Feel Good About Tucking Into These Healthier Comfort Foods

You can slip vitamins and fiber via sweet potatoes into your cheesy mac and no one will know. It’s not only a nutrient upgrade, but the sweet potatoes make the texture of the cheese sauce silkier.

If you want to reduce the saturated fat of your chili without sacrificing the flavor, swap ground turkey for beef. There’s also a ton of red kidney beans in this recipe, high in protein and fiber.

Chicken soup is already a pretty perfect food — great for your body when you’re sick and always soothing to your soul. If you want to punch it up, remove the noodles and add even more vegetables like parsnip and leek, in addition to carrot, celery and onion.

This pot pie recipe isn’t too rich, and it’s stocked with plenty of chicken and vegetables. To make it better, serve with whole wheat biscuits or bread or ditch the optional side crust altogether.

Lean ground turkey is a healthy ground beef swap, plus this recipe packs in lots of veggies, like bell peppers, carrots and onions. The recipe calls for gluten-free breadcrumbs, but you can always use regular breadcrumbs if that’s not a dietary concern.

A suggested substitution in this already veggie-packed recipe is to add in even more vegetables, like a cup of frozen peas. That’s a healthy portion of vitamins, magnesium, zinc and iron, not to mention protein and fiber.

For Giada De Laurentiis’ chicken parm, she does not deep fry her cutlets — she leaves the breading off altogether. You’ll still have the best parts (cheesy, saucy chicken), but now it’s pan-fried for less saturated fat and calories.

Use this recipe to clean out the veggies in your fridge. Zucchini, squash and onion are a good start, but different veggie combos would work here too, like corn, peppers and spinach.

Slurp up some noodles, but fortify them with a rainbow of crunchy vegetables that add color, texture and nutrition.

If you’re trying to eat more meatless mains, this recipe has the flavor and comfort you need, without meat. Mushrooms fill the void, along with adding an earthy umami flavor.

Lasagna is a comfort food-classic but it can be a health food staple, too, with all of these veggies: broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, carrot, spinach and onion.