Chilli Meatball Orzo

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Chilli Meatball Orzo | Slimming & Weight Watchers Friendly:

20MINS

47MINS

Serves 6

358KCAL

Not sure what to have for dinner tonight? This slimming friendly dish is a new spin on meatballs and pasta, with a twist of chilli!

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Pages 44-47

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Easy Peasy

NutritionPer Serving

Calories358

Carbs41g

Protein30g

Fat5.9g

Saturates2.3g

Sugars8.3g

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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

We love to mix some of our favourite meals together to come up with brand new ideas for dinner – and this Chilli Meatball Orzo might just be one of our favourite creations!

It’s a combo of chilli con carne and meatballs with pasta, but, because it uses orzo, it reminds us of a risotto too. Can’t decide what to have for dinner? This is the best of all worlds!

To keep the recipe slimming friendly, we’ve used reduced fat mince and plenty of veggies. This means that you get a super hearty, filling and delicious dinner, all for 358 calories. It freezes well too, so this dish is a batch cooking dream.

Our recipe gives the chilli a mild heat, so it’s perfect if you’re cooking for people who aren’t big fans of spicy dishes. If you like yours a little more fiery, there’s no reason you can’t be a bit more generous with the chilli powder!

What diets is this Chilli Meatball Orzo suitable for?

This Chilli Meatball Orzo recipe is dairy free. It can be made gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;

Medium slice wholemeal bread

Beef stock cube

Orzo

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Chilli Meatball Orzo?

You’ll need some orzo which is a type of pasta that looks a little bit like rice. You can find it in your usual supermarket, alongside the other varieties of dried pasta.

There are a couple of bits of equipment that can help to make this recipe easier:

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips.
We hope you find them useful.

Nice & easy good taste

I added a little mozzarella into my meatballs & had everything prepared before cooking I used the hob method

Great recipe for chilli lover’s the Orzo is a great change.

This recipe can be altered to suit anyone’s taste. Mild to spicy, peas instead of kidney beans, fresh parsley or coriander. It’s upto you.

Not keen on too many kidney beans in this house, so I used a tin of mixed beans in tomato sauce, and just a small tin of tomatoes, and added some grated mozzarella The sauce took a while to reduce and thicken, but absolutely delicious ?

Pre make meatballs

I made my meatballs the day before and put them in the fridge, they stayed together better than the first time I made this.

Delicious n easy peasy

Used mild & hot chilli 1//2 & 1/2

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‘Very easy to make cooks in one pot. Quick prep time too. Can be from mild to really spicy depending on your taste.’

Natalie D

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You’ll need a large casserole dish with a lid that’s suitable for using on the hob. This one is hob safe and oven safe so it will come in handy for a wide range of dishes.

How many calories are in this Chilli Meatball Orzo?

There are 358 calories in each portion of this Chilli Meatball Orzo recipe, which means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category. If you’re counting calories or following one of the popular diet plans like Weight Watchers, this recipe fits in perfectly!

NHS guidelines suggest men should aim for 2,500 calories per day to maintain a healthy body weight, and women require around 2000 calories. Each person has different calorie requirements depending on their goal, so you may want to adjust your daily calorie intake according to your own personal goal.

Step 1

For the meatballs: place the bread in a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until it becomes fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can use a coarse grater to do this.

Step 2

Place the minced beef, onion, garlic, chilli powder, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Use clean hands to mix together well and divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into 12 meatballs.

Step 3

Spray a large deep frying pan with low calorie cooking spray. Place over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning, to seal and lightly brown on all sides.

Step 4

Remove the sealed meatballs from the frying pan and place on a plate. Set aside.

Step 5

To make the sauce: Add the onion, green and red peppers to the frying pan, stir and fry over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the onion is golden and the peppers soften.

Step 6

Add the garlic, chilli powder, paprika and cumin, stir and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

Step 7

Lower the heat and add the stock cube to the water. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, kidney beans and orzo to the pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir well, then place the sealed meatballs in the sauce.

Step 8

Cover with a lid or cover tightly with foil. Simmer gently over the lowest heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until piping hot throughout.

Step 9

The meatballs should be cooked through and have no pinkness inside, the orzo should be tender, and the sauce should be thickened slightly.

Step 10

Stir in the parsley and serve with an accompaniment of your choice.

What could I serve with this Chilli Meatball Orzo?

This recipe is packed with beans and veggies to help make it super filling. If you do want to serve something on the side, we’d recommend adding some steamed vegetables or any of the following side dishes:

How do you know when Chilli Meatball Orzo is cooked?

The meatballs should be cooked until they are heated all the way through and there is no pinkness left in the middle. You should also make sure that the orzo has softened and the sauce has thickened before serving. This should take around 40 minutes.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can you keep Chilli Meatball Orzo in the fridge?

Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.

This dish is great for batch cooking and will taste even better the next day. You can store any leftover Chilli Meatball Orzo in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Make sure that you allow your leftovers to cool before putting them in a container with a lid and chilling in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze Chilli Meatball Orzo?

YES you can freeze this recipe! If you do, then remember to do the following:

Allow it to cool and then freeze as soon as it is cold enough.

Place in a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Add a label with the recipe name and the date that you froze it.

How do I reheat Chilli Meatball Orzo?

From chilled: Reheat in a pan, covered with a lid, over a low heat until piping hot. Alternatively, place in a microwavable container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until hot all the way through. Whichever method you choose, you will need to add a little water to thin down the mixture before reheating

From frozen: Allow to defrost overnight in the fridge and then reheat using the instructions above.

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Chilli Meatball Orzo

Not sure what to have for dinner tonight? This slimming friendly dish is a new spin on meatballs and pasta, with a twist of chilli!

Prep Time

20
MINS

Cook Time

47
MINS

KCals
358

Carbs
41G

Instructions

For the meatballs: place the bread in a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until it becomes fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can use a coarse grater to do this.

Place the minced beef, onion, garlic, chilli powder, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Use clean hands to mix together well and divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into 12 meatballs.

Spray a large deep frying pan with low calorie cooking spray. Place over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning, to seal and lightly brown on all sides.

Remove the sealed meatballs from the frying pan and place on a plate. Set aside.

To make the sauce: Add the onion, green and red peppers to the frying pan, stir and fry over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the onion is golden and the peppers soften.

Add the garlic, chilli powder, paprika and cumin, stir and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

Lower the heat and add the stock cube to the water. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, kidney beans and orzo to the pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir well, then place the sealed meatballs in the sauce.

Cover with a lid or cover tightly with foil. Simmer gently over the lowest heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until piping hot throughout.

The meatballs should be cooked through and have no pinkness inside, the orzo should be tender, and the sauce should be thickened slightly.

Stir in the parsley and serve with an accompaniment of your choice.

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website – referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.

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Recipe notes

Tip: If you haven’t got a food processor or mini chopper, you can use a coarse grater to make the breadcrumbs.

Tip: Make sure to rinse the kidney beans after draining them.

Tip: This is mildly spiced, so if you prefer things hotter you can add another teaspoon of chilli powder to the sauce.

If you’ve made Chilli Meatball Orzo and love it, let us know by tagging us in your photos!

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