11 Pork Dinners That Can Help You Lose Weight

When it comes to maintaining a healthy diet and losing weight, all that really matters is making sure that the calories you consume are less than the calories you expend.

Although difficult and it may take some practice getting familiar with, this shouldn’t be taken negatively or in a bad light. The silver lining about this is one can technically eat anything they want as long as you can properly portion. Eating your guilty pleasures when properly portioned and in a well-thought-out diet can actually be helpful as well.

One of the primary reasons for people to fall off their diet regimen is that they commit too many cheat days until eventually they just quit. They’ve improperly restricted themselves from eating their favorite foods, thinking that a lone sugary treat or delicious meat eaten once can ruin their diet forever. If they have only used proper proportions, they wouldn’t be so discouraged and fail their diets.

Luckily, here’s are some of the best recipes of pork dinners for weight loss:

1. Spicy Pork And Rice

Cook lean pork just right and you’ll get moist and tender bites every time. The key is to have everything prepared beforehand and move quickly. You’ll get fresh flavors even from the vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 500g pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced thinly
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 red/yellow/orange bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
• ¼ cup green beans, trimmed and cut into short lengths
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Instructions:

1. Wash rice according to instructions and set aside.
2. Heat a large pan or wok over high heat. Add oil and saute onion.
3. When the onion turns transparent, add in pork and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
4. When the pork is lightly browned, add garlic, bell peppers, and green beans, and then stir. Season again and add ground cumin, ground coriander, and chili powder. When spices are fragrant, add rice, and chicken stock, and then stir.
5. Keep it covered and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
6. Cook until liquid has been absorbed and rice is done.
7. Fluff rice and serve.

2. Ginger Soy Pork Stir Fry

Don’t give in to boring packed lunches! Have a bit more fun with this quick Ginger Soy Pork Stir Fry that you can prep on a busy weeknight or on the weekend and heats up wonderfully in the office microwave. Remember to get pork with lean protein and less saturated fat. Slice it very thinly, you want it to cook quickly and keep the veggies crisp. This is high protein and low fat, and easy low sodium depending on how much you season it along the way.  Amazingly enough, this only has 228 calories per serving.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup snow peas
• ½ cup broccoli, prepared into small florets
• ½ cup bell peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 500 grams pork tenderloin, sliced thinly
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat up a skillet or wok on high heat. When it starts to smoke, add canola oil.
2. Maintain high heat, add pork, and stir. Add light and dark soy sauce as well as oyster sauce. Stir for up to two minutes.
3. Add your garlic. Once fragrant, add onions and broccoli. Keep stirring and maintain high heat.
4. After two minutes, add bell peppers and snow peas.
5. Keep stirring and tasting along the way. Season to taste and serve.

3. Pork Chops with Mushrooms

This is an easy one-pan dish that doesn’t need a lot of attention and is great for beginner home cooks. Easy, affordable and low calorie at 357  calories per serving.

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 knob of butter
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can of button mushrooms, drained and sliced
• 1 lemon sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add in olive oil and butter.
2. Once the butter is melted, add in pork chops. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Sear the pork chops on each side. Then set aside. Leave oil and butter mixture on the pan.
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and lemon slices.
5. Add in enough chicken stock to cover the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer until the fond from the pork chops dislodges.
6. Add pork chops back in and continue cooking until pork chops are done, add a little bit more stock if it dries up.

4. Pork Belly Bake

This is a straightforward pork belly recipe that is good for keto diets too. It has 291 calories per serving. There really isn’t much here but you allow the cooking process to render out most of the fat which greatly reduces its caloric content

Ingredients:

• 1-kilogram whole slab pork belly
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cut a crisscross pattern on the skin of the pork. Season all sides with salt and black pepper. Leave to dry brine in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 230c, place the pork belly on a roasting tray, and roast in the oven skin side up until skin crisps up.
3. When the skin is crisp, reduce heat to 160c and continue baking for 1 hour. When pork is done, bring it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.
4. Slice and serve.

5. Chinese Fried Pork

This healthy recipe makes a great meal that can easily incorporate any leftover pork in other ways throughout your week. It puts an Asian twist on a typical pork dish and at 391 calories per serving, you would be crazy not to try it.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1.5 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lb of any leftover pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Marinade pork in salt, pepper, and half of the cornstarch. In a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.
2. Heat a skillet over high heat and fry pork pieces. Drain over paper towels and set aside.
3. Dispose of excess frying oil but leave a few tablespoons and lower heat to medium-high. Cook the soy sauce mixture. Once the mixture thickens, add the pork back in and toss.
4. Serve with rice.

6. Honey BBQ Chops

This amazing pork chop recipe can be shared in family barbeques or as a weekend meal and only has 248 calories per serving. It doesn’t take much to make and is as filling and delicious as it sounds.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 2/3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons whisky
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 boneless pork chops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat your grill to medium heat and don’t forget to lightly oil the grate.
3. Combine the first four ingredients, and set aside as glaze.
4. Grill the pork chops, glaze while cooking, and serve when done.

