If you are looking for a few healthy options to have as side dishes at your Thanksgiving feast, welcome to your one stop shop. Not only are these recipes much lighter than traditional Thanksgiving sides, but they are also sure to impress your dinner crowd. We are all about easy, healthy, and foolproof recipes! There is no need to complicate things on a day that is bound to have a little bit of stress.

A perfectly golden, roasted turkey is typically the star of the show at the Thanksgiving table. The truth is, though, having a great assortment of side dishes can make or break your big meal. The best side dishes even outshine the turkey, provided they have the right amount of flavor! That is why executing your textures, flavors, and colors is paramount for the best Thanksgiving side dishes.

In this article, we will not provide mainstays like mashed potatoes or roasted Brussels sprouts. You probably have recipes for those items, or you already have your preference on how to make them. Instead, we want to lighten what is a classically heavy meal and provide you with vegetable-forward dishes that offer lots of nutrition, and even more flavor. Even though they may be root vegetable or squash dishes, they are still much lighter than fattening sides you usually see at the table.

Rainbow Roasted Carrots With Maple Tahini Sauce

What a great side dish for the upcoming holiday feast! These roasted rainbow carrots with maple tahini dressing boast big time flavors! Don’t forget the freshly chopped parsley and pomegranate arils for extra flavor and flair.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Baked Butternut Squash Fries

Crispy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside, baked butternut squash fries are a great low-carb, healthy side dish to bring for Thanksgiving. Don’t forget to make the lemon garlic dipping sauce that accompanies the fries!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Herb-Roasted Acorn Squash

We don’t want to sound overconfident, but this is a near perfect recipe. Roasted to perfection, you just can’t get enough of this squash, which goes above and beyond the typical combination of butter and brown sugar. This recipe takes an herbaceous turn to play off the squash’s inherent sweetness.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Sautéed Garlic Green Beans

Get ready to experience green beans like you’ve never experienced them before. Perfectly blistered with an amazing garlicky punch, these green beans are far from that creamy, fattening casserole that grandma makes. Full of flavor and easy to digest!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Baked Parsnip Fries

Paleo, Whole30, and nightshade-free, these baked parsnip fries are the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. If you feel like going the extra mile, consider making your own ketchup or dipping sauce from scratch to pair with the fries. 

Click here to make the recipe. 

Holiday Honeycrisp Salad

It’s rare that a salad makes it to the Thanksgiving spread, but let’s change that this year. Gorgeous, refreshing, crispy, zesty, and slightly sweet, this holiday Honeycrisp salad will go great at your big holiday feast, or even a regular weeknight dinner.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Mashed Butternut Squash

You’ve never seen a butternut squash recipe like this one! This mashed butternut squash is creamy, comforting, and exhibits subtly sweet and earthy flavors. This is an excellent last-minute dish because it requires very little cooking effort on your part. Just have a sharp knife and be careful when cutting the butternut squash in half.

Click here to make the recipe.

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If you want to enjoy fries and get more nutrients out of this classic side dish, you need a recipe like this one. You can easily transform the butternut squash into fries! Baked butternut fries are paleo-friendly, vegan, gluten-free, and wonderfully crisp on the outside and pillowy on the inside!

Chapters:
0:04 Ingredient List
0:09 1 Medium, Butternut Squash
0:25 Cornstarch
0:29 Condiments
0:45 Drizzle Olive Oil
0:48 Bake at 425 F
0:53 Garlic
1:04 Halved Lemon
1:12 Dijon Mustard
1:15 Maple Syrup
1:17 Tahini
1:29 Bon Appetit

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Everyone loves fries, not matter if they are shoestring, crinkle cut, waffle-shaped, or thick cut. Fries from fast food establishments, however, are typically fried in unhealthy oils and then overly salted. If you want to enjoy fries and get more nutrients out of this classic side dish, you need a recipe like this one. You can easily transform the butternut squash into fries! Baked butternut fries are paleo-friendly, vegan, gluten-free, and wonderfully crisp on the outside and pillowy on the inside.

