What can I eat instead of chorizo?

Smoked paprika gives a stew most of the chorizo flavour without the fat. A little lean ham or chicken works when you want meat in the pot.

How do I handle tapas nights?

Choose a few plates and share them: grilled vegetables, gambas a la plancha, tortilla and olives are lighter than croquetas, patatas bravas and fried calamari. Count the bread.

Cuisine Meal Plan

Spanish meal plan: a week of Spanish home cooking

This Spanish meal plan is built around the dishes people cook at home in Spain: pan con tomate for breakfast, a stew of lentils or chickpeas at lunch, paella or tortilla in the evening, plenty of olive oil, and fruit for dessert. It keeps the rhythm of a bigger lunch and a lighter dinner.

Below is a full week of meals, one day broken down by ingredient with calories, protein, carbs and fat, and tips on the parts of Spanish food that are easy to overdo: olive oil, bread, chorizo and tapas.

Updated October 22, 2026

Sample day

1,640 kcal

Protein

84 g · 20%

Carbs

208 g · 50%

Fat

56 g · 30%

What a balanced Spanish week looks like

Make lunch the main meal. Spanish home cooking puts the hearty dish, such as lentejas, cocido or a rice, at midday and keeps dinner smaller, which suits a plan with a lighter evening.
Love legumes. Lentils, chickpeas and white beans appear in stews all week, and they make the meat in a dish go further.
Go easy on cured meats. Chorizo, morcilla and jamón carry a lot of salt and fat, so use them to flavour a stew rather than as the main protein.
Count the bread. A slice with every meal is traditional, and it adds up across the day. The plan keeps one portion of bread per meal at most.

Your 7-day Spanish meal plan

Day 1 is the sample day worked out below. Leftovers from one dinner become the next day's lunch where it makes sense.

Day 1
breakfast
Pan con tomate with a boiled egg
lunch
Lentejas (lentil and vegetable stew) with bread
snack
An orange and a few almonds
dinner
Chicken and vegetable paella with a green salad
Day 2
breakfast
Yogurt with fruit and oats
lunch
Garbanzos con espinacas (chickpeas with spinach)
snack
Apple
dinner
Tortilla de patatas and tomato salad
Day 3
breakfast
Toast with olive oil, tomato and a little jamón
lunch
Leftover tortilla with salad
snack
Gazpacho
dinner
Hake a la plancha with roasted peppers and potatoes
Day 4
breakfast
Pan con tomate and fruit
lunch
Fabada-style white bean stew (lighter on chorizo)
snack
Pear
dinner
Pisto (Spanish ratatouille) with a fried egg
Day 5
breakfast
Yogurt, oats and honey
lunch
Arroz con pollo
snack
Orange
dinner
Prawns al ajillo with salad and bread
Day 6
breakfast
Scrambled eggs with peppers
lunch
Salmorejo with tuna and egg
snack
Grapes
dinner
Albóndigas in tomato sauce with rice
Day 7
breakfast
Toast with tomato and cheese
lunch
Cocido madrileño (smaller portion)
snack
Fruit
dinner
Grilled sardines with salad

A sample day with calories and macros

Day 1, weighed ingredient by ingredient. Rice, pasta, beans, lentils and meat are cooked weights.

Breakfast: Pan con tomate with a boiled egg

340 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Whole-wheat bread	70 g	176	8.7	29.9	2.4
Tomatoes	80 g	14	0.7	3.1	0.2
Olive oil	8 g	71	0.0	0.0	8.0
Garlic	2 g	3	0.1	0.7	0.0
Eggs	50 g	72	6.3	0.4	4.8
Meal total		336	15.8	34.0	15.4

Lunch: Lentejas (lentil and vegetable stew) with bread

550 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Lentils, cooked	200 g	232	18.0	40.3	0.8
Carrots	60 g	25	0.6	5.7	0.1
Potatoes, boiled	80 g	69	1.4	16.0	0.1
Onion	40 g	16	0.4	3.7	0.0
Red pepper	40 g	10	0.4	2.4	0.1
Garlic	3 g	4	0.2	1.0	0.0
Olive oil	10 g	88	0.0	0.0	10.0
Crusty white bread	40 g	109	4.3	20.8	1.0
Meal total		553	25.3	89.9	12.1

Snack: An orange and a few almonds

160 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Orange	150 g	71	1.4	17.6	0.2
Almonds	15 g	87	3.2	3.2	7.5
Meal total		157	4.6	20.9	7.7

