{"id":62054,"date":"2017-10-01T07:15:57","date_gmt":"2017-10-01T11:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=62054"},"modified":"2017-10-23T00:00:57","modified_gmt":"2017-10-23T04:00:57","slug":"comfort-food-recipes-slimmed-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/recipes\/comfort-food-recipes-slimmed-down\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Comfort Food Recipes You\u2019ll Feel Even Better About"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"13<\/div>\n

Beach time has come and gone. And you know what that means… \u2018Tis the season to don a hoodie and cozy up with a bowl of chili, mac and cheese or mashed potatoes<\/a>. But just because you\u2019ve retired your swimsuit for the year, doesn\u2019t mean you have to resign yourself to elastic waist pants.<\/p>\n

These 13 skinny comfort food recipes deliver all the soul-warming flavor you remember from your mom\u2019s or grandma\u2019s kitchen \u2014 but without the hefty diet<\/a> damage. So go ahead and have a night spent on the couch with these delicious dishes. It\u2019ll be our secret they\u2019re still healthy and nutritious.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>12 Delicious Asian-Inspired Recipes That Beat Takeout<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

13 Favorite Comfort Food Recipes, Slimmed Down<\/h2>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

1. Vegan Mac and Cheese<\/a><\/h3>\n

A big bowl of mac and cheese with just 10 grams of fat \u2014 and loads of vitamin A, iron and protein? Yes, it\u2019s possible! The list of ingredients that make it light yet delectable: nutritional yeast, cashews, carrots and Dijon mustard. Photo and recipe: Renee Blair \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

2. Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup<\/a><\/h3>\n

To keep the carb and calorie count in check, this hearty beef and tomato soup recipe suggests breaking up lasagna noodles into bite-sized pieces. Start with low-sodium jarred marinara<\/a> and beef broth to create the base. The best part: Prep time for this slow cooker soup is just five minutes. Seriously. Photo and recipe: Blair Lonergan \/ The Seasoned Mom<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 9 Easy 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

3. Chicken Pot Pie Mug<\/a><\/h3>\n

If you despise doing dishes, you\u2019ll love this individually-portioned chicken pot pie recipe. Heat up the roux, a combo of flour and butter, in the microwave in the same mug that the itty bitty casserole bakes. Topping your pie with filo instead of pastry keeps the calorie and fat count low, while maintaining all of the crunchy components you crave. Photo and recipe: Carmen Sturdy \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

4. Brown Butter Sage Fluffy Mashed Cauliflower<\/a><\/h3>\n

Step aside, potatoes. This lower carb side dish maintains all the rich goodness you dream about. That\u2019s thanks to a scoop of cream cheese. To trim down the fat and calories even more, cut the amount of butter in half. Photo and recipe: Sarah Bond \/ Live Eat Learn<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>9 Healthy Casserole Recipes to Make Once, Eat All Week<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

5. Spaghetti Squash with Chickpea Tomato Sauce<\/a><\/h3>\n

The key to enjoying an overflowing bowl of Italian fare while watching your calories: Trading traditional white pasta for a similarly delicious vegetable version. Since both offer a blank flavor slate, as long as your topping packs loads of seasonings (like this basil-infused vegan sauce), you\u2019ll finish feeling super-satisfied. Photo and recipe: Renee Blair \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

6. Turkey Chili with White Beans<\/a><\/h3>\n

A strong source of protein and fiber, yet relatively low in sodium and fat, this speedy turkey and bean chili recipe offers few enough calories to save room for a side of cornbread. Or dessert<\/a>. Or beer. To each their own! Photo and recipe: Perry Santanachote \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 11 Delicious Veggie Pasta Recipes for Zoodle Lovers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

7. Zucchini Noodles and Meatballs<\/a><\/h3>\n

Instead of a carb coma, this lightened-up meatball dinner will put you in prime muscle-building mode. Each serving has plenty of protein, plus the zoodles offer folate and magnesium, two nutrients that support metabolic and muscle performance. Photo and recipe: Perry Santanachote \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

