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The Best Tips & Tricks for Light and Fresh Recipes

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated January 6, 2021
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Skillet
As we attempt to add more veggies and lighter dishes into our menu planning, look to Betty for inspiration! From clever tips for cutting calories or dialing down the spice to helpful tips for making the best even better, we love the wisdom our home cooks have to share that’s why we’ve rounded up these can’t-miss comments for you to enjoy!

The Recipes that Shot Straight to Five Stars

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

While we’ll never stop making the classic Stuffed Peppers recipe, we also love finding new ways to make traditional recipes feel fresh and new. That’s how the idea for this lighter, brighter recipe was born, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive—we’re glad you’re enjoying the recipe as much as we do! We’ve also enjoyed seeing how fellow cooks like Louiepatti and MacMinneapolis have used clever swaps to make this recipe their very own.

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And MichMomof4 discovered a shortcut that worked for her family:

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Whether you made the recipe to the letter or discovered a variation of your own, we’d like to hear from you!

Cilantro-Lime Skillet Chicken

Cilantro Lime Chicken Skillet

We know how much you love one-dish dinners. Easy prep, less cleanup and a flavorful meal — what’s not to love? So, we were very excited to hear what everyone thought of the Cilantro-Lime Skillet Chicken, a recipe fresh from the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens.

Not only is did this recipe shoot straight to five stars but one of you has already come up with a new way to use the topping that goes with this recipe. Here’s a tip from Goulashgirl:

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We’ll be giving that a try soon!

Clever Ways to Cut Calories

Skinny Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

We know how hard it can be to resist comfort food in the middle of winter. That’s why we came up with a lightened-up version of Skinny Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake. This Italian-American favorite will satisfy your cravings without racking up more calories than you’d like.

A few of you have come up with some ways to cut calories even further. Check out these ideas from AceofStace and Shiva1005:

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The Most Controversial Recipe

While it’s certainly true you can’t please everyone, we always take interest when people just can’t seem to agree on a recipe. The Sheet-Pan Chicken Fried Rice is the latest example of a recipe that’s causing a lot of controversy. Some say this dish has “amazing flavor” and others say it’s “ok, not great.”

Our testers fell in love with the way the rice begins to caramelize where it makes contact with the pan, which is part of what makes traditional fried rice so delectable.

We hope you will give it a try — we’d love to hear more opinions!

One final word about this recipe, it was originally published with the wrong calorie count — the nutritional information has now been updated. Because it comes in under 400 calories/serving (380 to be exact), we hope you’ll be able to enjoy it guilt-free!

Sheet Pan Chicken Fried Rice

If You Can’t Take the Heat? Try These Tips.

Speaking of controversy, we know not everyone likes their food spicy. If that’s you, you can still enjoy our Smoky Beef and Brown Chili Rice recipe. Simply skip the smoked paprika and ground red pepper. If you still find the salsa too much, take a page out of reviewer Myrev’s book:

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We love hearing what you think and how you’re making these recipes your own, so please keep in touch! As always, we’re always happy to answer questions as they come up.

We hope your year is truly off to the right start!