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!
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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:
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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.’
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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.
A mini food processor like this one is ideal for whizzing up bread to make breadcrumbs.
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.
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Recipe notes
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14 comments
See what others have to say
JoTuesday 23rd August 2022
I am coeliac, so need GF. But I can’t find GF orzo anywhere.
Is there anything else I can replace the orzo with?
Thanks,
Jo.
SharonWednesday 21st September 2022
Hi Jo, if you can’t find gluten free orzo you could look for any gluten free tiny pasta shapes that are available and try using them instead. Alternatively, you could try using arborio rice which is gluten free. We haven’t tested these suggestions ourselves but they should work well.Thanks for your question and hope you enjoy this recipe!
Maria MartinTuesday 12th April 2022
Hi , would you please be able to make a lighter version of a Teesside Parmosan. It’s a chicken escalope with béchamel sauce and cheese and parmosan cheese. It’s absolutely beautiful and definitely comfort food but is very high in calories.
HollyThursday 14th April 2022
Hey Maria, thanks so much for your message, I’ve just had a look online and a Teesside Parmo looks delicious! Keep your eye out for a PON twist!
Catherine TThursday 17th March 2022
Hi. I’ve reduced the quantity on the recipe to make this for 3 of us, rather than 6. However, the amount of water for the stock remains the same (600ml). I’m guessing this is just a website error and I should reduce the water by half as well as the stock cube? Can’t wait to try this!
HollyFriday 18th March 2022
Hey Catherine, Yes if you are halving the recipe everything should be halved including the stock. I’ve now separated the water from the stock cube in the ingredients list so this problem has now been fixed. Hope that helps!
SarahMonday 21st February 2022
Sorry, also is 600ml of stock right? Its seems an awful lot and my large frying pan is filled right to the brim and the meatballs are swimming!
HollyTuesday 22nd February 2022
Hey Sarah, 600ml boiling water is correct, for this recipe you need a large deep frying pan so a standard frying pan will be a little too shallow to hold everything. Hope that helps!
SarahMonday 21st February 2022
Hi. Just wanted to check. The pictures show a serving of 3 meatballs, but the recipe says 12 meatballs to serve 6 people? 2 Meatballs even with some pasta seems a bit low? I am making this now and can easily make 18 decent size meatballs from the mixture to allow 3 each. Would you be able to confirm. Thank you.x
HollyTuesday 22nd February 2022
Hi Sarah, this recipe serves 6 and when the mixture is split into 12 that is 2 meatballs per person. If you’d like you can make the meatballs smaller so that you get more per portion. Hope that helps!
HelenFriday 25th February 2022
The pictures show 3 meatballs per plate but if it only makes 12 then a serving should be 2, I think this must be a mistake.
I made this without the meatballs tonight (just the veggie orzo) using veg stock rather than beef, and it was delicious!!
HollyTuesday 1st March 2022
Hey Helen, Yes this recipe serves 6 people and when the mixture is split into 12 that is 2 meatballs per person. If you’d like you can make the meatballs smaller so that you get more meatballs per portion. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Helen Kenna-MaeersSunday 26th June 2022
Can you cook the chilli orzo meatballs in a slow cooker?
SharonFriday 8th July 2022
Hi Helen, we haven’t tested the Chilli Meatball Orzo in the slow cooker but we have an article here that you should find useful: How to Convert Recipes to a Slow Cooker. Hope that helps.
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