It’s pretty easy to reduce the calorie count in all your favorite comfort foods without compromising on flavor. By using a few simple tricks, you can lighten up classic dishes and keep them tasting delicious. Learn how to easily swap ingredients and change cooking techniques to enjoy your favorite foods with fewer calories.
What is low-calorie comfort food?
Low-calorie comfort food has everything you love about traditional comfort foods but is made with healthier options. These foods still provide feelings of warmth and goodness along with the usual deep, robust flavors. Once you learn how to strike that balance, you can have all that comfort without all those calories.
By learning how to make smart swaps in your cooking, you’ll be able to enjoy the nostalgia of classics like juicy meatloaf with lighter versions. Simple substitutions can lower the calorie count while creating a luscious mouthfeel and flavor. They make all the difference to the dish.
Reasons to make healthier foods
You can eat the dishes you love without feeling bad about it with low-calorie comfort food. On top of that, it’s a great strategy for your long-term health, too. The more often you eat deep-fried foods, the higher your risk for chronic illnesses like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
A high-calorie diet also makes people fatter. By choosing healthier options, you can help prevent these dangers. Incorporating more vegetables into whatever you’re making not only adds more nutrients but also more fiber, which aids with digestion and helps keep you feeling full.
An article by The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity indicates that individuals who consume home-cooked meals five or more days a week ingest more fruits and vegetables. This simple habit is behind some of the best health outcomes. They’re 28% less likely to have an overweight BMI and 24% less likely to be classified as having excess body fat.
Adding whole grains, lean sources of protein and healthy fats creates amazing flavor while making comfort food more nutritious. Meanwhile, these ingredients help you glow from the inside out.
This is especially important during colder months as some foods can help boost your immune system. That way, you can enjoy the comfort foods you love, with the added comfort of knowing they’re good for your health.
Use more vegetables
Vegetables are your greatest allies in making healthier comfort foods. Not only do they add incredible depth of flavor and texture, but they’re also loaded with amazing nutrients. Consider mixing in broccoli, cauliflower or leafy greens such as spinach or kale. Swapping half the potatoes in your mash with cauliflower saves on both carbs and calories.
By simply adding more veggies, you’re not only making your meals more nutritious but also filling this major nutritional gap. Consider replacing pasta with whole wheat pasta or low-carb options like Japanese shirataki noodles or spiralized zucchini. These alternatives are usually less caloric and more fibrous, helping to keep their diet in check.
For sauces, tomato-based sauces are perfect. They are often much lower in calories than cream-based sauces and add a deep, savory flavor that goes well with various dishes. Pick tomato-based sauces to enjoy delicious comfort foods, like taco spaghetti or lasagna, while sipping fewer calories.
Ditch frying
Baking or air frying is a better cooking method than frying because it cuts down on the amount of oil required, making the entire dish much lower in calories. A great example is making chicken breast in the oven or air fryer instead of frying it. It provides you with that crunchiness you crave without all of the oil.
Baking or air frying chicken and potatoes together will give your dish a beautiful golden brown color, crunchy exterior and deep flavor. Plus, it eliminates all the added unhealthy fats from frying. If oil is needed, use a measuring spoon to control added calories instead of drizzling the oil over the food. This small change will have a big effect on how many calories are packed into all of your meals.
Focus on portion control
Portion control should be an important part of any dietary plan. Even comfort foods can be part of a healthy lifestyle when consumed in moderation. Encourage smaller servings by using smaller plates or bowls. Simply making smaller meat patties is a powerful way to cut fat.
Simple swaps
Sometimes simple swaps can have the most significant impact. For example, opt for lower-fat cheese or dairy substitutes to reduce saturated fat.
Cutting back on the cheese by a third or a quarter in recipes like oven-baked mac and cheese is also an easy swap. For example, you can use a cornstarch slurry combined with water or broth to thicken your cheese soups instead of the added cheese. This technique preserves that silky quality while reducing calories.
Herbs are another great way to boost flavor without packing on the calories. Fresh or dried herbs such as basil, oregano or thyme can boost flavor and add health benefits, making dishes more aromatic and appealing without adding high-calorie ingredients like butter or bacon.
Pick lean or extra-lean ground beef and turkey for 15% fat or less. That way, your comfort foods can be lighter but still just as delicious and satisfying. These swaps balance the dishes you love with healthier options without sacrificing deliciousness.
Choose whole grains over refined
Making the switch to whole grains is an excellent decision. The most recent dietary guidelines recommend that you fill at least half your grains each day with whole grains. This easy swap provides almost double the fiber, plus a boost of vitamins and minerals.
Replace white rice with brown rice or quinoa. Change white bread to whole-grain or whole-wheat bread. These swaps will improve flavor while also improving digestive health and keeping you feeling fuller longer.
Explore lighter dessert options
Reducing calories in desserts can be simple and delicious with a few smart swaps. For instance, Greek yogurt can be a great substitute for heavy cream or butter, adding creaminess and moisture while cutting down on calories and fat. Zero-calorie sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit can replace sugar, providing the same level of sweetness without the added calories. These changes not only make your desserts healthier but also keep them just as enjoyable.
Additionally, using ingredients like unsweetened applesauce or pureed fruits and vegetables can replace some of the butter or oil, adding natural sweetness and moisture. Whole wheat flour can be used instead of regular flour for added fiber and nutrients. Swapping regular milk or cream with unsweetened almond milk, or using egg whites instead of whole eggs, are other easy ways to reduce calories. These substitutions help maintain the flavor and texture of your favorite desserts while making them a bit more health conscious.
Make healthier cooking a priority
By focusing on easy exchanges, clever cooking techniques and more vegetables, you can keep the flavor of your food decadent and the calories at bay. Flavoring your foods with herbs and spices can enhance flavor while eliminating the need for added fat. Pick whole grains to build flavorful comfort food. It’s small changes like these that can make a world of difference, allowing us to indulge in our favorite comfort foods without the guilt.
Experiment with these pro tips in your kitchen to change the way you cook comfort food. You’ll discover that healthy cooking isn’t boring. You’ll get the satisfaction of enjoying delicious comfort food without all the calories.
Lisa MarcAurele is a blogger and cookbook author based in Connecticut. She created Little Bit Recipes to help people save money by minimizing leftovers when cooking for one or two people. Lisa enjoys hiking and taking scenic day trips around New England.