12 Tasty, Slimming-friendly Recipe Ideas You Need to Try This Spring

Slimming-friendly Spring Recipes - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

It’s official – spring has finally arrived! Even if the sun isn’t shining just yet, the promise of brighter, lighter days is on the horizon. After a long, cold winter eating hearty stews and warming soups, now’s the perfect time to start thinking about switching up your weekly menu. 

As well as adding in some dishes that use up the best fruit and vegetables that the season has to offer, it’s always nice to celebrate spring with vibrant flavours that’ll see you through to summer. We’ve rounded up 12 delicious dishes you’ll love eating through spring and beyond!

Eating seasonally 

In March and April we usually see the supermarket shelves full of locally grown green goodness. Leeks and spring onions are some of the earliest crops to be harvested, and the light, fresh flavours are exactly what you want to be eating as the weather warms up. 

Cooked until they release their natural sweetness, leeks are the star of the show in this creamy Cheesy Leek Risotto. Ideal for enjoying in springtime, it’s warming enough to eat on chillier days, but it still brings a lovely freshness to the table. 

A big pot of Pinch of Nom's Cheesy Leek Risotto is ready to be served. Garnished with fresh lemon and cracked black pepper, a large serving spoon rests in the dish. Nearby, a small bowl has been filled with the low-calorie risotto, ready to eat.

You might also notice purple sprouting broccoli has started to appear on the shelves over the last couple of weeks. Cheapest while it’s in season, this colourful veggie is packed with antioxidants, and has a lovely nutty, slightly peppery taste. 

Use it in any recipe where you would usually add normal broccoli – it’ll work just as well. We like to sub it into this Baked Garlic Salmon in place of tenderstem. 

2 fillets of Pinch of Nom's Baked Garlic Salmon are served on a large, red serving plate on a bed of tenderstem broccoli with a garnish of lemon wedges.

New potatoes are a spring essential. The little baby spuds are harvested much earlier than their full-size counterparts, and the sight of a bowlful of Potato Salad is a surefire sign that the season is underway. 

Whether you dish it up with a leafy salad, or spoon some onto your plate with chicken or fish, our lighter recipe is delicious. Instead of the full-fat mayo that shop-bought potato salad is made with, we’ve coated ours in a quark and natural yoghurt combo. Trust us, it cuts down on the calories without compromising on the creaminess. 

Pinch of Nom's Potato Salad is served on a large plate, coated in a creamy sauce with plenty of spring onion and chives stirred through. A fork is waiting to tuck in, with side plates ready to serve.

You can find out more about which fruits and vegetables are in season during March and April in our seasonal recipe roundup article here

Fresh flavours

After a winter of heavy, rich dishes, it’s nice to add some lighter recipes into your meal plan over the spring months. With zesty lemon and seasonal spinach in the mix, this Lemon Chicken and Spinach Pasta is a tasty transition from winter to spring. 

The silky sauce is made by combining light spreadable cheese with Parmesan, to get a taste of luxury, without all the calories of a cream-based sauce. In fact, you can twirl up forkfuls of this filling tagliatelle for just 276 calories per serving. 

Pinch of Nom's Lemon Chicken and Spinach Pasta is plated up on a large white serving dish with tongs ready to dish out, and a side bowl of Parmesan waiting to be sprinkled on top.

Spring and lamb go hand in hand, with it being a popular choice for serving over the Easter period. Throw in some mint and you’ve got a flavour combo that will liven up your midweek menu every time. 

These Minted Lamb Kebabs are made from chunks of tender lamb, marinated in a mixture of mint and yoghurt. Threaded onto skewers with onion and peppers, they’re quick to cook and they pair perfectly with rice – or you can make an even lighter meal and serve with a fresh green salad.  

Lamb isn’t the leanest meat, so it’s easy to think it can’t be slimming friendly. These kebabs use fat-free Greek yoghurt and lots of veg so we’re not adding too many extra calories – perfect if you’re trying to eat healthily!

A table is set with summery tableware and in the centre is a large plate with a vibrant orange border. The plate is loaded with Pinch of Nom's Minted Lamb Kebabs, slices of fresh lemon and sprigs of bright green mint. The kebabs are threaded onto wooden skewers, where the juicy chunks of lamb are alternated with green peppers and onions.

Wondering what to serve for Easter dinner this year? Our Lamb Steaks with Redcurrant and Rosemary Gravy are just the showstopper you’re looking for. We’ve used juicy redcurrant jelly to give our homemade gravy its irresistible sweetness, and simmered the steaks until tender to serve with plenty of tender, crunchy veggies and creamy mashed potatoes.

