2,691 light recipes

Reduced-sugar chocolate cake uses egg substitute, margarine, and nonfat dry milk for a lighter tender cake. Cake flour gives a fine crumb in a 9-inch pan, cut into 16 modest squares.

Applesauce cinnamon bread for the bread machine, with buttermilk for tang and a full tablespoon of cinnamon for serious spice. An eight-ingredient yeast loaf that loads and starts in under 5 minutes.

Low and slow baby back ribs rubbed overnight and smoked for 5 hours with homemade BBQ sauce. Eight full racks feed a crowd and deliver that fall-off-the-bone tenderness every pitmaster chases.

Individual fruit crumbles baked in ramekins with a crunchy oat, almond, and brown sugar topping. Use any fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand for a lighter, healthier dessert in under 40 minutes.

Low fat yogurt onion dip blends plain yogurt with grated onion, lemon juice, parsley, horseradish, and a dash of hot sauce. A lighter alternative to sour cream onion dip with the same satisfying tang.

A delicious ginger bread is made with whole wheat flour, several spices, brown sugar and molasses. It's moist, tasty and packed with flavor. A great snack or a lighter dessert with a cup of coffee.

Chicken thighs coated in a Dijon mustard egg wash and baked with a basil-paprika breadcrumb crust until golden and crisp. A lighter oven-fried chicken with a tangy, spicy kick in just 40 minutes.

A lighter take on classic potato salad using low-fat cottage cheese and just a touch of mayo. Packed with celery, green pepper, pimento, and olives for a single-serving side that's full of crunch.

Low-fat pie crust made with a blend of unbleached and whole wheat pastry flour and margarine. A lighter, flaky shell for savory pies and quiches with a simple blind-bake option for fruit fillings.

A thin-crust homemade pizza baked on hot tiles for a crisp base, with garlic oil, tomato sauce, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cottage cheese in place of mozzarella. A lighter, vegetable-loaded family-night pie.

A no-egg, no-butter, no-milk chocolate cake you can mix right in the pan. Eight pantry staples, 40 minutes, and zero cleanup headaches. The classic "wacky cake" that's been saving dessert since the Depression era.

A lighter chocolate mousse made with low-calorie pudding mix, skim milk, and whipped egg whites sweetened with fructose. A hint of Grand Marnier adds elegance to this diabetic-friendly dessert that still feels like a treat.

Mom's French toast soaks white bread slices in cinnamon-vanilla egg substitute, then griddles them golden in margarine. A lighter take on the breakfast classic without sacrificing the crisp-edge, custardy-center texture. Six ingredients, 30 minutes.

Peanut butter crescents wrap refrigerated crescent rolls around a brown sugar peanut butter filling, then drizzle them with a peanut butter glaze. Eight rolls in 35 minutes from a single tube of dough. Quick breakfast pastry win.

A lighter take on classic stroganoff using canned tuna simmered in chicken broth with tomato sauce, mushrooms, and a creamy swirl of low-fat yogurt. Budget-friendly, low-fat comfort food that's on the table in 45 minutes.

Potato chowder with diced potatoes, grated carrot, and onion simmered in chicken broth, then finished with a creamy skim milk base thickened by a flour slurry. A lighter chowder with all the comfort and none of the heaviness.