Healthy 4th of July Side Dish Recipes

Give classic macaroni salad a fresher, more flavorful spin. This fast pasta dish calls for avocado to replace some of the mayonnaise, which makes it extra creamy. Whole-wheat elbow macaroni and fresh vegetables lighten up this healthy pasta salad that you'll be making all summer long.

Make this classic version of sweet and tangy barbecue baked beans in an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, in a fraction of the time it would take in the slow cooker or on the stove.

Yep, there's cauliflower in this potato salad. It cuts down on the carbs and calories, and is a perfect match for our tangy horseradish dressing.

With heat from chipotles in adobo sauce and sweetness from brown sugar, this healthy stovetop baked beans recipe is a spicy twist on the classic. We slashed more than half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium--and a few hours of cooking time--as compared to a traditional recipe. Serve at your next cookout or BBQ and be prepared for people to rave.

If you're a fan of classic baked beans, give this healthy recipe with curry powder, lime juice and molasses a whirl. These stovetop baked beans also have half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium compared to a traditional recipe--and take a few hours' less cooking time. Serve with pistachio-crusted pork tenderloin or grilled fish.

In this quick and healthy baked bean recipe, we swap Chinese 5-spice powder and rice vinegar for traditional dry mustard and cider vinegar. Not only does this recipe have half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium compared to a traditional recipe, it also requires a few hours' less cooking time, making these beans an easy side dish for grilled pork chops or chicken.

If you're a fan of slow-cooked oven-baked beans, give this quick, healthy stovetop recipe a whirl. We slashed more than half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium--and a few hours of cooking time--as compared to a traditional recipe.

This refreshing fruit salad is a classic combination that will be the favorite at any potluck or cookout. Serve with a creamy yogurt dressing to take this side (or dessert) to the next level.

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy melon, clementines and mango on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, purple and green) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy plums, grapes and berries on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, green and orange) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy watermelon, grapes and berries on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like green, purple and orange) for a fun, crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

Serve this refreshing fruit salad featuring juicy melon, grapes and kiwi on its own or with other colorblock fruit salads (like red, purple and orange) for a fun crowd-pleasing rainbow side dish.

Fresh wedges of tomato, thinly sliced onion and sliced cucumber dressed simply with vinegar and oil makes the most simple salad possible--think of it as the Southern counterpart to the classic Italian tomato-and-mozzarella salad. It is best enjoyed at the height of summer, when tomatoes and cucumbers are fresh from the garden.

This lightly dressed pasta salad gets lots of flavor from Kalamata olives and basil. A colorful mix of diced bell pepper, shredded carrot and tomatoes adds vitamins and minerals. Serve on a crisp bed of greens. Toss in canned chunk light tuna, cooked chicken or flavored baked tofu to add protein and make it more substantial.

A dressing of nonfat yogurt enriched with a little reduced-fat mayonnaise and Dijon mustard replaces the heavier dressings in more traditional potato salad recipes.

This updated picnic potato salad gets subtle flavor from smoked ham. If you can find them, small, thin-skinned early potatoes are best in this salad.

Channel your inner food stylist while arranging the beans and vegetables for this show-stopping composed bean salad recipe. Serve at a potluck or for a beautiful salad at brunch alongside grilled chicken, scallops or fish.

This Japanese-inspired cool, crisp salad is as elegant and well balanced as it is simple.

This makeover of a Midwestern classic tops layers of lettuce, peas, bell pepper and tomatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing. The salad stays fresh underneath until it's served and gets even better when held overnight.

For these easy pickled beets, you only need to let them marinate in the pickling mixture for about 30 minutes to get great flavor. Marinating them longer just enhances the taste. Try them in place of cucumber pickles as a condiment or as a vegetable side dish for roasted chicken or beef.