Vegetable Side Dishes that Steal the Show

August 27, 2019
These veggie-packed side dishes will make the perfect addition to any dinner, but they're impressive enough for a holiday. Watch out--these delicious side dishes may even be better than the main dish.
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Crispy Smashed Beets with Goat Cheese

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Cooked beets are lightly pressed and pan-fried for a charred, crispy outer crust--similar to that of smashed potatoes. The herbed goat cheese dip makes this healthy appetizer or easy side dish even more delicious.

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Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

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This festive salad features colorful greens, fruit and cheese tossed with a light and zesty dressing.

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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

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These hasselback sweet potatoes are like mini marshmallow-topped sweet potato casseroles drizzled with sage-infused butter. The hasselback technique, slicing the potato but leaving it whole, makes for a tender potato with a crispy top--the best of both worlds.

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Cauliflower Casserole with Mixed-Seed Crust

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The cheesy-seedy crust that tops this healthy cauliflower casserole recipe evokes "everything" bagels. Serve for the holidays or as a hearty side dish with roast chicken.

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Crispy Buttercup Squash Poppers

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Packed with creamy flavor, but lower in fat, these squash poppers make the perfect dinner or side dish.

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Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

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A sprinkle of Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil transform tomatoes into the perfect side dish. Or try sandwiching them between slices of your favorite whole-wheat country bread.

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Roasted Salt-&-Vinegar Turnips

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In this healthy root vegetable recipe, we take the flavor of salt-and-vinegar chips and apply them to turnips. We found that simmering the turnips with vinegar before roasting infuses the flavor throughout. Try this technique with other root vegetables and potatoes too.

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Sweet Potato Pommes Anna (Layered Potato Casserole)

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This multicolored galette is a fun twist on the classic dish made with white potatoes. Don't worry if you only have one type of sweet potato, the result will still be beautiful. The bottom bakes to a potato-chip crisp with a caramelly sweetness, while the interior becomes melt-in-your-mouth rich.

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Broccoli Casserole

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The lightened-up luscious sauce elevates this easy casserole recipe over standard broccoli and cheese side dishes.

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Roasted Squash & Apples with Dried Cherries & Pepitas

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For this easy roasted side dish recipe, pick apples that hold their shape when cooked--Pink Lady, Braeburn and Winesap are good choices. If you can't find acorn squash, substitute butternut instead.

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Roasted Broccoli with Garlicky Tahini Sauce

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Roasting the broccoli results in crisp edges and a just-tender bite, the perfect texture to pair with a creamy tahini sauce.

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Peanut-Coconut Shaved Carrot Noodles

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Thinly shaved carrots stand in for wide rice noodles in this Thai-inspired low-carb "noodle" dish. Try using red, purple, or yellow carrots for a colorful twist.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Mojo Sauce

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For this healthy cauliflower recipe, roasted florets are tossed in mojo, a Latin sauce that's gently spicy but can complement almost any other dish in your meal. If you can't find Cotija cheese, use another salty, crumbly cheese, such as feta.

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Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

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We've taken the key ingredients of the popular caprese salad--tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil--and piled them into portobello mushroom caps to make a delicious and satisfying vegetarian main dish.

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Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

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This easy Brussel sprouts dish is flavored with intense balsamic and irresistable bacon. Simple and quick, you'll want to make this often!

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Honey-Glazed Carrots

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A basic carrot side dish is jazzed up with the addition of honey and ginger.

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Sweet & Spicy Roasted Carrots

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A little bit of cayenne adds an unexpected kick to these classic roasted carrots.

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Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes

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It's potato nirvana--crispy hasselback potatoes topped with the creamy sauce you'd make for scalloped potatoes. The perfect portions in this fun riff on a scalloped potato casserole make an impressive (but easy to achieve) presentation as a side dish.

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Garlic-Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

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A combination of baked, mashed and roasted, these crusty, garlicky smashed potatoes are a healthy and creative alternative. Serve alongside a seared steak or roasted pork tenderloin and green beans.

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Panko & Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus with Garlic-Mayo Dipping Sauce

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This cheesy and crispy asparagus dish is the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

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