One thing that gets asked a lot on our Facebook page is ‘Does anyone have a recipe for syn free gravy?’ and after many attempts we’ve come up with what we think is the best one so far!
Before Slimming World, we were huge fans of the meatballs sold by that certain Swedish furniture store. They were great with a tomato sauce, and even better with a rich savoury gravy. They were quick, easy and pretty cheap too.
The only issue is, those meatballs, and the accompanying gravy aren’t very Slimming World friendly. At 7 syns per 100 grams, they are totally not worth it!
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb 👍
We used shop bought low fat meatballs for this Meatballs & Syn Free Gravy recipe, which worked out at 1 syn for 6 meatballs. It doesn’t break the syn bank, but if you prefer you can make your own syn free ones. You can find the instructions here in our Syn Free Meatball Marinara recipe.
This recipe is worked on the premise that 6 meatballs = 1 syn & 6 meatballs = 1 portion.
Meatballs aside, I think the gravy is a pretty important part of this recipe. Who doesn’t like gravy?! Well, my Dad doesn’t.. but he’s a little odd when it comes to wet food – the less about that the better.
Gravy makes the world go round and this tasty gravy can be used for other meats too – not just meatballs. It’s full of speed, which is pretty handy when it comes to the Extra Easy plan. Don’t like it chunky? Then pop it in the food processor and blitz to make it smooth.
One of the most important parts of this recipe is the Xanthan Gum. What is this strange ingredient I hear you ask. It’s a syn free, gluten free stabiliser. It’s natural, thickens hot and cold liquids, doesn’t clump and stops sauces from splitting. It’s bloody marvellous! 1/4 tsp of Xantham gum does the same job as 1 tbsp of flour. Crazy!
You can buy Xanthan Gum here on Amazon, or down the gluten free aisle of your local supermarket. It’s not cheap, but a little goes a long, long way.
For those who aren’t following Slimming World, but are counting the calories – this gravy comes in at just over 100 calories in total for all three portions.
Whenever we need to replace oil in cooking we use Frylight. Perfect for everyday frying and cooking, it delivers exactly one calorie per spray, which makes it Syn free! The Sunflower or Rapeseed Oil flavours are ideal for this Meatballs & Syn Free Gravy recipe.
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Meatballs & Syn Free Gravy
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Servings |
Prep Time |
Cooking Time |
| people | 10 minutes | 40 minutes |
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Calories |
Weight Watchers |
Slimming World |
| 292kcal |
Smart Points (Flex/Freestyle) |
1 Syns |
| Per people | Per people | Per people |
 |
INGREDIENTS
Please don't take a screenshot. These recipes are updated often!
- 18 Low fat meatballs we used shop bought which worked out at 1 Syn for 6 meatballs
- 1 medium Red Onion
- 4 Mushrooms
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 400 ml Water
- 1 Beef stock cubes
- 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1 pinch Fresh Rosemary
- 1 pinch Fresh Thyme
- Frylight
- Sea Salt to taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the stock up 400ml boiling water to 1 beef stock cube
- Mist a large frying pan with Frylight, then heat over a medium heat
- Add the meatballs, and cook until they have browned
- Remove the meatballs from the pan, return the pan to the heat and spray with a bit more Frylight
- Add the chopped onion and mushrooms, and cook until they start to brown
- Add the herbs, balsamic, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning and cook for a minute
- Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes
- Place 200ml of the sauce into a jug and whisk in the xanthan gum a 1/4 of a tsp at a time. You will need to whisk well - and keep whisking!
- Return the thickened sauce to the pan and stir will - it will thicken the sauce.
- Add the meatballs back into the pan and cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 180°C
RECIPE NOTES
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We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Need help converting the temperature for your oven? |
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This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following; - Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough. |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Syn values given are correct at time of writing but may not always be accurate.
This website is UNOFFICIAL and in NO WAY part of or representative of Slimming World.
We aren’t trained by Slimming World nor authorised to give Slimming World advice. Any advice given here should not replace the advice of your Slimming World consultant.
Ideally, you should check with Slimming world for the most up to date Syn values using official resources such as; the Syns calculator, Syns Online on LifelineOnline or by calling the Syns Hotline on (0906) 851 8518.
Although pinchofnom.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will pinchofnom.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
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hi i havn’t tried the recipe yet but have to say it looks fab, i ordered the gum from ebay uk, its half the ammount because as you said a little goes a long way and cost me £2.15 no p&p, i hope you didnt mind me commenting as its not about the meal as such lol
keep up the good work as your recipes are fab xx
Where do you get the meatballs from?? Please x
How do u get the recipe I can’t find it x
It’s just above where you’re reading this on the page x
You can buy the Xanthem gum in sainsburys around £2.50ish but as the recipe says a little goes a long way
Hi Janice
Yes, it does. You will only need around 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon to thicken most things
Hi I really want to try this but I HATE mushrooms, do u think it would work without them or are they part of ‘the taste’? Thanks, love ur stuff!
Hi Hayley, you can leave the mushrooms out if you don’t like them!
Hi, if you don’t have the gum, can you just use cornflour or flour instead & work out if there’s a sun value in flour please? Love the FB page & recipes by the way! Thanks, Joy
Hello Joy
Xanthan gum is available in most supermarkets these days, we choose it as it’s great for thickening and it’s Syn Free. You’ll find it in the ‘Free From’ aisle. If you choose to use cornflour or normal flour, you’ll need to check the Syn Values with the SW Syns Online app.
Instead of the herbs and stock cube, would it work with an oxo rich beef stock pot with onion and rosemary?
Hi Emma
Yes, that will be fine. 🙂