Similar to sweet potato fries, butternut fries are inherently sweeter than your standard potato. To balance that sweetness, add savory spices and seasonings. Butternut squash and thyme are a classic pairing, and you cannot forget the sea salt, paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder. Butternut squash contains a lot of fiber and is much lower in calories than potatoes. Plus, they offer lots of vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium. As long as you don’t burn the fries to a crisp, you’l be able to reap their health benefits.

Now, to ensure an optimal crispy exterior, you dust the butternut fries with corn starch. Let them sit in the corn starch for about 10 minutes and then shake off excess before seasoning. Once you season the fries, scatter them across a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat, and then bake in the oven. You have to keep an eye on the fries to ensure that they cook evenly. Ideally, flip halfway through and then you can broil them for about five minutes at the end to crisp them up. Best served with a lemon garlic sauce (click here for recipe).

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It’s that time of year when winter squash varieties appear at farmers’ markets or on grocery store shelves. Squash fall into two categories: winter and summer. The category they fall into depends on whether they’re harvested and consumed when they are immature or fully developed. Winter squash varieties include butternut, acorn, kabocha, and Delicata, to name a few. 

When mature, winter squash have a hard exterior (rind) that protects them from the elements, such as frost, snow, wind, and rain. That is why they are ideal for long-term storage. The squash you acquire will dictate the type of dish you can make with it. Some squash varieties, such as spaghetti squash, can be the star of the show, while others work for appetizers or sides. Continue reading to learn about some excellent winter squash that exhibit impressive health properties. 

Spaghetti Squash

Trying to avoid pasta? Spaghetti squash is a great alternative that offers much more nutrients than packaged pasta. When you cook spaghetti squash, the flesh takes on a stringy texture, which resembles noodles. It is much lower in carbs than other squash in this list, providing just 29.9 grams of carbs per cup. Additionally, spaghetti squash offers B vitamins, vitamin C, manganese, and fiber, but is lower in nutrients when compared to butternut or acorn squash varieties. 

Kabocha Squash

The kabocha squash, or Japanese pumpkin, has a dark green exterior and bright orange flesh that is surprisingly sweet. You can roast, steam, or boil kabocha squash and add it to stews, soups, baked goods, and even salads. Because of its inherent sweetness, kabocha squash is a common ingredient in sweet dishes like pies and cakes. Nothing beats a savory kabocha squash winter soup, though! Kabocha squash exhibits impressive antioxidant activity, being high in vitamins A and C. It is also a great source of potassium, calcium, beta-carotene, and fiber.

Blue Hubbard Squash

Quite an interesting name for a squash, don’t you think? This unique winter squash has a beautiful bluish-green rind and sweet, yellow flesh that is rich in fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C, and other nutrients. One cup of this squash provides 10 grams of fiber, which satisfies 35% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of fiber. Eating more fiber helps promote digestive health, regulating bowel movements and fueling the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. 

Acorn Squash

The acorn squash belongs to the same plant family as zucchini, pumpkins, and butternut squash. Shaped like an acorn, this squash can vary in color, with the exterior ranging from white to dark green. The flesh is yellow-orange and offers a slightly sweet yet nutty flavor, making it great for fall and winter dishes. Acorn squash is a great source of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and zeaxanthin, all of which work to fight oxidative stress. Finally, acorn squash is rich in vitamins A and C, some B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. 

Delicata Squash

The Delicata squash isn’t quite as popular as acorn or butternut squash, but it does have a naturally sweet flavor. The flavor is very similar to that of the pie pumpkin, but it has a thin, tender skin, making it easy to peel. It is low in calories and rich in potassium, making it a great food for people who aim to control blood pressure. One cup of Delicata squash provides 13% of the RDI of potassium. Delicata squash is also highly versatile and a great source of complex carbohydrates. 

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is one of the most popular types of winter squash, exhibiting a sweet, nutty flavor. Packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protective plant compounds, butternut squash needs to be on your fall and winter grocery list. One cup of cooked butternut squash provides 100% of the RDI of vitamin A, and over 30% of the RDI of vitamin C. Both of these vitamins act as antioxidants, working to neutralize free radicals in the body. That process helps protect cells against damage that may potentially cause disease. In addition to the vitamins A and C, butternut squash contains potassium, manganese, magnesium, and plant pigments. 

