High Protein & Low Calorie: Calamari Ripieni

Stuffed squid (aka calamari ripieni) is one of those win-win meals: the tubes are basically all lean protein, the filling adds just enough flavor and texture, and a quick cream-fish stock sauce keeps things moist without piling on the calories. Think of it as a seafood spin on meat-stuffed chicken breasts—only with way fewer grams of fat and a cool Italian vibe.

Calamari Ripieni | Stuffed Squid with White Creamy Sauce

Squid Stuffed with Squid

We call this dish “squid stuffed with squid”—nothing fancy, just squid inside squid. I keep frozen cleaned tubes in the freezer and pick up a pound of baby squid at the Asian market.

Vacuum-packed frozen squid tube, clean, ready to cook.

Tubes are plug-and-play; the babies are cheaper but need a quick clean.

Cleaning’s easy: tug out the tentacles, slice below the eyes, pop the tiny beak, then pull the clear quill from the tube. I never peel off the skin or rinse out the ink—both add color and that briny, seaside hit.

If you’re in splurge mode, swap the baby squid for diced sea scallops and elevate the whole thing in seconds. Either way, it’s pure ocean flavor wrapped in its own tidy package.

Breadcrumbs: Taralli

Taralli—the little ring-shaped crackers you see everywhere in Puglia—are the classic breadcrumb for calamari ripieni. Crushed into coarse crumbs, they stay springy and soak up the squid juices instead of going mushy, which is why cooks along the Adriatic coast reach for them first. The snack itself has been baked around Bari since the 1400s, and its name probably comes from the Greek daratos (“a kind of bread”) or the Latin torrere (“to toast”).

Cheese and Pepper Taralli Bread

If you are in Central Texas, look for them at Central Market. Amazon has an assortment of taralli. Can’t or don't want to track any down? Just swap in a ripped-up baguette, or whatever plain crumbs you’ve got. The squid won’t mind.

50g protein in a portion of lean, juicy, Italian-style stuffed squid—ready?

Calamari Ripieni with Creamy White Sauce

Ingredients

(for 3-4 hearty servings)

The Squid

• 3 large squid tubes (about 1 ½ lb / 680 g total), cleaned and ready to cook

The Filling

• 1 Tbsp olive oil (for sautéing)

• ½ large onion, minced

• 5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 lb / 450 g whole baby squid, cleaned & chopped (tentacles + bodies)

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• ¼ cup dry rosé or unoaked white wine

• 2 Tbsp dried parsley or 1 small bunch fresh, chopped

• 3 oz breadcrumbs (≈ 1 cup; see notes)

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

The Sauce

• 2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream

• 2 cups fish stock (regular or smoked—see notes)

Instructions

1. Keep the squid sealed and let it thaw in the fridge 8–12 h.

2. Pulse taralli (or any plain crumbs) to a coarse sand. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium. Cook onion until translucent, add garlic for 1 min. Stir in chopped baby squid, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and wine. Cook until liquid mostly evaporates.

4. Add parsley and breadcrumbs; stir so crumbs soak up the juices. Off heat, cool to room temp. (If using less breadcrumbs, add eggs now. See notes.)

5. Spoon filling into each tube (keep it ≤ ½ in thick). Secure with toothpicks. Lightly score one side for even cooking and presentation.

6. Drizzle a wide pan with olive oil. Sear tubes scored-side down 2–3 min; flip and sear 2 min more.

7. Splash in the cream; bring to a simmer. Add fish stock plus any leftover stuffing. Return to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 5 min.

8. Lift out the tubes, blitz the sauce smooth with an immersion blender, strain if you like it silky, then return tubes to the pan. Spoon sauce over for another 5 min.

9. Wipe off extra sauce and kiss the scored surface with a kitchen torch until just caramelized.

10. Warm for comfort food vibes, or chill and slice into pretty rings. Extra sauce = tomorrow’s breakfast upgrade on toast with a poached egg.

See Calamari Ripieni With White Sauce short on my YouTube channel.

Notes & Tweaks

• Breadcrumbs: Taralli crumbs are the best and authentic; blitzed baguette is fine too.

• Carb-Light Swap: Want fewer carbs? Replace some crumbs with 1 whole egg (or two if you cut crumbs drastically). Beat the egg in so the stuffing still binds.

• Wine Options: Any crisp, unoaked white (Pinot Grigio, Vermentino) or dry rosé keeps flavors bright.

• Parsley: Dried works in a pinch; fresh adds color pop.

• Smoky Cream: Soak a chunk of smoked cheese in your cream overnight, then strain.

• Smoked Fish Stock: Simmer smoked fish heads/bones with aromatics. No smoked scraps? Use regular stock and finish with a pinch of smoked finishing salt.

• Macros (per serving, rough): 48 g protein · 14 g carbs · 22 g fat · ≈ 430 kcal (varies with crumb and cream choices).

Now. Looking to bump the antioxidant score?

Calamari Ripieni | Stuffed Squid with Tomato Sauce

The tomato-sauce version (find it on Samsung Food) stews the stuffed tubes in crushed tomatoes kissed with a splash of olive oil. The gentle simmer does two things I love: it sweetens the sauce and unlocks extra lycopene—the red-pigment powerhouse linked to heart health, lower inflammation, and even a bit of natural UV defense. The olive oil isn’t just there for flavor, either; the fat actually helps your body pull that lycopene straight into your cells. Add in tomato’s vitamin C, potassium, and a hit of tangy acidity to balance all the protein, and you’ve got a dish that’s as nourishing as it is satisfying.

Dig in and feed those gains!