Pot pies are a classic comfort food, with flaky crust surrounding a hearty filling of meat, vegetables, and gravy. While undeniably delicious, pot pies can also pack a hefty caloric punch. For those watching their waistlines, it’s important to know just how many calories are lurking in that convenient frozen pie. In this article, we’ll take a close look at the calorie count of one popular brand of pot pie: Banquet beef pot pies.
A Closer Look at Banquet Beef Pot Pies
Banquet is one of the biggest names in frozen pot pies and other prepared foods. Their beef pot pie is a top seller. According to the package nutrition facts, here is what is contained in one Banquet beef pot pie:
- Crust: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, soybean oil, salt, corn starch, wheat gluten, sugar, yeast
- Filling: beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, water, modified food starch, contains less than 2% of salt, monosodium glutamate, soy protein concentrate, carrageenan, seasoning (garlic powder), spice, wheat flour, dehydrated onion
As you can see, the primary ingredients are the crust followed by beef and vegetables in the filling. There are also various seasonings and thickeners like modified food starch and carrageenan. Now let’s look at the calorie count.
Calories in a Banquet Beef Pot Pie
According to the nutrition label, here is the calorie count in one Banquet beef pot pie (7.5 oz):
- Calories: 320
- Calories from fat: 160
So one Banquet beef pot pie contains a total of 320 calories. Of those 320 calories, half (160 calories) come from fat. The other 160 calories come from protein and carbohydrates.
Total Fat
Now let’s break down the total fat content:
- Total fat: 18g
- Saturated fat: 7g
- Trans fat: 0g
So of the 320 total calories, 18g comes from total fat. This 18g provides 160 calories (18 x 9 calories per gram of fat = 160 calories). The total fat is made up of 7g saturated fat and 0g trans fat.
Cholesterol
In addition to fat, Banquet beef pot pies contain cholesterol:
- Cholesterol: 45mg
So each pie contains 45mg of cholesterol, which is 15% of the 300mg daily value.
Sodium
Sodium is another nutrient to watch in frozen prepared foods:
- Sodium: 770mg
There are 770mg of sodium in each Banquet beef pot pie, accounting for 32% of the daily recommended value of 2,300mg per day.
Carbohydrates
Moving on to the carb content:
- Total carbohydrate: 33g
- Dietary fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 3g
Each pie contains 33g total carbs, which includes 2g fiber and 3g sugar. After accounting for fiber, that leaves 31g of net carbs.
Because each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories, the net carb count of 31g provides 124 calories (31 x 4 = 124).
Protein
And lastly, Banquet beef pot pies contain protein from the beef filling:
- Protein: 12g
With 4 calories per gram of protein, the 12g of protein adds another 48 calories (12 x 4 = 48).
Summary of Calorie Count
Adding up the calories from fat, carbs, and protein, here is the total calorie count breakdown in one Banquet beef pot pie:
- Calories from fat: 160
- Calories from carbs: 124
- Calories from protein: 48
- Total calories: 320
How Many Calories from Other Frozen Pot Pie Brands?
Banquet is one of the most popular frozen pot pie brands, but it’s not the only option out there. Here’s how Banquet beef pot pies compare calorie-wise to some other leading brands.
Marie Callender’s Beef Pot Pie
- Calories: 350
Marie Callender’s beef pot pie contains 350 calories in one 10 oz pie. That’s 30 more calories than the Banquet pie.
Healthy Choice Beef Pot Pie
- Calories: 290
With 290 calories in one 9.5 oz pie, Healthy Choice beef pot pie has fewer calories than Banquet. It’s part of Healthy Choice’s lower calorie line of frozen meals.
Amy’s Organic Beef Pot Pie
- Calories: 320
Amy’s organic beef pot pie contains 320 calories per 8 oz pie. That’s the same calorie count as Banquet beef pot pie in a slightly smaller portion size.
Stouffer’s French Bread Beef Pot Pie
- Calories: 400
Stouffer’s French bread crust beef pot pie packs a bigger calorie punch, with 400 calories in each 10 oz pie.
Swanson’s Beef Pot Pie
- Calories: 350
Like Stouffer’s and Marie Callender’s, Swanson’s beef pot pie also has 350 calories per 10 oz serving.
Ways to Lighten Up Pot Pie Calories
If you want all the flavor of pot pie but fewer calories, there are some easy ways to lighten up this comfort food favorite:
- Choose a smaller portion size – Banquet and other brands offer personal pot pie multipacks with calories ranging from 160-260 per pie
- Load up on veggies – opt for pot pies packed with lots of filling veggies to help displace some of the heavier ingredients
- Pick a lighter crust – phyllo dough or puff pastry can save calories over a classic pie crust
- Make homemade – control calories by making your own crust and filling from scratch
- Swap in turkey or chicken – poultry can trim some fat grams compared to beef
- Go meatless – vegetarian and vegan pot pies eliminate the calories from meat entirely
With a few simple tweaks, you can still enjoy the taste of pot pie while avoiding too big of a calorie bomb.
Conclusion
When it comes to calories in pot pies, Banquet beef clocks in at 320 calories per 7.5 oz pie. That’s a moderate calorie count compared to similar frozen pot pie brands, which range from 290-400 calories depending on size and specific ingredients. There are easy ways to reduce pot pie calories, like choosing smaller sizes, adding more veggies, and selecting lower-calorie crust and filling options. So you can still enjoy this comforting classic without going overboard on calories.