Red Kuri Squash

This type of Hubbard winter squash is quite striking and has an interesting tear-drop shape with a vibrant reddish-orange exterior. The flesh is highly sweet and packs a serious nutritional punch, offering lots of vitamins A and C, and minerals like potassium. The skin becomes very tender and edible when you thoroughly cook this squash, making it very easy to handle. It is a common ornamental squash for common decor, but don’t forget that you can eat it too!

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Is there anything better than a warm bowl of comforting soup during a crisp autumn evening? A relaxing massage on a tropical beach might rival the bowl of soup, but just imagine that it isn’t for the sake of our argument. The ingredients in that bowl of soup, though, can either benefit or harm your health. Fortunately for you, the soups in this article are made from whole food ingredients and free of preservatives, excess sodium, added flavors, and unhealthy fats. 

There are many different soups, yet people tend to stick to a few classics: chicken noodle, tomato, or minestrone. If you purchase these soups in their canned form, chances are they are riddled with sodium, saturated fat, and processed ingredients. If you tend to enjoy soup when you are sick, you don’t want to put harmful ingredients in the body. In order to recover more quickly, the body requires nutritious foods that contain essential vitamins and minerals. The antioxidants in vegetables can help fight inflammation and get you on the mend more quickly than a can of beef stew.

Now, you do not have to fall ill in order to enjoy a bowl of soup. Comfort your soul on a crisp fall evening with one of the following soup recipes. If you make one of these soups, drop a comment and let us know how you liked it!

Creamy Celeriac Soup

This soup has a luxurious texture and depth of flavor. There is a slightly nutty flavor that makes this the perfect warming fall soup. It’s very easy to make, containing many members of the allium family, including leeks, onion, and garlic.

Click here to make the soup.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Warm, comforting, and very filling, this roasted root vegetable soup includes root veggies like squash, carrots, and potatoes, and onion. Although we have a list of ingredients, you can take a little creative liberty with your root veggies.

Click here to make the soup.

Zucchini Potato Soup

An easy, velvety zucchini potato soup that is perfect for the chilly days of fall and winter. It makes for a great non-dairy, filling dinner!

Click here to make the soup.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

Winter squash? Didn’t fall just start? You are not wrong but winter squash refers to squash that are harvested during the fall. And this soup uses one of the most notable squash of the season: the butternut squash. It’s easy to prepare, cozy, and has incredible depth of flavor.

Click here to make the soup. 

Tomato Lentil Soup

Get ready to feast on this culinary creation. This dairy-free, creamy tomato lentil soup is incredibly satisfying and packed with protein. It’s very adaptable, so you can put a little creative culinary spin on the recipe if the inspiration strikes.

Click here to make the soup. 

Roasted Carrot Soup

Slurping a hot soup on a chilly fall evening somehow puts an end to the chaos of the world and allows you to focus on enjoying deliciousness. Give your body and soul a comforting hug with every spoonful of this roasted carrot soup.

Click here to make the soup.

Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

Made with simple ingredients that yield a rich soup with serious depth of flavor, this vegan tomato soup may contend with the best of the best. 

Click here to make the soup.

Simply Vegan Tasty Tortilla Soup

When you see a bowl of tortilla soup, the natural response is to devour it. Even though there is some prep work for this vegan tortilla soup, don’t be afraid! Add everything to a pot and let the flavors intensify!

Click here to make the soup.

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Roasted root vegetables can be an incredible side dish. It’s often a colorful medley ingredients, including squash, potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic, turnips, parsnips, or beets. While this soup doesn’t use all of those ingredients, it does use a few winter staples, some of which exhibit impressive antioxidant properties. In fact, three of the ingredients in this soup are excellent sources of beta-carotene!

