Low-Calorie Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

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.

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.

Rutabagas have tough skin and are often enclosed in wax to prevent them from drying out. Cut away the wax (or boil for 1 1/2 minutes and wipe off) and skin with a sharp chef's knife instead of using a vegetable peeler. Whole milk adds a smooth, creamy texture to this mash.

Nutty parsnips make for a tasty mashed-potato substitute. For the best parsnip mash, puree the root veggie in a food processor instead of using a ricer, as parsnips are woodier than potatoes.

Celeriac is a delicious low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes. Pureeing the steamed celeriac in a food processor ensures a smooth, light and fluffy texture.

Roasted kohlrabi has a pleasantly tender yet not watery texture, similar to broccoli stalks. Its mild flavor lets the garlic, serrano and cilantro play starring roles in this easy side dish recipe.

With layers of soft, buttery leeks and tender-crisp kohlrabi, this is not your grandma's gratin--it's better. Use a mandoline for the most even slices of kohlrabi. Serve this healthy side dish in place of potato gratin with roast chicken or pork for a satisfying dinner.

Caesar salad, croutons and all, meets sautéed Swiss chard in this healthy side dish recipe. Serve along with roasted or baked chicken or fish for a healthy weeknight dinner.

You may not have considered onions as candidates for the spiralizer, but you should. They create beautiful ribbons that make this recipe reminiscent of fried shoestring onions. And because this onion ring-inspired recipe is baked rather than fried, they're really easy to make. Serve them as a side with burgers or as a crunchy healthy snack for game night.

Madeira, a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, has a sweet, mellow flavor somewhat like sherry (which can be used as a substitute here). Serve this healthy vegetable side dish with steak or chicken or add it to a salad or grain bowl.

If Mexican street corn took a trip to Genoa, it might come back slathered in pesto butter like this grilled corn on the cob recipe. This Italian flair works because the flavors of basil and Parmesan have a natural affinity with corn.

Serve these crispy zucchini fritters with creamy dill-yogurt sauce during the summer when zucchinis are abundant at the farmers' market (or in your backyard garden). The key to the best fritters is moisture management. Zucchini is primarily made up of water, so this recipe starts with a two-step process of salting and squeezing the vegetable to remove as much of that water as possible. Once that simple step is done, this easy healthy recipe comes together in a snap.

Lively tasting quick pickled zucchini is a nice addition to any summer lunch or dinner spread. Cutting the zucchini into long strips makes for a pretty presentation.

Zucchini or any other kind of summer squash will work in this easy vegetable side dish. Serve with grilled chicken or fish for a quick and healthy dinner.

This grilled zucchini recipe is perfect for summertime bumper crops of zucchini. The tomato-mint relish would be great on all sorts of grilled vegetables.

If you can find torpedo onions, try them in this healthy grilled recipe. These long, cylindrical purple onions, similar in flavor and texture to leeks, soften and caramelize to a sweet finish on the grill. You can find them at farmers' markets in spring or fall. Any spring onion or even 1-inch-thick slices of sweet onion make a good substitute.

The multilayered fruitiness of fig-infused balsamic (look for it with other vinegars at the market) is a nice balance for the sweet and salty prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears.

For this healthy side dish recipe, kale bundles are grilled and topped with an easy sauce. "Enhancing" store-bought barbecue sauce with tart (or sour) cherry juice to make a drizzle nudges this side dish into the speedy category.