Monday Coffee Break: Lightened Up Comfort Foods

Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to Monday Coffee break. To ring in the New Year, I thought I’d search the interwebs to bring you the very best of classic comfort foods that have been lightened up.

Now, I love butter, salt, cheese, and cream  probably more than anyone I know. Unfortunately, these items have been causing me to have a shrinking wardrobe in recent weeks.

Please God, no.

So, in an effort to avoid the above, or to avoid having to use a crow bar to get into my jeans, I’m trying to lighten things up in the kitchen a bit. Don’t be frightened- I will still be making luscious cream sauces, cheesy pastas, and hearty stick- to- your ribs dishes…but I will be peppering their presence throughout a week of meals that are much lighter.

Here are my finds for those classic comfort foods we’re all craving right about now…lightened up!

First up is this beautiful Sweet Potato Parmesan Gratin from Minimalist Baker. Yum!

Next, is another gratin. Mainly because if I could eat a gratin dish everyday I would. And with these lightened up versions I may just be able to AND be able to fit into my pants.

This Romanesco Gratin from The Country Spoon looks absolutely delightful, and, dare I say about  gratin dish, light!

Now we have a lighter version of one of my absolute favorite meals, Beouf Bourguignon. This version from Chit Chat…Chomp is lightened up (read: sans the pound of butter…I love you butter…please don’t leave me!…sniff, sniff…O.K. I’m back.) and looks ever still delish.

While I we’re in France, let’s stay a while. Speaking of France, I just signed myself up for a French pastry class, you know, French pastry. DIET FOOD. Ahem. I’ll report back on how that goes. But I digress, this Vegetable Cassoulet from The Faux Martha looks just perfect for a Winter supper.

And that sums up my favorite finds for lightened up classic comfort foods…except for one more dish. This, my friends, you will have to stop by on Thursday for. I made it. It was delicious. Hint: it is a pasta dish that usually contains about a truckload of cream, butter, and cheese. This version does not, but it is so delicious, it’s kind of insane. Until Thursday!

*All photo credits belong to the associated links for each delicious recipe