Although we have a list of ingredients, you can take a little creative liberty with your root veggies. We don’t recommend using beets because they will turn your soup red quickly. The combination of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, and parsnips is quite tasty and the ingredients complement one another. If you want your soup to be more peppery, swap out the parsnips for some turnips. Just make sure that you always include red onion in the roasting pan, in addition to the onion you’ll sauté for the the soup base.

After the vegetables are nicely charred and fork tender, you’ll need to transfer them to a blender, along with your soup base. Now, if you have an immersion blender, you can pour the roasted vegetables into the large pot with your soup base and blend that way. Choose your own destiny, but make sure to savor the flavors along the way!

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A traditional Thanksgiving dinner isn’t the epitome of health. In fact, it is the antithesis of health, and gorging oneself into a food coma is the ultimate goal. The giant spread usually consists of holiday pies and carb-centric sides that are loaded with sugar and fat. But if you want to lighten up the menu this year, we have some great Thanksgiving side dishes that will do the trick. 

It can be scary to divert from the familiar, but sometimes you need to jump into the deep end. You can search for new twists on green bean and sweet potato dishes, for example, and invite new flavors to the party. Feature seasonal produce items like Brussels sprouts or replace potatoes with celeriac, another seasonal produce item. One of the primary things that we encourage you to do is add more greens and refreshing dishes to your Thanksgiving spread. Not only does this increase your vegetable intake, but it also nourishes the body and makes the digestive system happier.

Ahead, you’ll find seven easy and healthy recipes that will go great with your Thanksgiving feast. Not only are they scrumptious, but they are a lot lighter than the traditional sides that accompany the big meal. They include more vegetables, some of which are seasonal, and aim to help you feel lighter on the day. 

Pomegranate, Avocado, & Citrus Brussels Sprouts Salad

Brussels sprouts make a great canvas for the color and flavor of fresh pomegranate arils, creamy avocado, and citrus dressing.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Cranberries & Pecans

Making Brussels sprouts taste good can be a challenge, but this recipe will have you craving them every day during the holiday season.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Quick And Simple Roasted Broccolini

This roasted broccolini side dish pairs well with just about every meal. No, seriously, it does and you’ll have to try it to believe us. Simplicity is the name of the game in this recipe!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Rainbow Roasted Carrots

Are you ready to taste the rainbow? Far from Skittles, these herbaceous, roasted rainbow carrots are the perfect Thanksgiving side.

Click here to make the recipe.

Mashed Butternut Squash

You’ve never seen a butternut squash recipe like this one. This mashed butternut squash is creamy, comforting, and the perfect side to accompany any feast.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Quinoa Stuffing With Apple, Sweet Potato, & Hazelnuts

This is a healthy twist on a holiday classic. If you are trying to go gluten-free this Thanksgiving, this is the stuffing recipe you need.

Click here to make the recipe.

Cinnamon Maple Instant Potato Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Get a healthy dose of beta-carotene and complex carbohydrates when you indulge in this dish. The maple syrup enhances the inherent sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

Click here to make the recipe.

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Cranberries are not only reserved for cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. You can impart the sweet-tart cranberry flavor into myriad recipes! From snacks and appetizers to entrees, desserts, and more, cranberries find their way into unique fall and winter favorites. Since they are only available for a short while, get your hands on them to make some of the recipes in this article.

Cranberries primarily consist of carbs and fiber, but they are also 90% water. They are some of the best sources of antioxidants, which work to fight free radicals. The most common health benefit associated with cranberries is the fact that they may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). A-type proanthocyanidins prevent the binding of E. coli in the bladder, a common first step in getting an infection. If you usually develop UTIs, you may want to incorporate fresh cranberries, or fresh cranberry juice, into your diet. This is an excellent proactive approach to living a healthier lifestyle. 

The same A-type proanthocyanidins, which only exist in cranberries, that reduce the risk of UTIs also reduce bad bacteria in the gut. More research is necessary, but preliminary research shows that cranberries promote optimal digestive health. Lastly, and then we will provide you with the recipes, the certain antioxidant compounds in cranberries may exhibit anti-cancer properties. Needless to say, cranberries are superfoods that deserve a featured spot in your diet. 

