Healthy Side Dishes for Thanksgiving

Holidays can be difficult for people who are trying to eat healthier. You want all of the classic yummy dishes, but may also have some health issues that prevent you from having some of your favorites. Or maybe you are really disciplined and focusing on your waistline. Luckily there are plenty of healthy side dishes for Thanksgiving that still taste amazingly good. I have three quick and easy healthy Thanksgiving side dishes here that you can easily whip out and enjoy for your holiday meal.

Baked Carrot Fries with Parmesan

We all loved our baked and fried potatoes, but what if you are trying to reduce some of those carbs? Baked carrot fries are a healthy Thanksgiving side dish that are super easy to make. Parmesan and basil give them great flavor and they are ready in no time. There’s no set amount in this recipe, so make as many as you think you’re going to need.

Ingredients for Baked Carrot Fries:

• Carrots cut into thin fries
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly minced basil
• Grated Parmesan cheese

How to make Baked Carrot Fries:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Rub the thin carrot fries with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet.
3. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the outer shell of the carrots is slightly crispy.
4. Remove from the over and sprinkle with sea salt, basil, and Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Green Beans

Green beans are definitely a traditional part of the Thanksgiving meal. Maybe instead of the casserole, you could do some roasted green beans for something a little bit different. It’s very similar to the baked carrot fries recipe and another one of the easy healthy side dishes for Thanksgiving to share with your meal. The amount you make is completely flexible, based on what you think you will need.

Ingredients for Roasted Green Beans:

• Trimmed fresh green beans
• Olive oil
• Minced garlic (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make Roasted Green Beans:

1. Set the oven once again to 450 degrees while you rub the green beans in olive oil.
2. For additional flavor, you can also toss the oiled green beans in some garlic. (I am a huge fan of garlic flavor!)
3. Arrange them on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired, and then top with Parmesan.

Low Fat Potato Soup

If you still want to have potatoes with your meal, a low fat potato soup option may be just what you need for one of your healthy side dishes for Thanksgiving. And soup is always a great option. To make it healthier, replace butter with olive oil and sour cream with yogurt. Again, you have flexibility in how much you make with the recipe. I’d go for one potato per serving.

Ingredients for Low Fat Potato Soup:

• Cut potatoes, skin on or off (Leave the skin on some of the potatoes for extra fiber in your soup.
• Olive oil
• Unsweetened plain yogurt
• Salt and pepper
• Minced green onion
• Minced garlic

How to make Low Fat Potato Soup:

1. Boil your potatoes until they are the right texture and softness for mashing.
2. Mash the potatoes in a bowl if you like a chunkier soup. For a more pureed consistency, use a mixer or food processor.
3. Add olive oil and yogurt until your soup is at a desired consistency.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Give it added flavor with minced green onion and garlic if desired. (I like mine with a lot of onion and garlic flavor.)

Other Healthy Side Dishes for Thanksgiving:

What do you like to serve for a healthy Thanksgiving side dish? Let us know in the comments below. In the meantime, try some of these other recipes.

Garlic and Chive Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Recipe