A place setting with Pinch of Nom's Lamb Steaks with Redcurrant and Rosemary Gravy plated up on a pink speckled placemat with a golden knife and fork set.

Gather up all the spring vegetables from the supermarket and turn them into this Chicken and Spring Vegetable Risotto. With leeks, spring onion and chopped spring greens, it’ll make the most of the harvest, while filling your plate with creamy chicken and arborio rice. 

Like any risotto, this one takes a little bit of effort and patience, but it’s well worth it for the light, delicate flavour. For 316 calories per portion, this slimming-friendly recipe is a must-have addition to your meal plan for March, April and beyond. 

A table is set for two with Pinch of Nom's Chicken and Spring Vegetable Risotto plated up in bright-blue bowls on a striped yellow and white serving mat. A yellow fork is waiting to tuck in.

We love to eat fish any time of year, but there’s something about the flavours of this Filo Fish Pie that make it especially delicious in the springtime. The cod, haddock and prawns are cooked in a melt-in-the-mouth sauce that’s oh-so-creamy, even without full-fat milk and butter involved. 

With leeks and peas in the mix, you get the freshness of spring vegetables, all topped with a light, crispy filo pastry. Who said pie had to be a stodgy winter comfort food? 

Pinch of Nom's Filo Fish Pie is dished out fresh from the oven with a golden, crispy topping in a bright yellow oven dish. A section of filo pastry has been removed in the top-right corner to show the creamy, seafood filling inside.

Thai recipe is exclusive to our Quick and Easy cookbook (you’ll find it on page 175!). If you don’t already have a copy, you can pick one up here

Spring soups and salads

Caught between winter soups and summer salads? Mix and match a bit of both into your menu for the next couple of months, and you’ll be prepared for whatever weather the Great British springtime decides to bring!

This tangy Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Soup is perfect for chillier days; filled with goodness, really flavourful and just 168 calories. It gets a sweet, smoky taste from roasted red peppers and tomatoes, which pairs beautifully with the crumbly, salty feta cheese. 

Pinch of Nom's Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Soup is plated up for three people with crumbled feta on top of each portion, and spoons to the side waiting to tuck in. There's a small side plate with feta on top waiting to be sprinkled on top for extra cheesiness.

If you need something even heartier, put those seasonal leeks to good use in this warming Chicken, Leek and Barley Soup. Perfect for lunch, the high-fibre pearl barley will fill you up and keep you going right through until dinnertime. 

This is such an easy recipe that’s on the table in under an hour. At just 126 calories per bowlful, spring dishes don’t come much more slimming friendly than this one. 

Four portions of Pinch of Nom's Chicken, Leek and Barley Soup are plated up in colourful bowls on a white tiled kitchen counter. There are spoons waiting to tuck in.

On the days when it really feels like spring has sprung, you might fancy a plateful of crunchy, fresh veggies. Thanks to handfuls of fresh and store cupboard herbs, this Herby Chicken Salad is just the ticket. 

The lemony chicken is also flavoured with sumac – a spice with a really refreshing citrus taste. Cooked until tender and juicy, it brings the whole salad together. Easy and speedy, this is a lunch option you’ll turn to time and time again. 

Two portions of Pinch of Nom's Herby Lemon Chicken Salad are served on stripy dinnerware with bright cutlery, with fresh glasses of water to the side. The sliced chicken lies on top of the colourful veggies with a lemon wedge waiting to be squeezed on top.

Sometimes you need a salad with a little more substance to it. Because everything tastes better when you add pasta, we love to mix it into our favourite salads to bulk them out and make them more filling. While you could make yourself this tasty Greek-style Pasta Salad, we think this Tuna Niçoise Pasta Salad is perfect for spring. 

With hard-boiled eggs and tuna, this salad packs in the protein to balance out the pasta. You’ll love the light, yoghurt-based dressing we’ve made to keep this slimming friendly: it gives you all the creaminess, for far fewer calories. 

Pinch of Nom's colourful Tuna Nicoise Pasta Salad is plated up with summery red-white striped tableware and a fork waiting to tuck in.

Tell us which of our 12 tasty, slimming-friendly recipes you try this spring!

We’d love to know which colourful, light dish you cook up first. If you’re not already part of our Facebook group, it’s so quick and easy to join. You’ll become part of a community of almost 1 million people on a slimming journey just like yours! It’s the place to be for sharing photos, recipe tips, ideas and inspiration. 

You can always stop by our PON Gallery for recipe inspiration too; there’s no shortage of hints, tips, quotes and photos shared by our incredible community.

And, if you liked this article, you’ll love exploring our blog. Browse for recipe ideas, kitchen equipment recommendations, money-saving tips and LOADS more.

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