Low-Calorie Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

These parsnip chips have only 4 ingredients and couldn't be easier to make. They're best when the parsnips are sliced thinly and evenly, so if you have a mandoline this would be the perfect time to get it out. Recipe adapted from VT Feed.

Put a vegetarian spin on this classic Italian dish. Thin slices of beet, glossy with olive oil, make this salad look like beef carpaccio, especially if you use red beets.

We love how the Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend dukkah adds aroma, flavor and texture to this otherwise simple purple carrot recipe.

Sweet port softens the bitter edge of this endive appetizer that is sure to please.

A pickling brine gives these fresh peas a bracing pucker. Serve in place of pickles on a sandwich or as an addition to a cheese board.

Blanching broccoli florets before charring ensures the broccoli's tender all the way through, helping it crisp up quickly in a very hot pan. Firing up the grill? Cook the blanched broccoli in a grill basket over medium-high heat instead.

Cheese and pepper star in this simple Italian dish. While the combo is traditionally tossed with pasta, we toss Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper with zucchini noodles instead for a lower-carb dish that helps you get in an extra serving of veggies. To simplify the recipe, look for prepackaged zucchini noodles in the produce section of your supermarket.

These super-crispy and browned air-fryer Brussels sprouts with sweet onions and salty bacon--all amped up with bright lemon juice--are sure to be a hit, whether you serve them for a weeknight side dish or as part of your holiday spread for Thanksgiving. This recipe makes enough to serve eight but is easily halved, though once you taste it you may well want a double serving. And if you prefer a vegetarian side, simply omit the bacon.

You can go without using oil if you are cooking broccoli rabe in the dry heat of a skillet. It adds a nice sear to the oranges as well. Seasoned with toasty sesame, this healthy vegetable side dish is an easy flavor upgrade.

A tangy Indian-spiced cranberry chutney is a flavorful way to perk up simple roasted winter squash.

This colorful gratin dish livens up any holiday plate. Creamy melted Gruyère is comforting, while a blend of cumin, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper lends a warm, spicy note.

In this easy Brussels sprouts recipe, the sprouts get a double hit of coconutty flavor from coconut oil and coconut water, and a salty, umami kick from fish sauce. The coconut water is a tropical nod to the southern Vietnamese practice of cooking with coconut water, which is often used in braises and dipping sauces. Don't have a pan large enough to cook the sprouts in one batch? Cook them in two batches in a medium (10-inch) skillet. No coconut oil in your pantry? Substitute unsalted European-style butter or vegetable oil. Serve these simple but flavorful Brussels sprouts as a side to any protein for weeknight dinners or special meals--they'd be a great addition to your Thanksgiving dinner.

These slow-cooker onions are an ideal condiment for burgers, steaks, a grilled chicken breast or sautéed fish. They also make a pleasing addition to a cheese board or topping for Brie. They're best eaten cold or warm, but not hot.

In addition to being a great stand-alone side, these slow-cooker mushrooms are also excellent tossed in a salad or stir-fry. Be sure to buy whole cremini mushrooms so they will retain their texture and not turn mushy during the long cook time. If you don't want to wait for the mushroom mixture to concentrate during the 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking it uncovered, then cook it, uncovered, just long enough for the mushrooms to brown. Then drain the liquid and bring it to a boil in a saucepan. Once the liquid has thickened, stir in the mushrooms and vinegar and sprinkle with the scallions.

With the honey, butter and cinnamon sauce drizzled on top and the sprinkling of pomegranate arils, this slow-cooker acorn squash is almost like a dessert. You can also drizzle the sauce over oatmeal and baked apples for breakfast.

The hint of maple syrup and brandy elevates these slow-cooker carrots, transforming them into a holiday-worthy side dish. You can easily double this to feed a crowd. We use stem-on rainbow carrots for their beauty, but regular carrots work just as well.

Collard greens have large, dark green leaves that are dense with vitamins, calcium and fiber. The briny pepperoncini and salty pancetta add enough brightness to this dish to balance the collards' vegetal flavor. These slow-cooker collard greens pair perfectly with braised meat or barbecue.

Brussels sprouts are a versatile accompaniment for so many entrées. Here, the burst of lemon juice and the addition of pine nuts and pecorino Romano keep the flavor profile interesting. Furthermore, broiling the sprouts after slow-cooking caramelizes them and gives them crispness.

If you are searching for a delicious roasted romanesco recipe, look no further. This psychedelic-seeming crucifer looks like cauliflower and broccoli fell in love and had a baby. The earthy, smoky flavor makes this a show-stopping vegetarian side dish or appetizer--or make it the centerpiece of a vegetarian feast. If your store carries the Middle Eastern strained yogurt called labneh, use 1 cup and omit Step 1.

Can we get a drumroll, please, for the marshmallow fluff recipe you've been waiting for? This dish may look like regular oven-roasted carrots, but when you add the homemade marshmallow "fluff" it immediately goes in the direction of sweet potato casserole.