Use It Up Challenge: Recipes with Reduced-Fat Sour Cream

By Darcy Lenz
April 20, 2016
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
The tangy flavor that sour cream adds to potatoes and dips is downright irresistible, but don't stop there. Here are a more places you'll want to drop a dollop of richness.
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Strawberries with Whipped Sour Cream

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Strawberries with Whipped Sour Cream

Sour cream adds a subtle tartness to this whipped topping and provides stability so you can make it hours before serving.

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Fresh Herb Omelet

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Fresh Herb Omelet

A dollop of sour cream makes this omelet tender and oh so delicious.

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Roasted Potato Salad

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Roasted Potato Salad

A dressing of tangy sour cream, green onions, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard adds zest to chunks of roasted potatoes smothered in olive oil.

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Green Goddess Dressing

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Green Goddess Dressing

Perfect as a salad topping or a dip, this insanely popular dressing earns rave reviews for its infusion of fresh herbs and creamy blend of sour cream, Greek yogurt, and mayonnaise.

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Eggs Benedict

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Eggs Benedict

The real kicker on this breakfast classic is the buttery, luscious hollandaise sauce. We lighten it up with a mixture of silken tofu and reduced-fat sour cream. When poaching eggs, choose the freshest possible; the white adheres to the yolk better, making for an easier, cleaner poach.

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Rich Chocolate Mousse

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Rich Chocolate Mousse

A splash of coconut milk adds richness to silken tofu, the mousse's secret ingredient, while whipped egg whites give volume in place of heavy cream. Dates lend natural sweetness with notes of caramel and honey. Don't give in to temptation too soon—the mousse needs to chill at least 8 hours to set properly. Serve chilled with fresh berries.

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Citrus Upside-Down Cake with Sour Whipped Cream

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Citrus Upside-Down Cake with Sour Whipped Cream

Like salt, sour's contrasting flavor keeps sweetness in check, ultimately boosting it to its sweetest potential.

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Chicken Cordon Bleu

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu

For extra-crispy sandwiches, weigh them down in the pan by placing a heavy skillet on top while they sizzle.

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Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Blackberry-Zinfandel Compote

Photo: Howard L. Puckett
View Recipe: Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Blackberry-Zinfandel Compote
This light but rich-tasting dessert is perfect for a quick get-together dinner. Bonus: it's super duper easy to prepare ahead of time.
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Skillet Chicken with Seared Avocados

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Skillet Chicken with Seared Avocados

The tiniest bit of sugar helps the avocado halves char in the pan, adding robust toasty flavor.

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Sour Cream Donuts

Photo: Tara Donne
View Recipe: Sour Cream Donuts

Oven-ready in just 20 minutes, our whole-grain donuts are much lighter in calories and sugar than the typical sour cream cake donut. Topped with a touch of glaze and crunchy pecans, these delightful bites are a truly satisfying breakfast treat.

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Jalapeño-Cheddar Corn Muffins

Photo Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Jalapeño-Cheddar Corn Muffins
These hot and spicy cheddar-pepper muffins are sure to give you a little taste of fire. Seed the jalapeño for less heat. You can also use fresh corn kernels in place of the frozen corn.
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Fresh Ginger Cake with Candied Citrus Glaze

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Fresh Ginger Cake with Candied Citrus Glaze

Round and ring-shaped cakes are most common for New Year’s celebrations, a wish for a fulfilling, complete year. The Bundt is about as decorative a ring as you’re likely to find, and the perfect way to end your feast. Fresh ginger, ginger ale, and tart candied kumquats have the zing that will put a spring in your first step of the New Year. And malty, sweet golden cane syrup in the cake batter continues the prosperity theme.

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Fig, Ham, and Ricotta Pizza

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Fig, Ham, and Ricotta Pizza

Ricotta cheese is dreamy and our homemade version is simply the best you'll ever taste. It's silky and creamy, milky and slightly sweet, moist and never grainy. The cheese is delicious eaten by the spoonful, and once you've had your fill of it unadorned, you can turn it into an array of dishes that are as healthful as they are delectable.

Thinned out a little and made creamier, ricotta can be used as both the sauce and the cheese for pizzas and flatbreads. Top pizza dough with a ricotta cheese mixture, figs, onion, and ham to make this quick weeknight meal.