8. Cauliflower Tater Tots<\/a><\/h3>\n

You have our permission to eat each and every one of these surprisingly high-protein cauliflower and cottage cheese bites. If you\u2019re not following a gluten-free diet, feel free to use whole wheat panko for a fiber boost. Photo and recipe: Taylor Kiser \/ Food Faith Fitness<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>A Case for Dairy: Why You Should Have Some Cheese With That<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

9. Clean Eating Green Bean Casserole<\/a><\/h3>\n

Whether you serve this light green bean casserole as part of a holiday meal or with a weeknight dinner<\/a>, you\u2019ll feel good knowing it\u2019s clean in a couple of ways. First, this recipe opts for lowfat cottage cheese, milk, and whole-wheat flour instead of condensed soup. Then it replaces canned fried onions with homemade whole-wheat panko- and Parmesan-dusted onions. Talk about yum! Photo and recipe: Jordan Sward \/ Smile Sandwich<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

10. Blender Sweet Potato Waffles with Blueberry Sauce<\/a><\/h3>\n

Sneak in a dose of veggies, fruit and whole grains all before noon with this healthy waffle recipe. Garnishing with a DIY blueberry topping, rather than a pool of maple syrup helps keep the added sugar count in check. Meanwhile, blending oats, mashed sweet potato and flax seed into the batter cranks up the fiber count. Photo and recipe: Emilie Hebert \/ Emilie Eats<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>8 Savory Oatmeal Recipes You\u2019ll Crave Beyond Breakfast<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

11. Garlic Mozzarella Margherita Pasta<\/a><\/h3>\n

With all the elements of classic Margherita pizza, but with much fewer calories, this quick pasta recipe will become a star on your healthy dinner rotation. To lighten things up even more, sub in whole-wheat pasta or spiralized vegetable noodles<\/a> (zucchini, sweet potato or butternut squash would all work well!), for the regular spaghetti. Photo and recipe: Jen Sattley \/ Carlsbad Cravings<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

12. Crispy Oven \u201cFried\u201d Chicken<\/a><\/h3>\n

With just 175 calories and not a hint of gluten per piece, this buttermilk-marinated chicken dinner is perfect to serve at a potluck \u2014 especially one that includes other diet- (or wheat-) conscious diners. Pair it with a big vegetable salad or a side of roasted veggies for a well-balanced, high-protein meal. Photo and recipe: Carmen Sturdy \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>13 High-Protein Breakfasts to Start Your Day Strong<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Comfort<\/p>\n

13. Healthier Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese<\/a><\/h3>\n

This ooey gooey skillet casserole is a blast from childhood dinners past. It\u2019s made with macaroni noodles (again, try whole-wheat for added nutrition), ground beef, a squeeze of ketchup and plenty of cheddar cheese. It\u2019s basically two of everyone\u2019s favorite meals \u2014 burgers and mac and cheese \u2014 combined into one. Hidden veggies like onion, carrot, celery and red bell pepper get you even closer to your daily quota of vitamins and fiber. Photo and recipe: Allison Mattina \/ Celebrating Sweets<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More
\n<\/strong>8 Delicious Mac and Cheese Recipes You Can Feel Good About<\/a>
\n3-Ingredient Recipes to Save You Time and Money<\/a>
\n11 5-Minute Breakfast Recipes for Your Busiest Mornings<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cool weather means it\u2019s time to curl up to soup, pasta and more. Keep it light (but still heavy in comfort) with these slimmed down comfort food recipes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":62088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[423,425,27,424,9],"tags":[33,155,51,59,151,71,341,388],"class_list":["post-62054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breakfast","category-dinner","category-healthy","category-lunch","category-recipes","tag-breakfast","tag-dinner","tag-food-choices","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-lunch","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}