15 Delicious Lightened-Up Versions of Your Favorite Comfort Foods

Now that 2016 is upon us and your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier has been made, it’s time to formulate a game plan to make sure you don’t fall off course come February. That doesn’t mean you have to survive on just salads or give up all your favorite comfort foods like chicken pot pie and pizza. Especially when there are plenty of lightened-up 30-minute recipes you can make at home or right in your slow cooker, some of which will even give you plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. Here are 15 delcious lightened-up versions of your favorite comfort foods.

Lighter New England Clam Chowder

Made with milk instead of heavy cream and thickened with pureed potatoes, this soup is your new go-to cold-weather meal. Top with chives and crispy bacon crumbles, then dig in. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Lightened Up Beef Enchilada

Switch out your regular flour tortillas for whole wheat ones. Once these beef enchiladas, which can also be made with turkey, chicken or pork, are covered in that delicious red sauce, the only thing you’ll notice is how delicious they are. (via How Sweet It Is)

Skinny Chicken Pot Pie

This quintessential comfort meal is lightened up with a phyllo dough crust and loaded with fresh veggies. Skip the melted butter on the crust and use coconut oil instead to get the same golden brown color while making this one meal your resolution will approve of. (via Cooking for Keeps)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

While the texture of this pizza might be a little different than the takeout variety, it’s still a nice treat when you’re trying to cut down on your carb intake. An egg and seasonings are added to finely grated cauliflower and formed into a circle, then baked until crispy and brown. Add your favorite toppings, like turkey pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake again for a quick five minutes. (via Our Best Bites)

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

By reducing the amount of butter and replacing the heavy cream with a combination of chicken broth and low-fat milk, you can enjoy a big bowl of creamy Alfredo pasta without canceling out all the hard work you did in the gym this morning. The best part? It takes less than 20 minutes to make. Bon appétit! (via Love Grows Wild)

Beef Stroganoff

Thinly sliced top sirloin steak and baby bella mushrooms make this dish feel indulgent without making you change into your stretchy pants afterwards. The usually heavy sauce is made healthier with Greek yogurt, but you’ll never taste the difference. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Baked “Fried” Chicken

This may sound too good to be true, but you’ll be a believer as soon as you taste the buttermilk-marinated chicken coated in a mix of flour, panko breadcrumbs and cornmeal. Bake the coated tenders on a tiny pat of melted butter and flip each piece halfway through to achieve the scrumptious fried taste and texture without the extra oil and grease. (via Carl’s Bad Cravings)

Skinny Lasagna Rolls

Whole wheat lasagna noodles and part-skim ricotta and mozzarella are the keys to making your favorite Italian dish fit for 2016 without sacrificing on flavor. Make a batch on Sunday afternoon and you’ll have lunch ready for the rest of the week. (via Primavera Kitchen)

Spicy Thai Coconut Soup

This coconut-based soup is full of mushrooms, bell peppers and the unmistakable Thai flavors of ginger and coriander. Each bite is like an explosion of flavor in your mouth, and since it’s good for you, you don’t have to feel guilty when you go back for seconds (and thirds). (via Fit Girls Habits)

Cauliflower Pasta Alfredo

Make your homemade Alfredo sauce even lighter by taking out the cream and butter completely and replacing it with a whole head of cauliflower. Now you can get in your daily serving of veggies without even realizing it. (via Whole and Heavenly Oven)

Sesame Chicken and Quinoa

Put down the Chinese food menu and whip up this lighter version instead. Ditch the rice and serve your chicken over a bed of tasty quinoa and add in as many different vegetables as you want, or keep it classic with sliced green onions. Either way, this one’ll satisfy all your cravings. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Lighter Chili Mac

Take a walk down memory lane with this childhood classic. Cut the amount of pasta you’d normally use in half and you can eat all you want. And since this is full of black beans, green chilies and Monterey jack cheese, you’re going to want a heaping helping. (via Taste and Tell)

Light Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Fat-free half and half is to thank for this one. With only 200 calories per bowl, this light one-pot dish will quickly become a staple on cold winter days to come. (via Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Thin chicken breasts are coated in whole wheat bread crumbs and baked until crispy and golden brown. Top each one with marinara sauce and cheese and you’ll be enjoying classic comfort food without the extra oil you’d get if you fried the chicken. (via Skinny Taste)

Skinny Loaded Potato Soup

Not only is this hearty soup lightened up thanks to low-fat chicken broth and half and half, but you can also make the whole thing right in your slow cooker. That’s what you call a win-win recipe. (via The Cookie Rookie)