By: Laurenpublished: Nov. 02, 2023Comments
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Sometimes the hardest part of meal planning is deciding what to serve with the main entree! Whether you need something for a quick weeknight dinner, brunch with friends or hosting a holiday meal, these easy and Healthy Side Dish Recipes are guaranteed to make any meal complete!
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Healthy Vegetable Side Dishes
Healthy Mexican Side Dishes
Healthy Pasta Side Dishes
Healthy Cold Side Dishes
Healthy Holiday Side Dishes
FAQ: Healthy Side Dish Recipes
Healthy Vegetable Side Dishes
We all need our veggies but we want them to be tasty too! These quick and nutritious vegetable side dishes are guaranteed to please even the pickiest eaters and will be sure to add volume to any kind of meal.Additionally, they help provide fiber which can increase the satiety of the meal and provide gut-friendly benefits!
Ninja Air Fryer Broccoli
This Ninja Air Fryer Broccoli is such a delicious and easy low-carb side dish! Flavorful and perfectly tender and ready in just 10 mins! It's my go-to way to cook broccoli now!
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Air Fryer Green Beans
Air Fryer Green Beans are a game changer! They’re ridiculously easy to prepare and a delicious, low calorie side dish. Legit, the easiest, most tastiest green bean recipe ever. We make these EVERY week.
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Seasoned Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
These seasoned Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges are perfectly crispy and have the best smoky flavor! They couldn't be easier to come together and make a great side dish to just about anything!
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Easy Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
This Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots is one of my favorite ways to get my vegetables in! Deliciously seasoned with pantry staples and roasted to perfection, it seriously makes the perfect healthy side to just about anything!
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Maple Ginger Glazed Carrots (Oven Roasted)
Perfectly sweet and and delicious these Maple Ginger Glazed Carrots will add a beautiful pop of color to your dinner table! They couldn’t be easier to come together and make a great side dish to just about anything!
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Sautéed French Green Beans with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
This Sautéed French Green Beans with Parmesan and Pine Nuts recipe is elegant and packed with flavor, but so simple to make! Serve them with Thanksgiving dinner or alongside meatloaf during the week. No matter the occasion, they’re a real crowd pleaser!
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Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
These super easy, delicious Parmesan Roasted Potatoes will be your new favorite go-to side dish! These potatoes require minimal ingredients but have maximum flavor. They are cheesy, salty, crispy, everything you can want in a potato! The best part is they only take 5 minutes to prep and they're ready in 30 minutes!
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Healthy Mexican Side Dishes
Taco Tuesday is more than just tacos! These tasty Mexican side dishes are perfect paired with tacos, quesadillas, taquitos, fajitas, salads and more! Plus, they’re a great way to add extra flavor and bulk up your favorite fiesta meal!
Chipotle Brown Rice Recipe (Cilantro Lime Brown Rice)
Enjoy all the flavors of Chipotle at home with this delicious copycat Cilantro Lime Brown Rice recipe! It's the perfect side dish to enjoy at home and is full of fresh flavor! This easy side dish is incredibly simple to make at home and only requires 5 ingredients. Perfect for adding to your burrito bowls, tacos, salads and more!
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Air Fryer Peppers and Onions
These Air Fryer Peppers and Onions take 15 minutes in the air fryer and couldn't be easier to prepare! They make the perfect side or topper to fajitas, eggs, bowls, salads, literally the list goes on!
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Healthy 7 Layer Dip (Protein-Packed!)
Enjoy this Healthy 7-Layer Dip Recipe for any occasion! Lightened up and protein packed, you will not regret making this healthier alternative for your next game day party! This dip is made with healthy ingredients and is ready in just 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite baked tortilla chips or fresh veggies for the ultimate crowd favorite!
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Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice is fresh, flavorful, and insanely delicious! It's a great base for protein packed dishes, makes a tasty side, and is a wonderful low-carb substitute for regular rice.
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Healthy Pasta Side Dishes
Pasta is seriously one of the easiest and most affordable ways to add to any meal! Plus, there are so many creative ways to enjoy it! Try one of these healthy, delicious pasta side dishes that are perfect for lunch, dinner or your next backyard bbq!
Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese (High Protein!)
This high protein Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food lightened up! This classic mac has a creamy, rich sauce and over 13 grams of protein per serving! No one will ever believe the secret ingredient and they will be asking for this recipe non-stop!
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Buttered Noodles with Parmesan
Delicious buttery noodles in just 15 minutes!! These Buttered Noodles with Parmesan are so simple and make the perfect easy side to pretty much anything, Even the most picky eaters will love these, a great one to have in your back pocket!
