Healthy comfort food that won't add to your waistline

A slimmer dinner promise: Nutritious. Delicious. And low-calorie. These dishes work overtime to make you feel full longer. That’s our slimmer dinner guarantee. Your health—and your waistline—will thank you.

Prep plan: Start by making the salad and preheating the oven. Cook squash and prepare sauce, then assemble tetrazzini and bake. Bake croutons during the last 10 min of cooking. Total time: 1 hour.

Why it’s good for you

Heart helper: Kale is rich in antioxidants such as sulphoraphane, which may be effective in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Immunity booster: Mushrooms are a good source of beta glucan, a natural immune booster that may also help lower cholesterol.

Calorie-wise: Spaghetti squash is a gluten-free, low-carb and more nutritionally dense substitute for pasta.

Emerald Kale Salad

Whisk 1 tbsp cider vinegar with 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp honey in a large bowl. Add 4 cups shredded kale and 1 grated carrot. Toss well. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450F. Cut 4 slices of whole-wheat bread into 1/2-in. cubes. Spread on a large baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp cider vinegar and 1/2 tsp dried basil. Bake in centre of oven until croutons are golden brown, 5 to 7 min. Sprinkle over kale salad.

Serves 4 Per serving 164 calories, 6 g protein, 27 g carbs, 5 g fat, 4 g fibre, 220 mg sodium.

Spaghetti-Squash Tetrazzini

Preheat oven to 450F. Crumble a 14-g pkg of dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup white wine and let soak 10 min. Use a knife to make small slits all over the surface of a 1.5-kg spaghetti squash. Place in a glass pie plate. Microwave on high, turning squash over halfway through, until tender, 12 to 15 min. Slice in half lengthwise. Let stand 10 min. Scoop out and discard seeds. Use the tines of a fork to scrape out squash strands (about 4 cups). Reserve.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and a 227-g pkg sliced cremini mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms soften, about 4 min. Add 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and soaked dried mushrooms and wine. Season with fresh pepper. Cook, stirring often, 1 min. Stir in 1 cup milk. Cook until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 min. Remove from heat, then stir in 1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese and reserved squash strands.

Scoop squash mixture into 4 individual oven-safe dishes or an 8-in. square baking dish. Smooth tops. Top with 2 thinly sliced plum tomatoes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Bake until bubbly, 10 to 15 min.

Serves 4 Per serving 316 calories, 18 g protein, 33 g carbs, 14 g fat, 5 g fibre, 554 mg sodium. Excellent source of zinc.

Total calories: 480