Fattoush: the fried pita is 49 calories a bowl.
Fattoush is a chopped salad with a bright lemon dressing and torn pita on top. Bake the pita instead of frying it and measure the oil, and a bowl goes from 281 to 166 kcal with the same crunch.
- 166 kcal a serving, down from 281 for the classic, with 6 g protein, 26 g carbs and 6 g fat
- 2 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 28 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,252 g when finished, from 11 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same fattoush, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 4 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 281 | 166 | −115 |
| Protein g | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Carbs g | 29 | 26 | −3 |
| Fat g | 17 | 6 | −11 |
| Saturated fat g | 2.2 | 0.9 | −1.3 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Bake the pita instead of using fried chips
−49 kcal, −3 g carbs, −3 g fat, −0.3 g saturated fat a serving
The same 100 g of fried pita chips carry far more fat than the bread they start from: 49 kcal and 3 g of fat less a bowl.
2. Dress it with 20 g of oil, not 50 g
−66 kcal, −8 g fat, −1.0 g saturated fat a serving
Lemon, garlic and mint do most of the work. The extra 30 g of oil was 66 kcal a bowl.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 6 g protein and 166 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Toss in 240 g of chickpeas
+83 kcal, +4 g protein, +14 g carbs, +2 g fat, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 10 g protein a serving
Drained and rinsed chickpeas turn the salad into a meal: 4 g more protein a bowl for 83 kcal.
Top it with 400 g of grilled chicken breast
+120 kcal, +22 g protein, +3 g fat, +0.5 g saturated fat a serving, making 28 g protein a serving
Weighed raw and grilled on the side, 400 g of breast adds 22 g of protein a bowl for 120 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaine lettuce, raw | 320 g | 54 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| Cucumber, raw | 250 g | 40 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Tomatoes, red, raw | 300 g | 54 | 3 | 12 | 1 |
| Radishes, raw | 80 g | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Spring onions, raw | 50 g | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Parsley, fresh | 40 g | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Spearmint, fresh | 26 g | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Pita bread, whole-wheat | 100 g | 262 | 10 | 56 | 2 |
| Lemon juice | 60 g | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Olive oil | 20 g | 177 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Garlic | 6 g | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 1,252 g | 663 | 23 | 104 | 24 |
| Per serving (4) | 313 g | 166 | 6 | 26 | 6 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
Fattoush looks like a salad and sometimes logs like a fried snack. The vegetables barely register, so what is on the plate comes down to two things: how the pita is cooked and how much oil goes into the dressing.
What to weigh
Weigh the vegetables as they come, the pita dry and the oil from a spoon on the scale. A salad loses no water in the bowl, so the sample finishes at 1,252 g, the same as the 1,252 g of ingredients.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient and search the library. Typing "lettuce romaine" lists the entries, each with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw romaine, switch the portion to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 54 kcal for the lettuce alone.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the cucumber, tomato, radish, spring onion, parsley, mint, pita, lemon, oil and garlic, then enter 4 servings and 1,252 g. One bowl comes to 166 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log a bowl or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Split the pita, brush nothing on it and bake it until it snaps. Add it at the table so it stays crisp.
- Whisk the lemon, garlic and oil in a jar first. A thin dressing coats the leaves with less oil than pouring from the bottle.
- A bowl is about 313 g. Log by weight when you are measuring, since a heaped bowl can be twice a level one.
Go further
- Building the restaurant version? Make a second recipe with 100 g of pita chips and 50 g of oil, and log the one you actually ate.
- Eating it with grilled chicken or falafel? Log those as separate foods rather than editing the salad.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Fattoush questions.
How many calories are in fattoush?
It depends on the pita and the oil. The sample comes to 166 kcal a bowl made lighter, with 6 g protein, 26 g carbs and 6 g fat, against 281 kcal with fried pita and 50 g of oil.
Does baked pita taste as good as fried?
It is crisper and drier rather than richer. The lemon, mint and garlic carry the flavour, so most people notice the salad, not the oil.
Should I weigh the pita before or after baking?
Before, to match the library entry. Baking drives off water, so weighing it after would log a little more than you ate.
More example recipes.
- Hummus bi tahini145 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 211 for the classic, with 6 g protein.
- Mujadara286 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 337 for the classic, with 13 g protein.
- Chicken shawarma (oven tray)309 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 444 for the classic, with 50 g protein.
- Kafta162 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 289 for the classic, with 22 g protein.
- Tabbouleh102 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 178 for the classic, with 4 g protein.
- Baba ganoush121 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 191 for the classic, with 6 g protein.
- Shish tawook317 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 560 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Baked kibbeh (kibbeh bil sanieh)268 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 452 for the classic, with 23 g protein.
- Sayyadieh (fish and rice)438 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 597 for the classic, with 33 g protein.
- Chana masala288 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 307 for the classic, with 13 g protein.
- Dal tadka241 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 265 for the classic, with 14 g protein.
- Butter chicken314 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 442 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Spaghetti bolognese446 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 564 for the classic, with 31 g protein.
- Chicken cacciatore385 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 639 for the classic, with 48 g protein.
- Turkey chili315 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 430 for the classic, with 27 g protein.
- Homemade cheeseburgers363 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 500 for the classic, with 35 g protein.
- Chicken biryani464 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 617 for the classic, with 32 g protein.
- Rajma masala290 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 364 for the classic, with 17 g protein.
- Tandoori chicken357 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 617 for the classic, with 53 g protein.
- Chicken fajitas449 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 639 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Chicken burrito bowl613 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 767 for the classic, with 48 g protein.
- Chicken souvlaki329 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 605 for the classic, with 49 g protein.
- Chicken teriyaki559 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 774 for the classic, with 44 g protein.
- Beef and broccoli529 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 676 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Palak paneer331 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 500 for the classic, with 19 g protein.
- Chicken tikka masala373 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 698 for the classic, with 49 g protein.
- Keema matar282 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 476 for the classic, with 31 g protein.
- Aloo gobi218 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 353 for the classic, with 7 g protein.
- Lasagna511 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 646 for the classic, with 41 g protein.
- Chicken parmesan481 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 677 for the classic, with 57 g protein.
- Fettuccine Alfredo492 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 869 for the classic, with 20 g protein.
- Spaghetti carbonara483 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 653 for the classic, with 30 g protein.
- Spaghetti and meatballs548 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 729 for the classic, with 38 g protein.
- Minestrone318 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 436 for the classic, with 19 g protein.
- Shrimp scampi567 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 782 for the classic, with 47 g protein.
- Mushroom risotto478 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 706 for the classic, with 19 g protein.
- Moussaka286 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 563 for the classic, with 22 g protein.
- Spanakopita230 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 332 for the classic, with 12 g protein.
- Greek salad (horiatiki)185 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 351 for the classic, with 6 g protein.
- Greek lemon chicken and potatoes510 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 873 for the classic, with 50 g protein.
- Avgolemono soup274 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 403 for the classic, with 30 g protein.
- Gigantes plaki401 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 616 for the classic, with 21 g protein.
- Greek meatballs (keftedes)279 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 475 for the classic, with 29 g protein.
- Pastitsio460 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 657 for the classic, with 29 g protein.
- Shrimp saganaki342 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 496 for the classic, with 42 g protein.
Keep going.
- Recipe builderWhat the builder does, and every example recipe in one place.
- Lebanese food caloriesPer 100 g tables for the dishes the food library finds.
- Nutrition and macro trackingBarcodes, label reading, targets that follow your weigh-ins.
- Help: scan, create and recipesThe same steps in the Help Center.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own lebanese favourite in Nutrition.