Salt and Pepper Ribs
Introducing a slimming friendly version of a tasty takeaway classic, slow cooked to perfection and ideal for Weight Watchers!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories598
- Carbs22g
- Protein50g
- Fat34g
- Saturates13g
- Sugars14g
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 to know in the blurb!
A slimming friendly twist on a restaurant classic, we’ve cooked succulent pork ribs low and slow with some surprising ingredients, until they’re tender and full of flavour.
The addition of diet cola and orange juice may seem a little strange, but trust us, they add a delicious sweetness and depth of flavour that you won’t want to miss. Combined with onions, peppers and a kick of spice, this dish will become a firm favourite in no time!
We like to serve these impressive Salt and Pepper Ribs for guests as it’s quick to prepare and you can pop it in the oven ahead of time, ready to serve later. It makes a great dinner that’s more nutritious than a takeaway, or you can even enjoy them as a treat in front of the telly!
What diets are these Salt and Pepper Ribs suitable for?
This Salt and Pepper Ribs can be made gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;
- Soy sauce
Please make sure to double, and triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
How Weight Watchers friendly is this Salt and Pepper Ribs recipe?
Weight Watchers’ new PersonalPoints plan calculates each individual’s Points allowance based on their unique food preferences and goals. This means we’re no longer able to offer exact WW points for our recipes.
The good news is that all of our recipes are still Weight Watchers friendly! If you have any questions about your Points budgets or you’re unsure how a certain recipe will fit into your plan, please reach out to Weight Watchers directly.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Salt and Pepper Ribs?
You’ll need a good, deep ovenproof dish so you have space to cover in tin foil to bubble away in the oven.
Can I cook Salt and Pepper Ribs any other way?
If you want to speed up the cooking time, this dish can be cooked using an electric pressure cooker. Simply set the pressure cooker to 23 minutes on Manual, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
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‘The final result was full of flavour, sweet and sticky ribs that were perfect.’
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A deep ovenproof dish is ideal for this recipe, and you can find them on Amazon.
A non stick frying pan makes cooking onions and peppers a breeze, like this one!
How many calories are in these Salt and Pepper Ribs recipe?
There are 598 calories per portion in these Salt and Pepper Ribs, which means it falls into our Special Occasion category. You could always halve the portion size and serve extra fresh veggies if you want to save even more calories.
You could serve this for dinner or an appetiser as part of a Fakeaway meal!
These Salt and Pepper Ribs are perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Preheat oven to 140ºC
Step 2
Place ribs, Chinese five spice, half of the chilli flakes, garlic powder, bay leaves, sweetener, soy sauce, diet cola and the orange juice into ovenproof dish and cover with tin foil.
Step 3
Cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours then remove the foil and continue for another hour until ribs are tender.
Step 4
Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and cook the peppers and onions for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the cooked ribs along with the remaining dried chilli flakes and the toasted sea salt. Fry for 2 to 3 more minutes.
What could I serve with these Salt and Pepper Ribs?
Serve as part of a fakeaway meal with some of our favourite sides:
How do you know when these Salt and Pepper Ribs are cooked?
The spare ribs should be cooked at a low temperature until tender. This takes around 4 hours in the oven, or 23 minutes in the pressure cooker.
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 Salt and Pepper Ribs in the fridge?
Ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftover Salt and Pepper Ribs in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze these Salt and Pepper Ribs?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Allow to cool thoroughly before freezing and freeze as soon as it’s cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Salt and Pepper Ribs?
Simply defrost fully in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven for 15-20 minutes until piping hot throughout.
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Salt and Pepper Ribs
Introducing a slimming friendly version of a tasty takeaway classic, slow cooked to perfection. Ideal for Weight Watchers or calorie counting!
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
4 HR
- KCals 598
- Carbs 22G
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 140ºC.
- Place ribs, Chinese five spice, half of the chilli flakes, garlic powder, bay leaves, sweetener, soy sauce, diet cola and the orange juice into ovenproof dish and cover with tin foil.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours then remove the foil and continue for another hour until ribs are tender.
- Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and cook the peppers and onions for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the cooked ribs along with the remaining dried chilli flakes and the toasted sea salt. Fry for 2 to 3 more minutes.
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6 comments
See what others have to say
CandiceFriday 7th January 2022
If I’m cooking in a pressure cooker do I just throw it all in at start it, then once cooked fry with the salt and pepper seasoning? Thank you
HollyMonday 10th January 2022
Hey Candice, We have an article HERE which talks through how to convert recipes to the Instant Pot, hope that helps!
Kelly Ann GazzardTuesday 23rd March 2021
Can i put ribs in slow cooker with this sauce
HollyWednesday 31st March 2021
Hey Kelly Ann, we haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker have a look at THIS article which may give you a few tips if you’d like to convert it, hope that helps!
LoletaSunday 7th March 2021
I’m super excited to try this, but brown granulated sweetener is not readily available. Is there an alternative?
HollyMonday 8th March 2021
Hi Loleta, you could use regular granulated sweetener or swap for sugar. Have a look at THIS article for our guide to sweeteners in our recipes, hope that helps!
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