Low-Calorie Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

This pickling liquid gives bright flavor to carrots--try it with green beans or peppers as well.

Switch up the chives for whatever's growing in your garden--basil or dill would also be delicious in the compound butter that tops this simple sautéed zucchini recipe.

In China it's common to serve stir-fried greens with a dollop of oyster sauce often mixed with a little bit of mild vinegar. This riff doubles down on the sour by adding Zhenjiang black vinegar, which is full-bodied and pretty puckery.

This street corn dish, known as esquites, is served in cups instead of on the cob for all the flavor of elote without the mess.

Lightly charring the broccoli then finishing over indirect heat allows the stems to get tender without becoming too burnt.

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.