak Bakes
One of our all-time favourite bakery orders, these Steak Bakes are a must-try! We know lots of people over in our Facebook group like to make them using tinned beef in gravy, but if that’s not for you, our recipe includes a delicious meaty filling made from lean mince.
This homemade filling helps to keep things especially slimming friendly, without compromising on the rich flavours. Once it’s sealed inside the sandwich thin and baked to perfection, they work out at only 179 calories.
Delicious hot or cold, they’re ideal for lunchtime, but there’s something satisfying about plating them up with Homemade Oven Chips and a spoonful of baked beans for an easy-peasy midweek meal.
Cheesy Baked Bean Bakes
It takes just 20 minutes to rustle up a batch of these Cheesy Baked Bean Bakes, and you’ll only need 4 ingredients! Crispy on the outside and melty in the middle, you won’t miss the pastry one bit.
A veggie-friendly dream, these will get gloriously golden in the oven, although you could pop them in the air fryer too if you wanted! You’ll just need to bear in mind that they’ll cook even faster in an air fryer, so you might want to take a look at our handy conversion article (and why not order Pinch of Nom: Air Fryer if you haven’t already?!).
Like the Steak Bakes, these are just as good served hot or cold. Pop one (or two) in your packed lunch and you’ll be counting down the hours until you can take that first cheesy bite!
Marmite Mushroom Bakes
For any fans of our Marmite Mushrooms on Toast, this next recipe is sure to be a hit! Imagine sealing the creamy, savoury mushrooms inside the crispy shell of a baked sandwich thin. That’s exactly what we’ve done to make these Marmite Mushroom Bakes, and they don’t disappoint!
Even if you think you’re not a fan of Marmite, we reckon you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Stirred into the mushrooms alongside mellow cream cheese, it all melts together into a creamy sauce with just a hint of that distinctive flavour.
And if you do love Marmite, make sure you don’t miss this list of other recipes to make with the handy ingredient!
Top tip time! A pastry brush comes in really handy for giving your bakes a good wash of beaten egg. They’re cheap to pick up and always useful to have in the utensil drawer.
Banana Biscoff Bakes
How about a sweet bakery-style treat? It’s no secret that we’re bananas about Biscoff, so it’s only right that we’ve smothered it inside a sandwich thin…with some bananas! We’ve thrown some chocolate into these Banana Biscoff Bakes for good measure, and the end result is a golden, crispy bake with the gooey centre of your dreams.
Despite how delicious that all sounds, the magic of using sandwich thins is that it keeps the whole recipe slimming friendly. You can nibble your way through each bake for only 213 calories. They bake in 5 minutes too, so you’ve got just enough time to pop the kettle on and make a cuppa to enjoy them with.
Cheese and Onion Bakes
You could wait in a queue at the bakery, or you could stay home and make these Cheese and Onion Bakes for lunch tomorrow instead. You need just a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably already have in the kitchen!
It’s impossible to go wrong when cheese and onion are involved – the classic flavour combination turns into a mouthwatering bite every time. To keep the calories nice and low, we’ve used a reduced-fat mature Cheddar cheese to make the melty filling.
Don’t be scared to put your own twist on these! We’ve seen loads of nifty tricks over in our Gallery, from adding a splash of Henderson’s relish, through to sprinkling in chilli powder for a fiery little kick…
For all the recipes on this list, you’ll want to let your bakes cool on a wire rack. This will help to stop the crispy, baked sandwich thin from turning soggy as it cools.
Chicken Curry Bakes
Your future self will thank you for making a double batch of these Chicken Curry Bakes. Since we like to make the curried chicken filling from scratch, they take a little bit longer than our other sandwich thin bakes, but they freeze like a dream – so you can stash a few away for a rainy day.
The quick curry is really mildly spiced, to make sure these bakes are nice and family friendly. If you fancy adding in a bit more heat, you can easily swap the curry powder for a hot version. Just remember to reduce the sauce down until it’s lovely and thick – too runny and it won’t seal inside your sandwich thins.
These work out at just 155 calories each, so they’re ideal for a light lunch (and even more delicious if you add a side of chips).
Apple and Cherry Bakes
Keep your sweet tooth happy with one of our Apple and Cherry Bakes from Pinch of Nom: Enjoy. It’s up to you whether you go for a filling of sweet apples or tart cherries, but we say always make both!
Whichever fruity filling you plump for, it’ll be sealed inside a sandwich thin by crimping the edges nice and tightly. Bake your batch until they look golden and smell amazing! We recommend waiting at least 10 minutes before biting into your bake – we know they’re irresistible, but we don’t want you burning the roof of your mouth with the piping hot jammy fruit inside!
Which bakery-style snack will you be making first?
We’d love to hear what fillings you’ll be baking inside of a sandwich thin! Head on over to our Facebook group to drop in any photos, hints, tips, or stories about what you’ve been cooking lately. Everyone in the group will LOVE hearing from you!
Plus, don’t forget you can upload any photos you’ve taken of your bakes or other recent meals to the PON gallery – you might even win some SWAG!