15 Low Carb Versions of Your Favorite Comfort Food

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Comfort food; it’s comforting. That was simple and to the point, right? The truth is that we all have our favorite forms of comfort food. I like a good old-fashioned pepperoni pizza when I need comforting. Or spaghetti and meatballs or biscuits and gravy; chocolate chip cookies, coffee, red wine and a rum and diet coke also work for me, not that I think that the last three count as food, but you know what I mean. Comfort food is the stuff that makes you feel better. It’s the ice cream after a break up. It’s the sourdough bread your grandmother used to make herself. It’s the stuff that reminds you of childhood; it’s food that illicit happy memories and a feeling of home.

Comfort food is magical, but we all know it goes straight to our thighs (stomach, behind…never our breasts, though, because that would be welcome). It’s fattening and carb-filled and completely unhealthy in every manner, and we love it. But nothing is comforting about the guilt we feel after eating two slices of pepperoni pizza, three garlic knots and four slices of a giant cookie. Nothing. That’s why sometimes you have to find a healthier alternative to your favorite comfort foods that will eliminate the guilt and give you a good reason to get nice and comfortable on a more regular basis. We have alternatives that will minimize the carbs in 15 of your favorite comfort foods. Go ahead and thank us now.

Eggplant Parmesan

Instead of making it the unhealthy way, let’s let go of the breadcrumbs. They’re the worst part to begin with, so let’s leave them out and have a much healthier version of this amazing meal. You will thank yourself for leaving them out.

Cauliflower Pizza

Skip the bready crust and just add some cauliflower in. You can make it a million different ways each pleasing to the palette, which should make you happy. The best part is that it’s actually pretty simple, so there is very little effort to make learning a bunch of new tricks on your part.

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed potatoes are such a favorite, but why do we not think that we can eat them in a healthier manner? We can. Instead of mashing potatoes and eating what is nothing more than a glorified pot of mashed carbs, let’s replace this one with cauliflower and make it healthier all the way around.

Lettuce BLT

Who doesn’t love a BLT? Doesn’t it remind you of summer days with your friends and family? Evenings on the porch while the sun sets and everyone is in a wonderful mood? That’s what it reminds me of, and that’s why I love it. Instead of using bread, wrap your BLT in lettuce and make it a real BLT.

Cauliflower Tots

Tater tots are a way of life for some people because we grew up with them a few decades ago. But we didn’t know then that they were quite so bad for us. Now we do, so let’s go ahead and bake ourselves some cauliflower instead to make it a bit healthier, but just as delicious. Your kids might not even know the difference, to be honest.

Zucchini Noodle Alfredo

When you make noodle Alfredo, you use your favorite pasta, right? How about forgoing that and using your favorite zucchini noodles instead? It’s a healthier alternative to a wonderful favorite, and zucchini noodles are flavorful and quite delicious.

Cheeseburger Wraps

There comes a time when we all want a cheeseburger more than just about anything else. For me, it’s at the end of the day when I might have had a few too many cocktails at an event and just picked at little things here and there rather than having a meal. But the bread is so bad for me, so I like to wrap mine, instead, in lettuce. It’s just as good and just as filling.

Baked Zucchini Chips

Cut yourself some zucchini into very small slices and bake it on 350 for about 20 minutes. You’ll want to add some salt and pepper, some seasoning of your choice, and wait just a few minutes for them to bake so that you can enjoy the crisp, flavorful and exceptionally healthy alternative to your favorite chips.

Taco Peppers

There are only a few things I cook well, and tacos are one of them. But I know that they’re not necessarily the healthiest version of anything, so we like to stuff them in peppers instead of in shells. It makes them so much more flavorful and exotic, and it takes a very simple meal and turns it into something that looks so creative and lovely. It’s a crowd-pleaser that never fails to impress.

Spaghetti Squash

This one is quite simple; merely take your spaghetti noodles and ditch them in favor of squash. It’s simple, it’s easy and you can even ask for this in most restaurants now – if you need an example of just how popular this alternative really is. It’s good, and it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between the two.

Cauliflower and Cheese

Mac and cheese might be the most comforting comfort food of all time, and I’ve never in my life met anyone that doesn’t like it. In fact, my husband and his best friend make it a point to try the most exotic mac and cheese dishes all over the world when we travel in an effort to find one better than his late grandmothers. So far they should weight about a ton each, though they have not found a winner. If you’re not looking to eat all the carbs ever made in a bowl of mac and cheese, try some cauliflower on low with your favorite cheese in the crock pot as a safe alternative.

Turkey Burger Wraps

We love turkey burgers wrapped in lettuce and stuffed with all the best veggies, and it’s such an easy alternative to your everyday burger. And I promise you that no one is going to notice the difference between the two.

Fried Chicken

This is not going to be the most amazing substitution in the world, but it will work. Instead of frying your chicken, put it in some coconut oil and some almond flour and bake it until it’s done. It’s delicious and gives you that crispy feeling you’re looking for.

Lasagna

You can take the noodles right out of this dish and substitute it all for some very thinly sliced zucchini or some sliced eggplant. Both are filled with flavor and delicious, so you’re not going to wonder why you have no flavor left in your meal. You might even find that you prefer this to the alternative.

Grilled Cheese

All right, so you’re not going to get that typical low-cal exchange here, but you can make it a bit healthier. Our favorite way to do this is with a wonderful whole wheat bread and a more flavorful cheese with just a little bit of avocado. It’s more in tune with your health needs even if it is not the most carb-free meal you’re ever going to have.

Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for the New York Culinary Experience

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