7,151 light recipes

Pate sucree is the classic French sweet shortcrust pastry for tarts, with butter, sugar, egg, and flour. A buttery, slightly crisp shell that holds custards, fruit, and chocolate beautifully.

Maple pecan balls are buttery brown sugar cookies infused with maple extract and rolled around chopped pecans, each topped with a toasted pecan half. Tender, nutty, and built for holiday tins.

Shoofly pie with whipped cream, made with a corn syrup and molasses base, an egg-enriched filling, and a brown sugar crumb top. Sliced cool and topped with cold whipped cream.

Creamy chocolate tofu pie blends melted chocolate, honey, and silken tofu into a rich mousse-like filling in a graham crust. A four-ingredient no-bake dessert that tastes indulgent.

Mint macaroons with shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract in a crispy meringue base. Naturally gluten-free and light as air. Makes about 4 dozen.

Shrimp and crab enchiladas: corn tortillas filled with a simple bay-poached shrimp and crab meat mixture. A light seafood filling for a crowd of 20 enchiladas.

Baked orange roughy with stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and Italian herbs. A light, low-fat one-pan fish dinner with a thick vegetable sauce.

Easy drop dumplings for stew with just 5 pantry ingredients. Light, fluffy, and ready in 12 minutes. Drop by spoonfuls into any simmering stew and cover. No rolling or shaping needed.

Traditional Melton Mowbray pork pie with hand-raised hot water crust pastry, seasoned diced pork shoulder, and pork bone jelly. A classic British cold pie served chilled.

Shrimp and jicama salad dressed with a homemade jalapeño chile vinegar over sliced tomatoes and fresh tomatillos. A light, crunchy Mexican-inspired salad.

Double dill bread with dill seed and fresh dill weed in a cottage cheese yeast dough baked in a casserole. A tender, herb-packed whole wheat loaf.

Danish rice pudding (risalamande) with almond extract, folded whipped cream, and fresh raspberry sauce. A light, creamy Scandinavian Christmas dessert topped with whole almonds.

Fresh grapefruit cake made chiffon-style with separated eggs, grapefruit juice, grated peel, and cream of tartar. Light, airy, and citrus-bright.

Pastitsio with layered macaroni, seasoned ground beef in tomato-wine sauce, and creamy bechamel topped with kefalotiri cheese. A traditional Greek baked pasta casserole.

Ukrainian cheesecake made with sieved cottage cheese, lemon zest and folded egg whites for a light, custardy crumb that lives somewhere between a New York cheesecake and a souffle. Old-world Eastern European baking.

Lovelight chiffon yellow cake: feather-light two-layer yellow cake with a meringue folded into the batter for extra airiness. Classic 1950s tender-crumb cake.