The best healthier comfort food recipes to have up your sleeve
Because we’re not willing to part with pasta.
What are comfort foods?
Often nostalgic in nature and capable of conjuring favourite memories, comfort foods are the dishes we turn to when we seek solace, sympathy, or we’re simply craving something indulgent. Be it steamy noodle soups, plentiful potato dishes, cheesy bakes, creamy pasta, robust roasts and decadent desserts, comfort dishes evoke joy and should, ideally, feel like a warm hug on a plate.
‘So what’s the issue here?’ we hear you ask. Well, unfortunately many of our favourite comfort foods are probably not ones a dietician would rush to recommend you eat regularly.
Alas, we have a solution.
Can you make comfort foods healthy?
With a few handy tweaks you can certainly make many of your favourite comfort dishes more nutrient dense, nourishing and lower in calories. Winner, winner, comforting dinner! We’ve picked some of our top swaps that’ll mean you can enjoy cooking comforting food with added peace of mind (and an added piece of pizza). That’s Taste math.
Which comfort foods can you make healthy?
Whether it’s a weeknight dinner, a sweet treat or a crowd-feeding entertaining recipe, these recipes bring a healthier touch (with no less comfort) to your table.
Pizza
A go-to, comfort-giving take-away food, pizza is easy to make healthier. These two summer pizza topping recipes are lighter, brighter and topped with fresh veggies, making this a better-for-you swap on a pizza night. And, thanks to the use of store-bought pizza bases, they require minimal effort, too. Hooray. Now to choose which movie to stream.
Cheesecake
There are few desserts as comforting as a silky cheesecake. These zesty little lemon cheesecakes are a better-for-you treat thanks to their secret ingredient: protein-rich cottage cheese! These might just change the way you make cheesecake forever.
Butter chicken with ‘rice’
Oof! When the idea of take-away is floated on a Friday night, it’s hard to go past the local Indian restaurant’s menu – and butter chicken is a firm favourite order in many Australian homes. This homemade, salt-reduced butter chicken is served alongside some seriously wholesome ingredients in its jewelled cauliflower ‘rice’ that’s dappled with peas, pistachios and mint. Warning: there’s very little chance you’ll have leftovers for lunch.
Fish pie
A feel-good fish pie that’s every bit as delicious as its comforting counterpart, our version is topped with 3 types of vegetables. In fact, there are 6 varieties of veggies in this warming pie that’s bound to bring comfort at dinnertime.
Chicken drumsticks
Do away with greasier fried chicken. These golden, baked chicken drumsticks get their crispy crunch from – wait for it – Cornflakes and bread crumbs. Served with baked potato, lemon wedges and mixed salad, this is not your average drive-thru chicken.
Grilled steak with mash
Meat and mash: it’s a classic combo. And now, we’ve made it more nutritious too. There’s something special about this mash: instead of potato we’ve teamed white beans and cauliflower with rosemary, lemon and garlic to create a flavourful side that brings extra health-giving oomph to your dinner.
Potato salad
Did your parents always tell you to eat your greens? Well look at you now. Whether it’s made for a picnic provision, a Christmas lunch or even for a hearty lunch box filler, potato salad is a welcomed sight. Now, the addition of a creamy green goddess dressing (made with Greek yoghurt and plenty of greens) means you can get your fill of verdant, good-for-you ingredients while enjoying this entertainer’s delight.
Chilli con carne with sweet potato dippers
Comfort in a bowl (perfect for devouring while curled up on the couch), chilli con carne is a great make-ahead meal you can pull out of the fridge or freezer after a long day. Topped with avocado and a dollop of sour cream, and served with sweet potato dippers, this one’s a gateway to good feels and good health.
Gingerbread apple pie
There are few desserts as wholesome as an apple pie. A great gift for a friend in need (or to treat yourself), this healthier spin on the classic is much lower in sugar than the average apple pie and its crust is made from wholemeal and spelt flours. Fresh ginger gives the filling a kick, and a combination of yoghurt and light sour cream forms an ideal accompaniment to this a-peel-ing dish.
Lemon chicken
Arriving on the table faster than the time it’ll take a delivery driver to reach you, this healthier Chinese lemon chicken recipe will have you saying ‘ta-ta’ to take-away. Featuring all the hallmark flavours of the sweet-and-sticky original, minus the deep pool of oil for frying, and with the addition of brown rice, you’ll soon be adding this recipe to your comfort dish repertoire rather than your online cart.
Pesto fettuccine
While this fettuccine pasta may resemble a regular comfort food recipe (and taste like one, too), it’s stealthily living a double life as a protein-boosted, nourishing, plant-based meal with plenty of edamame and walnuts thrown in for good measure. Does that mean we can have second helpings? It’s called balance.
Lamb leg and spiced ‘rice’
A crowd-pleasing feast that packs a flavourful punch, this robustly spiced lamb leg with cauliflower ‘rice,’ (a low-cal, low-carb swap for white rice) is bound to impress at your next group gathering. Just save some leftovers for a dose of mid-week comfort or a fabulous lunch.
Cheesy cheddar rice bake
Cheese and comfort dishes go hand in hand, and this rice bake delivers on the stretchy, golden top. We’ve added brown rice instead of white and plenty of broccoli to make this a better-for-you bake that your whole family (including its youngest members) will draw comfort from.
Strawberry soft serve
Spark joy with this two-ingredient strawberry soft serve that’s made entirely from fruit! It’s a speedy dessert that’s ideal for vegans and lactose- or gluten-intolerant folk, and is incredibly easy to make. Freeze strawberries and bananas overnight, blitz together and serve as you please (in a waffle basket is never a bad idea!).
Cottage pie
Cottage pie prompts memories of delicious home-cooked meals for many, and his healthier iteration sees a savoury lentil base topped with a spiced vegetable mash. But believe us when we say it’s no less comforting than its beefier, potato-topped friend. Try it and see!
Superfood lasagne
A meal that’s commonly delivered to doorsteps by loved ones during hard times, lasagne has long been associated with nurturing. This vegetarian, superfood-filled lasagne is brimming with healthy ingredients (think spinach, kale and mushrooms) and layered with flavourful additions (hello, pesto and napolitana sauce). No side salad required!
Fried rice
Okay, we have to confess: this rice is not, in fact, fried. But, our oven-baked version of fried rice is the antidote to a busy week. Take reprieve with this easy, healthier brown rice baked dinner that is warming, full of flavour and easy to toss together.
Pear and raspberry crumble
Designed by our Nutrition Editor, Chrissy Freer, this pear and raspberry crumble recipe is free from refined sugar and boasts a maple-infused crumble. As well as being low in fat, it’s also topped with gut-loving yoghurt – and wouldn’t be out of place at breakfast time. Don’t mind if we do (help ourselves to another bowl).
Creamy chicken noodle soup
Creamy, generously spiced and chock-full of comforting-yet-healthy ingredients, including chicken and ginger plus slurp-worthy vermicelli noodles, this chicken noodle soup is a brothy bowl of comfort.
Seeking more better-for-you comfort food recipes? Try these:
- Secretly healthier comfort food dishes
- Ultimate vegan comfort food recipes
- Quickest ever weeknight comfort foods
Originally published as The best healthier comfort food recipes to have up your sleeve
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