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  6. 23 Must-Have Side Dishes for a Diabetes-Friendly Holiday

23 Must-Have Side Dishes for a Diabetes-Friendly Holiday

Jessica Ball
Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD Updated July 14, 2022
Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD
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Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Celebrating the holidays has never been easier or more delicious, thanks to these healthy side dishes. These recipes keep carbohydrates in check, and they're lower in saturated fat and sodium, so they fit into a diabetes-friendly eating pattern. From Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows to Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots, these flavorful side dishes will be the star of your dinner plate.

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Charred Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette & Hazelnuts

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Our go-to trick for this crunchy, mustardy vegan side dish: Use a grill basket—it lets you cook all the things that would ordinarily fall through the grill grates, no skewering required. Pick one up from the hardware store or order one online for less than $15.

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Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
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The genius hack in this recipe: topping sweet potatoes with marshmallows while they're still piping hot from the slow cooker yields a baked marshmallow topping that's typical with baked sweet potato casseroles.

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Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots

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Roasting carrots brings out their sweetness, which is enhanced further with a tangy balsamic and maple glaze. Serve them straight-up for an easy weeknight side dish or garnish with chopped hazelnuts for holiday meals and dinner parties.

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Roasted Honeynut Squash

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Honeynut squash looks just like mini butternut squash, but on the inside you'll find an even sweeter, deeper orange flesh. This winter squash has only been available at farmers' markets and in select grocery stores for a few years. If you see it, grab a few to try! This simple roasting method enhances the natural flavor of the squash with butter and spices.

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Roasted Eggplant with Lemon

Roasted Eggplant with Lemon
Credit: Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Margaret Monroe Dickey
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This simple recipe for roasted eggplant with lemon is both tangy and savory and is a delicious side dish to pair with chicken or salmon. In addition to lemon, we season the eggplant with salt, pepper and the herbal, nutty flavor of za'atar. Za'atar is a seasoning blend that typically contains oregano and thyme (or similar herbs); sumac, which has a pleasant citrus flavor; and toasted sesame seeds. Chili powder, coriander and cumin may also be included in some za'atar blends.

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Green Beans with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

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A much healthier take on the old-fashioned green bean casserole, this version thankfully skips the canned soup and fried onions! Fresh green beans are cooked until crisp-tender and topped with a garlicky-thyme mushroom sauce, shallots and crumbled chèvre.

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Roasted Beet Salad

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Walnuts, red onion and dill make this roasted beet salad recipe a fantastic accompaniment to chicken or topping for hummus. If you can't find beets with greens attached, use 1 pound of beets and 8 ounces of chard leaves.

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Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

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Garlic cloves, cooked along with the potatoes, give this puree extra body and lots of flavor.

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Spiralized Onions with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumbs

Spiralized Onions with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumbs
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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.

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Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread

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Potatoes were first to benefit from the Hasselback techinique—making thin slices crosswise toward the bottom of the vegetable, but not all the way through, so the potato becomes fanned, seasoned and baked until crisp. Here we've adapted the concept to garlic bread and updated it with cheese for an easy and completely mouthwatering cheesy bread side dish.

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Kale Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

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The lightly sweet, creamy homemade poppy seed dressing takes this crunchy salad to the next level for a mouthwatering vegetable side dish or light lunch. Top with cooked chicken for a heartier meal.

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Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

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You'll slash 131 calories and 19 grams carbohydrate when you trade in your brown rice for finely chopped cauliflower in this healthy cauliflower rice recipe. For an even faster rice pilaf, use 4 cups of purchased cauliflower rice instead of making your own. Look for it near other fresh or frozen prepared vegetables.

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Honey-Glazed Roasted Delicata Squash

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Tangy cider vinegar, sweet honey, crunchy pine nuts and fresh mint come together to make an amazing glaze in this healthy roasted winter squash recipe. If you use delicata, the whole squash--including the gorgeous skin--is edible.

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Roasted Purple Carrots with Black Sesame Dukkah

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

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Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

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Vinegar is the key to making this sautéed kale recipe special. Look for vinegar that's cloudy--it likely still has some of the mother in the bottle and will give you a sweet acidity rather than a harsh bite. Organic apple cider vinegar is usually your best bet. For the most eye-catching version of this side, use different colored varieties of kale.

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Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

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Fresh herbs, onion and sautéed bacon flavor this easy Brussels sprouts recipe. This savory dish is delicious in the fall and winter months, when Brussels sprouts are in season. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don't be intimidated--buy them, as they're likely more fresh. Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

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Balsamic-Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan

Balsamic-Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan
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These super-flavorful mushrooms get a hint of sweetness thanks to a splash of balsamic vinegar. Parmesan cheese added at the end lends a savory note. Enjoy them as an accompaniment to steak or on their own as a side dish.

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Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette

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Make a larger batch of this basic vinaigrette to have on hand for salads throughout the week.

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Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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This simple slow-cooker mashed potatoes recipe skips tedious peeling and boiling and helps save precious stovetop space by letting the slow cooker do the work. It's a great timesaving set-it-and-forget-it side dish recipe to round out any hearty meal. Buttermilk makes the mashed potatoes creamy while garlic and shallots add flavor.

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Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables

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This easy roasted butternut squash and root vegetables recipe is incredibly versatile. Pile the squash and veggies onto grain bowls, add to sandwiches, toss in soup, serve as a side dish--you name it. Roasting vegetables in the oven gives you 20 minutes of hands-off cooking time to assemble the rest of your meal.

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Air-Fryer Carrots

air fryer carrots
Credit: Jacob Fox
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Air-fryer carrots are an easy side dish that pairs with just about everything. Here the carrots are tossed with a touch of brown sugar and spices, with Parmesan cheese adding a savory note. Go even cheesier with a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese for garnish, if you like.

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Garlic-Parmesan Asparagus

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In this garlic-Parmesan-crusted asparagus recipe, we combine Parmesan cheese, whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs and walnuts for a crispy topping that's baked over asparagus. Roasting the asparagus spears in a hot oven keeps them tender-crisp in this quick side dish!

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Spinach Salad with Warm Maple Dressing

Spinach Salad with Warm Maple Dressing
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Pure maple syrup adds body and rich flavor to the dressing, providing a perfect counterpoint to the smoked cheese.

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By Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

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    1 of 23 Charred Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette & Hazelnuts
    2 of 23 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
    3 of 23 Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots
    4 of 23 Roasted Honeynut Squash
    5 of 23 Roasted Eggplant with Lemon
    6 of 23 Green Beans with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
    7 of 23 Roasted Beet Salad
    8 of 23 Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
    9 of 23 Spiralized Onions with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumbs
    10 of 23 Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread
    11 of 23 Kale Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
    12 of 23 Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
    13 of 23 Honey-Glazed Roasted Delicata Squash
    14 of 23 Roasted Purple Carrots with Black Sesame Dukkah
    15 of 23 Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing
    16 of 23 Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions
    17 of 23 Balsamic-Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan
    18 of 23 Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette
    19 of 23 Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes
    20 of 23 Roasted Butternut Squash & Root Vegetables
    21 of 23 Air-Fryer Carrots
    22 of 23 Garlic-Parmesan Asparagus
    23 of 23 Spinach Salad with Warm Maple Dressing

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    23 Must-Have Side Dishes for a Diabetes-Friendly Holiday
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