Winter comfort foods are cozy and nostalgic, but they’re often high in fat, salt, and carbs. The good news is that you can still enjoy your favorites with a few simple tweaks that make them lighter and more nutritious.
Easy Ways to Lighten Comfort Foods
You can improve almost any comfort food by swapping ingredients or changing how you cook it.
Soup Swap Ideas:
- Substitute olive oil for the butter when sautéing the ingredients.
- Use light whipping cream or milk to replace the half-and-half that thickens the soup.
- If the recipe calls for cheese, choose a low-fat variety or simply reduce by a third or a quarter the amount you were going to add. (If the recipe calls for one cup of cheese, reduce the amount to 2/3 or ¾ cup.)
Ways to Thicken Soup Without Dairy
To keep the saturated fat lower, try any of these options:
- Cornstarch slurry: Mix ½ tablespoon cornstarch with 1 cup of water or broth.
- Make a slurry with flour, using a tablespoon of flour to a cup of liquid. Be sure to bring the soup to a boil while stirring in since it’s the heat that activates the slurry and helps with the thickening.
- Mix equal parts soy milk and silken tofu. Bonus—this adds more protein to the soup.
- Sauté minced garlic, celery, and carrots until opaque, then add whatever chopped veggies you enjoy—broccoli, cauliflower, greens—with herbs and spices and a couple of diced red potatoes, a sweet potato, or winter squash. Add low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for an hour. Once the vegetables, including the potatoes, have softened, use an immersion blender to puree the mixture into a creamy texture.
- Roasted veggies: Roast your favorite vegetables, blend them with broth, and add beans, chicken, or whole grains if you like.
Other Comfort Food Twists
- Chili: Use skinless chicken or turkey instead of beef or use beans as the protein. Include non-starchy veggies in the chili. Serve over whole grains or greens.
- Risotto: Try using quinoa instead of rice to boost the fiber and protein in this dish. Use olive oil instead of butter. Add mushrooms, spinach, or fennel to boost the non-starchy vegetables in this dish.
- Pasta: Choose whole‑wheat or higher protein pasta to help slow down digestion of carbs or lower carb noodles like shirataki noodles or spiralized zucchini.
- Burgers: Use ground chicken or turkey, beans or lentils, Add non-starchy veggies and serve on a whole‑grain bun or lettuce wrap.
- Mashed potatoes: Use half potatoes and half turnips, parsnips, or cauliflower. Blend with olive oil, a little milk, and herbs.
- Lasagna: Use whole‑grain noodles, part‑skim cheeses, and lots of vegetables—or replace noodles with thin slices of eggplant or zucchini.
- Meatloaf: Use lean ground chicken, turkey or veggies instead of beef.
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