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Chicken Verde Enchiladas

Photo: Andrew Purcell
View Recipe: Chicken Verde Enchiladas

Shredded chicken verde enchiladas are a sure-fire winner at the dinner table. Expedite the chicken shredding by inserting two forks into the meat while it is still warm, then pull apart to shred.

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Baked Potato Soup

View Recipe: Baked Potato Soup

A creamy classic, our version of baked potato soup is rich, warming, filling, and only around 330 calories per serving. Garnish with cheese, onions, bacon, and cracked pepper when ready to eat.

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Roasted Beets with Jalapeño Cream

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Roasted Beets with Jalapeño Cream

A creamy jalapeño dressing livens up earthy roasted beets. Seed the pepper for less heat.

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Sour Cream and Onion Dip

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Sour Cream and Onion Dip

Serve this creamy dip with carrot and celery batons, sliced bell pepper, or pita chips.

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Sour Cream, Cheddar, and Chive Potato Waffles

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: View Recipe: Sour Cream, Cheddar, and Chive Potato Waffles

Using a potato pancake mix, which you'll find at the market near the instant mashed potatoes, cut preparation time. Serve as a side dish with beef or pork.

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Strawberries with Crunchy Almond Topping

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: View Recipe: Strawberries with Crunchy Almond Topping

This easy but stylish dessert is best made early in the day to let the strawberries macerate in the sweetened almond liqueur.

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Cheesy Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Photo: Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Cheesy Spinach-Artichoke Dip

This slow-cooker spinach-artichoke dip is so rich and satisfying, you won't even know that it's low in fat and calories, too!

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Fresh Corn Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream

View Recipe: Fresh Corn Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream

Traditional blinis consist of flour pancakes topped with sour cream and caviar, but our version features sweet corn pancakes topped with cold-smoked salmon and homemade chive cream. These easy apps are a great way to use up extra corn-on-the-cob you might have picked up at the market.

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Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Add tangy zest to a mild-flavored classic with this recipe. It has the quintessential rich-and-creamy texture of mashed potatoes, while adding visual appeal with skin-on red potatoes and taste appeal with sour cream, buttermilk, and herbs.

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New-Fashioned Apple and Raisin Slaw

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: New-Fashioned Apple and Raisin Slaw

"This slaw is a healthier version of an original family recipe. It is creamy and delicious, and takes about five minutes to make." -Kelly McWherter, Houston, TX

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Hash Brown Casserole

Photo: Lee Harrelson
View Recipe: Hash Brown Casserole

This simple hash brown casserole features a buttery cornflake crust and is a favorite side for both casual family gatherings and holiday celebrations.

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Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

View Recipe: Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

Both kids and adults will love this golden cake bursting with blueberries and drizzled with tangy lemon glaze.

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Potato-Sour Cream Biscuits

View Recipe: Potato–Sour Cream Biscuits

Mashed potatoes give these unique biscuits density and body, but they're still crisp and buttery.

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Creamy Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbourough
View Recipe: Creamy Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Yukon golds make brilliant mashed potatoes, thanks to their balance of waxiness and starch. Because yellow potatoes are more flavorful than others, they don't need a lot of fat to taste rich. Mash them by hand just until creamy—overworking the potatoes will make them gummy.

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Sour Cream-Lemon Pound Cake

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Sour Cream-Lemon Pound Cake

This reader-favorite pound cake is perfect for making ahead. Simply bake the cake (omitting the glaze) and freeze until ready to serve. After it's thawed, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.

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Sour Cream-Dill Potato Salad

Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Sour Cream-Dill Potato Salad

Whip up a side salad of this potato salad for your next picnic. Made with sour cream, Greek yogurt, cucumber, and fresh dill, it's ready in 20 minutes.

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Sour Cream Scones

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Sour Cream Scones

Whole-wheat flour adds nutty flavor to a basic scone recipe. Split one in half, and fill with your choice of curd.

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March: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

We slimmed down a classic and added whole grains to the mix. Our way trimmed 225 calories and a whopping 21 grams of fat per serving from the original. The result: a moist, satisfying breakfast cake so good you’re sure to echo the sentiments of Assistant Test Kitchen Director, Tiffany Vickers Davis, who raved: “If I could have this for breakfast every morning, my world would be a better place.”

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