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The Best Healthy Macaroni Salad (Deli Style!)
This Healthy Macaroni Salad (Deli Style!) is the absolute best summer side dish. It's amazingly creamy, packed with delicious crunchy vegetables and has the most perfect tangy sweet flavor! This recipe is lower in fat than the traditional recipe but absolutely no one will know it for a second! The perfect side dish for your next summer BBQ!
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Healthy Tuscan Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
This Sun Dried Tuscan Pasta Salad recipe makes an excellent summer side dish to chicken or a burger. It seriously has so much flavor! Or make this a complete meal by adding in some chicken!
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Healthy Cold Side Dishes
Need a delicious side dish you can prepare in advance? Try one of these light and flavorful healthy side dish recipes that are perfect for your next get-together or make a big batch for meal prep and leave in the fridge all week!
Rainbow Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
This Rainbow Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing is a MUST HAVE recipe all spring and summer long! It's filled with the best fresh combination of fruits and covered in a sweet, tangy dressing that is out of this world. The perfect side dish for potlucks, BBQ's or even just to eat alongside your sandwiches for the week!
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Rainbow Corn Salad (Dairy-Free)
This Rainbow Corn Salad with is filled with fresh flavors and vibrant colors, making it the ultimate summer side dish! And it's so easy to make, each serving is less than 100 calories, and everyone will love it!
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Tomato Feta Cucumber Salad
This Tomato Feta Cucumber Salad is the PERFECT spring and summer side dish! It's low calorie, refreshing, and full of delicious Greek flavors!
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Healthy Holiday Side Dishes
We all know the star of any holiday meal is the side dishes! These classic side dish recipes are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or any celebratory meal. The best part? These lightened up recipes still have all the classic taste you know and love and no one will ever guess they’re made just a little bit healthier!
Honey Butter Yeast Rolls
These Honey Butter Yeast Rolls are soft, subtly sweet, and the perfect addition to dinner – holiday or not! They can be prepped in advanced and stored in fridge until ready to bake. Light and fluffy with most mouthwatering honey butter brushed on top, these rolls are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser!
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Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans and Marshmallows
Creamy sweet potatoes and warm spices with gooey marshmallows and a crunchy pecan crumble topping! This Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans and Marshmallows may be the best lightened up side dish ever! Perfect to serve up at Thanksgiving or anytime really and easy to make gluten-free and vegan too!
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Healthy Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup
Fresh green beans, creamy mushroom sauce, and a crispy, crunchy onion topping! This Healthy Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup is a fresher, lightened up take on the classic Thanksgiving dinner recipe. Easy to make gluten-free and vegan too!
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Cherry Fluff Salad Recipe
This Cherry Fluff Salad recipe just requires 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to whip up! It's a fun twist on cherry pie and makes a great side dish or no bake dessert. It's lightened up and lower in sugar and carbs than traditional fluff but you would never know. Everyone always LOVES this stuff!
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FAQ: Healthy Side Dish Recipes
Why are healthy side dishes important?
Healthy side dishes are important because they’re a great way to add extra flavor and nutrients to your meal. Many times side dishes (like rice, potatoes, grains) provide complex carbs to a meal that help provide your body with energy. In addition, many vegetable and carb side dishes provide fiber to your meal which is important to satiety and a healthy gut!
How many side dishes should you have per meal?
This is completely up to you! Sometimes you will need one side dish to compliment your meal or other times you may want 2-3. Especially during holidays, like Thanksgiving, people will prepare multiple side dishes to accompany their main dish to give their guests lots of different options to choose from!
Do you have to have a side dish with your meal?
You don’t have to have a side dish for your meal but it can be a great way to add volume and make it a filling meal! If you are preparing a protein as your main dish like my Balsamic Grilled Chicken or Pesto Salmon, you will probably want to prepare a carb source like a potato or rice to provide a complete and balanced meal!
Can I meal prep these healthy side dish recipes?
Yes! Many of these healthy side dish recipes are great for meal prep. It can be super helpful to prepare 1-2 side dish recipes in the beginning of the week. Then you can easily add them to any meal you cook throughout the week! They can be great for add to a quick lunch or weeknight dinner.
No matter what type of main dish you’re preparing, there’s a healthy side dish for any recipe! Whether it’s lunch on-the-go, a quick weeknight dinner or a brunch with friends, be sure to try one of these Healthy Side Dish recipes the next time you need just the right thing to balance and complete your meal!