7. Sweet and Sour Pork

A Chinese Takeout classic that you can make at home and at 271 calories per serving you can make it the way you would want it.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1½ teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced into strips
• 3 bell peppers, sliced into strips
• 1 cup pineapples, cubed

Instructions:

1. Combine half of the soy sauce, ginger, and half of the cornstarch in a bowl. Marinade pork in the mixture for 1 hour or overnight.
2. Combine remaining soy sauce and cornstarch, pineapple juice, vinegar, tomato paste, and honey in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Heat pan or wok over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil.
4. Fry pork until browned. Add onions and bell peppers, and stir.
5. Add pineapple juice mixture until sauce thickens and season to taste.
6. Serve with rice, garnish with cilantro if desired.

8. Pad Kra Pow with Peanut Sauce

This classic Thai dish takes you to Thailand and doesn’t have as many calories as you might think. Thai food is known for being flavorful, exotic, and rich but at 310 calories, this is a trip you won’t regret.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
• 1 stalk green onion, sliced, separate whites and greens
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter, smooth
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• Sriracha, to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Juice from half a lime
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 500g lean ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Your choice of stir-fry vegetables

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, prepare your dipping sauce. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, honey, and lime juice. Mix well.
2. Heat a pan or wok over high heat. Once the pan starts smoking, add coconut oil or any neutral flavored oil and swirl all over the pan. Add ground pork, break apart clumps, and season accordingly. Seek to brown it.
3. Once the pork is cooked, add ginger, garlic, and stir fry vegetables.
4. Give one last season, set aside, drizzle peanut sauce, and serve with rice noodles or rice.

9. Wuxiang Pork & Rice

This is one of the best pork recipes that require a bit of coordination but rewards you with a nice Chinese-style dinner. The roasted pork loin leftovers can also be used for fried rice and other dishes. It only has 335  calories.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 red onion, sliced into sticks
• 1 pak choi
• 1 red pepper, sliced to sticks
• 2 pork loins
• ½ cup steamed rice
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the five-spice, cornstarch, garlic, honey, low sodium soy sauce, ground black pepper, and a little bit of water. Use the mixture to marinate the pork for 3 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 220c, heat a pan on the stove over medium to high heat, add oil, and sear the pork loins on all sides. Once seared, set aside on a baking dish, pour half of the marinade, and finish cooking in the oven.
3. Keep the pan on medium-high heat and add in red onions and red pepper. Saute then add the remaining marinade and cook until it simmers. Add pak choi leaves. When pak choi leaves are done, set aside.
4. In the same pan, add rice and let the rice absorb the remaining liquids in the pan.
5. Serve the pork and pak choi over the rice and enjoy.

10. Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered usually isn’t associated with pork chops but believe it or not, this meal only has 260 calories per serving!

Ingredients:

• 4 thick center-cut pork chops (preferably bone-in), about 6 oz each
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1⁄2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Season the chops on both sides with salt, black pepper, and a bit of cayenne and return to the refrigerator. Let marinate.
2. Heat the butter in a large cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
3. Dust the chops lightly with flour, coating both sides and shaking off any excess flour.
4. Cook the chops, turning once, for 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned but not cooked all the way through.
5. Remove to the cutting board.
6. Add the stock, buttermilk, and mustard to the pan and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half.
7. Return the chops to the pan and continue simmering for another 3 minutes or so, until they’re just cooked through.
8. Serve the chops with the gravy poured over the tops and garnished with a bit of parsley if using.

11. Teriyaki Pork Chops With Sautéed Apples

You won’t believe that this is only 315 calories per serving. Most of the flavor services are from the apple juice cider vinegar and spices, it is naturally flavorful with all the sweetness of one apple.

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops (about 6 oz each)
• 1 cup bottled teriyaki marinade
• 1⁄2 Tbsp peanut or canola oil
• 1⁄2 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1⁄2 cup apple juice
• 1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the pork chops and teriyaki sauce in a shallow bowl or sealable plastic bag, turning the chops to coat. Give at least 1 hour to marinate.
2. Preheat a grill, grill pan, or large cast-iron skillet.
3. While the grill warms up, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes.t.
5. Add the apple, apple juice, vinegar, and five-spice, and stir to combine.
6. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the fruit is softened and the liquid has thickened enough to cling lightly to the apples. You should be able to poke it with a fork without much resistance but not so much that it is mushy.
7. When the grill or pan is hot, remove the pork from the marinade, blotting off the excess with paper towels, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until lightly charred all over and firm but slightly yielding to the touch. Aim for a nice medium heat to avoid flare-ups and burning the sugars in the marinade

Aside from those mentioned above, check other slow cooker pork recipes you can try while on a diet.

With proper portion control, there is no need to avoid your favorite culinary guilty closure. In fact, this practice might actually help you keep your dietary regimen, helping you avoid overly self-indulgent cheat days that can eventually cause you to fall off your diet.