16 Clean Eating Comfort Foods

Comfort foods appeal to the eyes and the mind as much as they appeal to the taste buds. Some comfort meals evoke nostalgic memories while others make you feel more upbeat after a few bites. I love comfort food- especially on cold nights when you need to feel that delicious warmth from your favorite meals.

While growing up, our comfort foods were certainly tasty but heavily loaded with carbs and refined products. From mashed potatoes drenched in all kinds of gravies to all sugar-laden pies slathered with cream. The foods contained highly processed ingredients and the health implications of indulging in these could certainly prove catastrophic over time. I still love my comfort foods, but now they have a clean eating twist.

More fresh ingredients like fresh produce, lean meats and organic dairy are what I use now when it comes to preparing comfort foods for me and my family, and you can too. To get you started, here’s a list of 16 clean eating comfort food recipes I absolutely adore!

Mushroom Stroganoff

This stroganoff is so delicious from the first bite you won’t be able to stop eating until your plate is cleaned off. The star ingredient of this dish is the vegetable stock, which addsserious depth of flavor to the dish.

Carrot Pigs In A Blanket

My kids adore these bite sized treats because they are so easy to put together and a lot of fun to make. This finger food is as yummy as it is healthy, and the sizes help you control your portions.

Chocolate Cupcakes With Strawberry Filling

What better way to use juicy fresh strawberries than to hide them in chocolate cupcakes? These are a favorite dessert of mine. And the best part, this recipe is 100% vegan! These would be a big hit during Christmas dinners or even for a solo self-love feast.

Taco Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is colorful, tasty and quite rich even though it’s really healthy. The cilantro, cumin, and paprika make the filling irresistibly aromatic and flavorful. Make a few extras- you won’t mind having these leftovers around!

Eggplant Lasagna

No noodles here- instead eggplant is the star of this lasagna. Although, is it technically lasagna if there are no noodles? I vote yes and after one bite of this cheesy, marinara and veggie laden dish, I bet you will too!  This is a great recipe for vegetarians and can be tweaked for vegans as well.

Cauliflower Pizza With Greek Yogurt Pesto & Grilled Veggies

I love this recipe so much! Cauliflower pizza crust is a little bit chewy and a little bit crunchy. There is a reason cauliflower is taking over our Pinterest feeds- this stuff is good! It’s a very versatile pizza- feel free to top with your personal favorite toppings!

Double Chocolate Brownies

These decadent brownies are the ideal comfort food I indulge in occasionally: they’re whole grain, lighter on sugar and packed with goodies like yogurt, chocolate and walnuts.  These are best enjoyed with a cup of milk.

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

These overloaded golden brown delicacies are such a hit any day. It’s a flexible recipe that can be tweaked in so many ways to suit even the pickiest eaters.

Healthy French Toast

What is better than slices of bread dipped in seasoned eggs and fried to a crispy brown? French toast one of the runners-up in any comfort food lineup and this recipe is just mouthwatering, to say the least. The stevia as a sweetener is a very welcome alternative to sugar.

Asian Fried Rice

Cauliflower strikes again! This time it’s in the form of rice. Although this dish doesn’t actually have any rice at all, I bet you won’t miss it at all. This paleo-friendly dish is healthy, filling and loaded with flavors and aromas that tickle the taste buds with each bite.  You can substitute the bacon with tempeh slices or even use mushrooms.

Chicken Fried Cauliflower

Cauliflowers are culinary wildcards. They can do so much and be so much! This recipe takes cauliflower from white and basic to golden and savory. It tastes almost as good as chicken. Serve with any sauce of your choice.

Healthy Chili Bean and Bulgur Burgers

Who doesn’t love burgers? These burgers made wholly out of kidney beans and bulgur wheat served between whole wheat muffins are so delicious and juicy, you wouldn’t know the difference.

Creamy Vegan Mint Brownie Ice Cream

Ice cream is a knight of the comfort foods realm. Everyone loves ice cream. And this vegan ice cream recipe is so rich and creamy. The mint flavor gives a zing to this scoop of edible joy. This is definitely a love at first bite affair.

Vegan Key Lime Pie With Coconut Crust

What’s not to love about key lime pie? Sweet, tart, and absolutely divine. This recipe kicks this well-loved recipe up a notch with the crumbly coconut crust. My kids love this melt-in-your-mouth dish as a dessert.

Delicious Organic Vegetarian Taco

Family movie night in my home is almost always a taco night. And the best way to get my little taco lovers to eat more veggies is by encasing them in a taco shell. They are colorful and easy to whip up. And the toppings can be tweaked to suit your tastes.

Organic Meatloaf

Now, this recipe brings back loads of childhood memories when meatloaf was equal to cake and we always cleaned off our plates. In this organic healthier version, the breadcrumbs have been replaced with quinoa and coconut milk is used in place of regular milk. An oldie, but a goody (and still a favorite in my house!)