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I’ve rounded up all of my favorite healthy holiday sides to share with you! Each of these side dishes will compliment just about any main holiday dish, and are made with lots of nutritious ingredients so you can feel full and satisfied.
Holiday gatherings are all about good food, great company, and cherished traditions. As a dietitian I’m a huge believer that your holiday spread doesn’t have to be “healthy”, but I do like to have some nourishing recipes on the table so that you can leave your meal feeling great!
Here are my top favorite healthy holiday sides!
Garlic, butter, potatoes…. The perfect combination, if you ask me. This mashed potatoes recipe is full of classic flavors that your entire family will love, making it the perfect side dish for holiday entertaining. Not only are they delicious, but they have a bit more nutrition folded in too.
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This sweet potato and apple casserole is the perfect sweet and savory side dish for the holiday table. It’s made with nourishing, wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes, apples, maple syrup and crunchy pecans.
This easy recipe combines two amazing foods: roasted potatoes and French onion soup. If you love both of those foods, this is going to be your new favorite way to eat potatoes. Your entire family will be asking you for this recipe!
These sweet and savory caramelized maple balsamic Brussels sprouts are roasted to golden perfection and so tasty. This easy side dish is simple enough for a weeknight but perfect for serving with your next holiday meal too.
When this pear arugula salad is put together it looks gorgeous and fancy, but it’s actually an incredibly simple salad to make! The beautiful vibrant colors of this salad make it perfect for a holiday side dish, and it’s also absolutely delicious.
Elevate classic mashed potatoes at your next holiday feast with these creamy ricotta mashed potatoes. Rich ricotta cheese, butter, and a few simple seasonings takes your traditional mashed potatoes to the next level.
This is the perfect fall and winter salad. It’s great for any day but perfect for entertaining. It has all of the best cold weather ingredients like kale, butternut squash and pomegranate seeds tossed in a flavorful dressing.
This hidden veggie mac and cheese is cheesy, creamy and has three different vegetables right in the sauce! Perfect for those picky holiday eaters that you’d like to sneak a little more veggies into!
This flavorful pasta salad recipe is loaded with nutrient-dense cold weather veggies like butternut squash and Brussels sprouts and tossed in a tangy balsamic dressing. It’s perfect for a holiday meal!
This kale and broccoli salad is nutrition packed and absolutely delicious. It’s full of fiber and antioxidants and tossed in an easy creamy Greek yogurt dressing. It’s one of my all time favorite salad recipes and perfect for entertaining.
These hot honey carrots are easy, but they’re so much better than regular roasted carrots. If you love a sweet and spicy combination, you’ll love the sweet carrots and honey with spicy savory flavors. They’re perfect if you need a glow up to your normal roasted carrot side dish for the holidays.
This light and refreshing Thanksgiving Fruit Salad is the perfect dish to balance out your Thanksgiving or holiday spread. It’s colorful, full of seasonal flavor and so easy to make!
This high protein bean salad is packed with flavor, nutrient-dense, and the perfect recipe for prepping ahead. It’s vegetarian-friendly and made with beans, fresh veggies, feta cheese and tossed in a delicious vinaigrette.
This hearty kale salad is full of flavor, so colorful and perfectly crunchy from sliced apples, shaved parmesan and a creamy Greek yogurt dressing. It’s great for any weeknight dinner or for impressing guests at your next gathering. If you’re serving turkey, simply omit the chicken (or make with leftover turkey!).
This cozy French onion soup rice is rich and flavorful and the perfect side dish to make any meal more exciting. It’s basically French onion soup in cheesy baked rice form, yum!
The holy grail of holiday side dishes – mac and cheese. This recipe is lighter and packed with protein than traditional mac and cheese, but just as delicious. It packs an impressive 35 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per serving.
If you’ve seen what look like mini butternut squash at the grocery store- they’re honeynut squashes! This velvety soup doesn’t use any heavy cream and only a little bit of butter so it’s a lighter but just as delicious version of classic butternut squash soup. I love a good, delicious soup as a holiday side dish or appetizer.
These feta brussel sprouts are perfectly crispy, super flavorful, and easy to make. They take less than 15 minutes, so it’s the perfect side dish to compliment your holiday table. You can make them in the oven or air fryer.
This sweet potato casserole is easy, a little bit lighter than most traditional sweet potato casserole recipes, and absolutely delicious. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The sweet potato base is creamy and buttery and the crunchy brown sugar walnuts topping adds the perfect amount of sweet, buttery, nutty crunch.
These crispy parmesan carrot sticks are baked with simple nutritious ingredients like olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese. They’re a great option for changing up your standard holiday carrot dishes.
Move over boring steamed broccoli, this air fried broccoli and feta cheese is SO yummy and the perfect side to change things up this holiday season. Plus it’s made in the air fryer so it frees up your oven and stove-top.
This sweet and tangy bell pepper slaw is easy to make and packed with flavor from bell peppers, shredded cabbage and a light red wine vinaigrette. It’s perfect for a no-cook veggie side dish to add to your holiday table.
This creamy cottage cheese pasta sauce is high protein, velvety smooth and sooooo good. Add this to macaroni or penne pasta for a crowd pleasing holiday side dish. Your guests will love it, and I promise no one will know that you’ve used cottage cheese in this pasta dish.
This easy bean salad is made with beans, fresh veggies and a flavorful vinaigrette. It’s the perfect healthy side dish to compliment any holiday meal.
I hope you enjoy these healthy holiday sides, too!