Dinner: Chicken and vegetable paella with a green salad

600 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Short-grain rice, cooked	160 g	208	3.8	46.0	0.3
Chicken thigh, cooked	120 g	215	29.7	0.0	9.8
Peas, cooked	60 g	47	3.1	8.6	0.2
Red pepper	60 g	16	0.6	3.6	0.2
Tomatoes	60 g	11	0.5	2.3	0.1
Olive oil	10 g	88	0.0	0.0	10.0
Lemon juice	10 g	2	0.0	0.7	0.0
Romaine lettuce	60 g	10	0.7	2.0	0.2
Meal total		597	38.5	63.1	20.8

Day total: about 1,640 kcal, with 84 g protein, 208 g carbs and 56 g fat (20% / 50% / 30% of calories). To fit your own target, multiply every amount by your daily calories divided by 1,640; the macro calculator gives you that target.

Figures are estimates calculated from per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Brands, recipes and cooking change the real numbers, so treat them as a guide, not a label.

Spanish staples to keep in your kitchen

Short-grain rice (bomba or Calasparra) for paella
Dried lentils and chickpeas
Extra virgin olive oil
Smoked paprika (pimentón) and saffron
Tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic
Eggs and potatoes for tortilla
Canned tuna and sardines
Rustic bread

Vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian versions

vegetarian

Make the paella with artichokes, green beans and chickpeas, leave the chorizo out of the stews, and rely on tortilla, eggs and legumes for protein.

vegan

Lentejas, garbanzos con espinacas, pisto and gazpacho are vegan as long as you skip the meat and egg; add tofu or extra chickpeas where the plan uses eggs.

pescatarian

Swap chicken for hake, prawns, mussels or squid. Seafood paella and fish a la plancha are classic Spanish dinners.

Allergens to watch in Spanish cooking

Shellfish: prawns, mussels and squid appear in paella, fideuà and many tapas. Ask about stock too, as a seafood stock can be used in rice dishes that look meat-only.
Gluten: bread with every meal, croquetas and fried tapas coated in flour. Paella and tortilla are naturally gluten-free.
Nuts: romesco and some picadas are thickened with almonds or hazelnuts, and turrón is mostly almonds.

In Meal Planner Pro you can exclude nuts, lactose, gluten, shellfish and soy. If you have a severe allergy, always check the labels of the products you buy.

How Meal Planner Pro plans Spanish meals

Choose "Spanish" as one of your cuisines in the quiz. Each day of your plan is cooked in one of the cuisines you pick, and they rotate through the week.
Each day is built around a different main protein, and no dish repeats within the week.
Your allergies and any health condition you select always come before tradition: a dish is adapted rather than served with an ingredient you've excluded.
Your country is used to choose ingredients that are easy to buy where you live.
Daily calorie and macro targets come from your age, height, weight, activity and goal. You can swap any meal you don't fancy, and the week's ingredients become one grocery list.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet. Our editorial policy

Get your own Spanish week

Meal Planner Pro builds a 7-day plan in the cuisines you choose, sized to your calorie target, with recipes and a grocery list.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It can be. A home-made chicken and vegetable paella with a measured portion of rice and a set amount of olive oil fits most calorie targets, especially with a salad alongside. Restaurant paellas are usually richer.

Spanish recipes with calories and macros

Lentejas (Spanish Lentil Stew) 410 kcal per serving Chicken and Vegetable Paella 530 kcal per serving Tortilla de Patatas 330 kcal per serving Garbanzos con Espinacas 290 kcal per serving

Sources: USDA FoodData Central records used

Whole-wheat bread: Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared (FDC 172688)
Tomatoes: Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457)
Olive oil: Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413)
Garlic: Garlic, raw (FDC 169230)
Eggs: Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC 171287)
Lentils, cooked: Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 172421)
Carrots: Carrots, raw (FDC 170393)
Potatoes, boiled: Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without salt (FDC 170440)
Onion: Onions, raw (FDC 170000)
Red pepper: Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108)
Crusty white bread: Bread, french or vienna (includes sourdough) (FDC 172675)
Orange: Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties (FDC 169097)
Almonds: Nuts, almonds (FDC 170567)
Short-grain rice, cooked: Rice, white, short-grain, cooked, unenriched (FDC 168932)
Chicken thigh, cooked: Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 172388)
Peas, cooked: Peas, green, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 170017)
Lemon juice: Lemon juice, raw (FDC 167747)
Romaine lettuce: Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw (FDC 169247)