Low Calorie Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs

Low Calorie Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs are packed with flavour and comes in at under 300 calories. including a portion of quinoa.

I may have overindulged a little when on holiday.  So it’s back to counting calories and cutting out cakes from my diet.  

However, that doesn’t have to mean dull and boring food,  I’m on a mission to make some of my favourite dishes lower in calories. You can read about my holiday indulgences in French Cheese Cake in the Charente-Maritime  It must have been the French cheese that piled on the pounds…it couldn’t possibly have been the wine and delicious Pineau de Charentes… everyone knows that wine has no calories when you are holiday…don’t they?

THE 5:2 FASTING DIET

I’ve been managing my weight with the 5:2 Fasting Diet for about 18 months now. it’s pretty simple to follow and ideal if you have a hectic schedule and your life doesn’t allow you to follow a routine.

 I simply have two days in every week when I eat 500 kcal. Men are allowed 600 kcal.   On the other five days of the week, I eat normally.

That doesn’t mean eating everything under the sun and expecting to lose or maintain weight, but you can eat sensibly and enjoy some higher calorie foods on your non-fasting days.  

How to Make Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs
Making the meatballs is simple and adding flavours to the meatball mixture really helps to lift the turkey mince which can be a bit bland without a little help.

Use lots of vegetables to help add flavour too.  Vegetables are also generally lower in calories than meat or carbs and they help to fill you up.  

Low Calorie and Low Cost 

Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs are low calorie, and they are also a low-cost meal.  

I calculated these prices from a leading supermarket but you could probably get the cost down even further by buying at a market or a discount supermarket (prices calculated August 2016).

• Turkey Breast Mince £3.00 per 500g
• Red pepper 50p
• Baby corn and mangetout £1.60
• Spring onions 12p
• Ginger 5p
• Oyster sauce 60p
• Rice wine vinegar 50p
• Chutney, ketchup and marmalade 20p
• Garlic 3p
• Oil and spices 10p

Total: £6.70 

4 portions at £1.67 per portion or 6 portions £1.12 per portion  

(with quinoa £1.58 per portion) Quinoa –  60g –  47p

More Low Calorie Meals from Farmersgirl Kitchen 

Low Calorie Fish Pie only 300 kcal per portion 

Mexican Spiced Cauliflower and Quinoa Meat Free Meatballs 

Slow Cooker Honey & Garlic Chicken 

Get more 5:2 Diet Recipes from the  Pinterest Board 5:2 Fasting Diet  recipes from me at Farmersgirl Kitchen, Lavender and Lovage , London Unattached and Freycob Good Food Made Easy with more that we have pinned. 

Read more about the science behind 5:2 intermittent fasting at The 5:2 Fast Diet

Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs

Farmersgirl Kitchen

This low calorie Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs recipe allows you to enjoy all the sweet and sour flavour with the minimum calories.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4

Calories 295 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary units

For the meatballs

• 500 g turkey mince
• 2 spring onions
• 15 g ginger grated
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp oil

For the sauce

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 red pepper
• 12 mangetout peas
• 6 baby corn
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 4 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp mango chutney
• 1 tbsp marmalade
• 1 tsp Clear Spring Umami paste with ginger optional

Instructions

 

Make the meatballs

• Mix together the turkey mince, 5 spice powder, finely chopped spring onion, salt and grated ginger in a bowl.
• Form the mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut ( I made 20 meatballs from 500g of turkey mince)
• Heat the oven to 160C
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok or saute pan and fry the turkey meatballs until brown on all sides, place the meatballs in an ovenproof dish and place in the oven for 15 minutes to ensure they are cooked through.
• Stir fry the red (bell) pepper, mangetout or sugarsnap peas, baby corn and garlic in the pan until they have taken on some colour and are starting to soften slightly.
• In a bowl mix together the cornflour and rice wine vinegar, then add all the other ingredients and mix well.
• Add to the stir fried vegetables and stir, add a little water if the sauce is too thick. Turn down the heat and cook for 2 minutes to ensure the cornflour starch is cooked out.
• Add the meatballs and coat with sauce.
• Serve with rice or other grains such as quinoa.

Notes

Total Calories 921
Calories per portion for 6 people 154 kcal + 60g dry weight quinoa (cooked) = 286 kcal per portion
Calories per portion for 4 people 230 kcal + 60g dry weight white rice (cooked) = 368 kcal per portion
60g dry weight quinoa – 132 cal
60g dry weight white rice – 138 cal

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 660mgPotassium: 440mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1210IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 2mg

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We loved these Low Calorie Sweet and Sour Meatballs, what’s our favourite low calorie recipe?