What to Cook When You Can’t Decide

Whether you’re a forward planner or an off-the-cuff cook, deciding what to make for dinner isn’t always easy. When you don’t know what you fancy, you’re feeling uninspired, or you can’t choose between two of your favourite meals, we’ve got you covered. 

One of our favourite ways to come up with a new recipe is to combine two different dishes or cuisines into one epic plate of food. If you like fusion foods, the recipes in this roundup will help you solve the mystery of what’s for dinner tonight!

Hunter’s Chicken Meatballs

Stuck between pub grub and Italian-inspired flavours? You don’t have to choose when these Hunter’s Chicken Meatballs are on the menu. We’ve captured the tastiest bits of each dish by smothering our homemade chicken meatballs in a barbecue-flavoured tomato sauce, before melting plenty of golden cheese on top. 

At just 300 calories per serving, this is a lighter option than the restaurant versions of either of the dishes it’s inspired by. Delicious served with Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Green Beans, you could even try it with a side of your favourite pasta shapes. 

Bolognese Quesadilla

Planning a fakeaway this weekend? If Mexican-style food sounds good, but so does spaghetti bolognese, this Bolognese Quesadilla is your dream recipe. Making the decision about what to cook way easier, these crispy, cheesy little parcels are perfect for lunch or dinner. 

As well as being on the table in just 45 minutes, there are only 320 calories in each serving. Golden, crunchy tortilla, gooey cheese and rich bolognese – what more could you ask for?

Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Lasagne

There’s never a bad time for lasagne, and we guarantee that this Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Lasagne will be a welcome change to your usual recipe. While you probably associate the chicken, mushroom and leek filling with a pastry-topped pie, you’ll find it works so well layered up with sheets of pasta. 

This is proper creamy comfort food that the whole family will enjoy. We’ve used skimmed milk, reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat Cheddar to keep the calories down, and at 542 calories per serving, this is ideal for a Special Occasion or a hearty weekend dinner.

Chicken Korma Pie

Perhaps your taste buds are tingling for a takeaway, but your heart wants stodgy, British-inspired comfort food. We’ve got a recipe for that! When you can’t pick between your favourite curry and a hearty mashed potato dinner, put this Chicken Korma Pie in the oven.

The creamy mild korma is an unexpectedly perfect companion to the herby mash topping – and it’s far more slimming friendly than you might think. At 492 calories per serving, this dish falls into our Weekly Indulgence category: recipes that are perfect for adding a little luxury into your meal plan once or twice a week. 

Meatball Stroganoff

If you’re craving meatballs but you can’t get our Beef Stroganoff out of your mind, we’ve got good news for you. By simmering low-fat, homemade meatballs in our easy, creamy sauce, we’ve created this too-good-to-be-true Meatball Stroganoff.

A warming bowl of delicious flavours, this recipe is as uncomplicated as you could hope for. Once your delicately-spiced meatballs are ready to add into the creamy, slightly mustard-y sauce, there’s nothing to do but sit back and let it simmer away. 

Dish it up with mash, pasta or Homemade Oven Chips for a winner of a midweek dinner. 

Bagel Burgers

If you’ve ever had a bagel or burger dilemma, you’ll be pleased to hear we’ve got the solution. We’ve improved the classic cheeseburger by squishing it in-between a toasty bagel thin. 

Our Bagel Burgers are loaded up with a beef patty, bacon, burger sauce, gherkins and your favourite salad toppings, so there’s no compromising with this two-in-one dinner. The best bit of breakfast and a burger combined, you’ll be adding this quick, easy recipe into your meal plan every week. 

Greek Pasta Salad

When you fancy the freshness of a salad but need something a little more filling, this Greek Pasta Salad is just the ticket. We’ve kept all the best bits of a Greek-inspired salad, added in some pasta and switched to a light, lemony feta dressing to keep the calories low. 

At just 367 calories per serving, it’s a slimming-friendly dinner that tastes as vibrant as it looks. It’s always a good idea to make an extra couple of portions too – this is so tasty you’ll want to take the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Carbonara Risotto

Creating a dinner that brings a mix of flavours to the table doesn’t always have to mean mixing and matching different types of cuisine. Two tasty Italian-style dishes in one, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried this Carbonara Risotto. 

It might not be traditional, but there’s no denying that it makes for a tasty combination. We’re talking all the creamy, hearty decadence that you expect from a risotto, with the delicious flavours of a carbonara. 

Made with light cream cheese and lean gammon, the end result is far lower in calories than a typical restaurant carbonara or risotto. 

Chicken Kyiv Pasta Bake

On one hand, a crispy, garlicky chicken Kyiv is a good idea any day of the week. On the other hand, you can’t go wrong with a simple pasta bake. You guessed it – we’ve solved the quandary of which one to pick by mashing them together to come up with this slimming-friendly Chicken Kyiv Pasta Bake. 

Why miss out when our recipe has tender chicken pieces and pasta in a velvety garlic sauce, all topped with golden, cheesy breadcrumbs? This one’s gone down a storm over in our Facebook group, and we’re betting once you give it a try it’ll become a fast family favourite. 

Cheesy Fajita Orzotto

Speaking of popular dishes, this Cheesy Fajita Orzotto is such a classic that you’ll find it in our Comfort Food cookbook, as well as on the website. Bringing together some of the best flavours that Mexican and Italian-style food have to offer, this is a lightly-spiced, cheesy dream of a dish. 

It’s made with turkey mince to keep it super slimming-friendly, with plenty of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese melted in to make the risotto-like orzo pasta really creamy. It’s bound to be love at first bite: this is the midweek dinner that your meal plan has been missing!

Tell us what’s for dinner!

If you read this far, we hope you’re feeling spoiled for choice by now! Head on over to our Facebook group to let us know which recipe you’ll be giving a go tonight. 

For more inspiration, take a look through the Pinch of Nom Gallery to see what everyone else has been cooking up lately! It’s so easy to share your photos – just sign up for a free website account and upload your pics. We can’t wait to see them!

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