This Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 290 calories, 25g protein, and 23g carbs per serving. Ready in 84 minutes. High in fiber (4g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the sweet potato on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until soft when poked with a fork. Remove the sweet potato from the oven and set it aside to cool.
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Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the egg, egg whites, and ricotta cheese until smooth. Fold in the Parmesan cheese, pepper, nutmeg, and spinach.
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Remove the skin from the sweet potato and mash well. Fold in the mashed sweet potato and the flour to the egg-ricotta mixture. The mixture will be wet and sticky. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
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While the dough rests, coat a large sauté pan with cooking spray and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and sauté until barely cooked through, about 8 minutes.
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Pour the marinara sauce and broth over the turkey and stir to incorporate. Reduce the heat to low.
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Scoop 2-inch balls of the dumpling batter and gently drop them into the sauce to make 24 dumplings. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
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Chef Tip: If you can’t find white whole wheat flour, use 3/4 cup of regular whole wheat flour for this recipe.
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Choices: 1 Starch, 1 Nonstarchy Vegetable, 3 Lean Protein, 1 Fat
How This Recipe Supports PCOS Management
Understanding the nutritional profile of what you eat is a powerful step in managing PCOS. Here is how the key ingredients in this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings contribute to your health goals:
- Chicken: Protein-rich meals help manage insulin resistance common in PCOS
- Turkey: B vitamins play a role in energy metabolism and hormone regulation
- Egg: Contain choline which supports liver function and hormone metabolism
- Sweet potato: Has a lower glycemic index than regular potatoes, supporting blood sugar control
- Spinach: Magnesium may help improve insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS
PCOS Diet Principles in This Recipe
The PCOS diet focuses on three core principles: reducing inflammation, managing insulin resistance, and supporting hormonal balance. Every recipe in our collection is evaluated against these principles. This recipe excels in providing protein-rich ingredients that help regulate appetite hormones (ghrelin and leptin), and nutrient-dense vegetables that provide essential vitamins and minerals for metabolic health. As part of a balanced PCOS meal plan, we recommend pairing recipes like this with a variety of nutrient-dense foods throughout the week to ensure you are meeting all your micronutrient needs.
Meal Prep Tip: This Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Meal prepping is one of the most effective strategies for sticking to a PCOS-friendly diet, as it removes the temptation to reach for processed convenience foods when time is short.
Why this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings works for PCOS
With 25g of protein per serving (about 34% of calories), this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings sits at the top end of the 25-35g per-meal range that the 2023 International PCOS Guideline recommends for managing insulin resistance and supporting lean mass. Higher-protein meals also blunt the glucose response when carbohydrates are included, which matters for women with PCOS because chronic insulin elevation drives androgen excess and irregular cycles.
At 23g of carbohydrates per serving, this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings is on the lower-carb end, which suits women with PCOS who have confirmed insulin resistance or who notice strong post-meal energy crashes. Pair lower-carb meals like this with a generous portion of non-starchy vegetables to keep fibre intake up.
Lunch is where most PCOS meal plans either succeed or collapse. A meal like this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings that combines adequate protein, fibre-rich carbs, and fat keeps blood sugar stable for the rest of the workday and reduces the late-afternoon energy crash that drives sugar cravings around 3-4pm.
At 385mg of sodium per serving, this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings fits comfortably within the 1500-2300mg daily target most cardiology and PCOS guidance agrees on. Lower-sodium meals are useful for women with PCOS who also experience bloating or who are managing blood pressure alongside metabolic concerns.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Spinach.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Sweet Potato and Spinach Dumplings recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 290 calories per serving with 25g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 4g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 84 minutes total. Prep time is 24 minutes and cook time is 60 minutes. It makes 8 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 290 calories, 25g protein (34%), 23g carbs, 10g fat. Plus 4g fiber. PCOS meal plans typically aim for 30% protein, 35% fat, 35% carbs to support insulin sensitivity.
Yes, this recipe works well as a PCOS-friendly Lunch. At 290 calories, it fits within typical PCOS meal plan targets for Lunch. Pair it with other PCOS-friendly foods throughout the day for balanced nutrition.
This recipe can be part of a structured PCOS meal plan. It makes 8 servings, making it great for meal prep. For a complete weekly plan tailored to your PCOS type, take our free 60-second quiz at pcosmealplanner.com/pcos-quiz to get a personalized 7-day meal plan.
Cook Another PCOS-Friendly Lunch
Each recipe you add to your rotation makes PCOS management easier. Variety keeps you from getting bored and quitting.
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