Cranberry Persimmon Pomegranate Smoothie

Embrace some of fall’s most nutritionally diverse ingredients when you enjoy this refreshing cranberry persimmon pomegranate smoothie.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Cranberry Orange Vitamin C Smoothie

Not only is this a tangy, refreshing, and tasty creation, but it also packs a healthy dose of vitamin C, antioxidants, and other minerals.

Click here to make the recipe.

Cranberry Pistachio Energy Bites

These quick and easy-to-make energy bites are packed with great flavor and a ton of nutrients. The best part is you don’t have to bake them!

Click here to make the recipe.

Healthy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This cranberry sauce is free of refined sugars and uses fresh cranberries! It’s citrusy, rich, vibrant and incredibly delicious.

Click here to make the recipe.

Spicy Cranberry Hummus

What are you making for your holiday meal? If you need a seasonal appetizer to start the meal off right, this cranberry hummus is the ticket!

Click here to make the recipe.

Red Cabbage And Carrot Cranberry Slaw

Delicious and easy to make, this red cabbage and carrot slaw contains dried cranberries, walnuts, and shredded apples.

Click here to make the recipe.

Cranberry, Apple, And Brussels Sprout Salad

A shaved Brussels sprout salad made with dried cranberries, apple, walnuts, and pomegranate salad embraces the best fall produce items.

Click here to make the recipe.

Kale Salad With Almonds, Cranberries, And Apples

Boost your nutrient intake by enjoying this raw vegan kale salad that’s perfectly balanced with apples, cranberries, and a tart vinaigrette.

Click here to make the recipe.

Butternut Squash And Cranberry Quinoa Salad

This salad combines some of fall’s tastiest flavors in one healthy bowl. The balsamic vinaigrette really elevates the butternut squash.

Click here to make the recipe.

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With shorter days and colder nights, you need recipes that are warm, comforting, and hardy. At the same time, you don’t want to make a recipe that takes four hours to make. That’s the great thing about this vegan butternut squash and chickpea stew. After about 15 minutes of prep work, the total cooking time is about 30-40 minutes. Now that’s the kind of time in the kitchen we’re talking about!

This stew is inspired by Moroccan flavors because it is infused with spices and ingredients from that area. Coriander and cinnamon are very aromatic and will fill your kitchen with their intoxicating aromas while the stew simmers. Plus, you have the pungent and spicy harissa that you add to the stew. Harissa is a North African red chili paste or sauce made from a few simple ingredients. More often than not, harissa contains garlic, olive oil, chiles, citrus, and a few warm spices. It can be a bit spicy, tangy, slightly sweet, and smoky, so you can add a little more or less to this stew depending on your spice tolerance.

Although you can enjoy this stew on its own, it does go great with couscous or rice. This decision is entirely up to you, though, because it is just as tasty with or without those side dishes. The crazy thing about this stew is that it is even better the next day after you reheat it. And don’t forget that you can always mix in a little extra dollop of harissa to enhance the spice level.

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Bring on the winter squash and comforting soups because fall is here! You may be thinking, “Winter squash? I thought fall just started!” You are not wrong, but winter squash actually refers to squash that are harvested during the fall. Of the winter squash that you see in the store, butternut, kabocha, pumpkin, and acorn squash are the most popular.

Sometimes, you want to make a comforting soup that boasts incredible depth of flavor, but you don’t have time to watch over it as it simmers for 4 hours on low heat. That’s why we love slow cookers! Your only responsibility is to add all of the ingredients into it and program the time and heat. Then you just let the slow cooking do the work. What you’re left with is a rich, incredibly flavorful creation that is ready to eat as soon as you get home.

There is one thing to note about that above statement: you have to blend the ingredients in the slow cooker. You can do this by using an immersion blender, or you can add the ingredients to a high-speed blender in batches. Once you puree the ingredients and the texture is luxurious and creamy, you can ladle it into bowls and enjoy. A quick note before you make the recipe: don’t forget to remove the bay leaves after cooking. Just be careful not to blend them with the rest of the ingredients.

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