Healthy Tomato Side Dish Recipes

If you're a tomato fan, the cherry-size orbs are perfect for guilt-free nibbling. You can enjoy a snack of 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes for just 13 calories and 2 grams of carb. Plus, tomatoes pack a bevy of antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, and E, plus heart-healthy lycopene.

You can grill the eggplant rounds up to a day in advance, then assemble the eggplant, tomato and mozzarella “stacks” at the last minute. To make the eggplant and tomato stacks look symmetrical, use eggplant and tomatoes with approximately the same diameter.

This caponata is a vibrant mixture of fresh vegetables, including eggplant, onion, celery and tomatoes. Olives, capers, basil and pine nuts makes it special. Serve it as a side with fish or as a spread on rustic bread. Prepare it the night before serving if you can; it always tastes better the next day.

This dish of roasted broccoli and tomatoes is tossed with bright Mediterranean ingredients just before serving.

This vegan side dish is traditionally served at room temperature with grilled meat or fish, but feel free to double your portion and eat it as a vegan entree with crusty bread for dipping in that garlicky, flavor-packed olive oil. The name for this combination of roasted vegetables comes from the Catalan escalivar, meaning to cook in ashes, though most folks these days use an oven or grill to put some char on their veggies.

This veggie-packed side-dish vegetable soup can be made in the slow cooker. Just make a few tweaks (see Variation).

This fresh green bean salad, tossed with a homemade tomato vinaigrette, is a delicious and easy side dish.

Serve these as a savory side dish to chicken or steak, to complement a meatless meal or as a sandwich on toasted whole-grain bread. A pinch of sugar helps balance the tomatoes' acidity.

Transform an avocado into a showstopping dish that tastes even better than it looks. Just cut slits in an avocado half using the hasselback technique, then add tomato, cheese and a flavorful dressing for a healthy Mexican-inspired side.

Zucchini and tomato slices are sprinkled with a tasty panko bread crumb mixture, and then broiled until crisp. This side dish is quick to make and pairs well with any protein.

No gloppy canned soup in this healthy green bean casserole recipe. Simply give cilantro, parsley or chives (or a mix of all three) a whirl in the food processor to make the pesto-like sauce that ties the casserole together.

Grilled vegetables add a layer of rich, complex flavors to the popular Middle Eastern salad of bulgur and herbs. Serve with whole-wheat pita bread or use as a sandwich filling.

In this healthy vegetable side dish recipe, the flavors of Lebanese lubiyeh (green beans and lamb braised in a flavorful tomato sauce) are applied to cauliflower with delicious results.

Slowly cooking summer-ripe tomatoes in a low oven makes them candy-sweet. Turn to this recipe to preserve the summer bounty from your garden or farmers' market; it freezes well for up to 6 months. Tuck these tasty bites into sandwiches; stir them into risotto; or chop them and mix with Kalamata olives, olive oil and fresh herbs to scoop up with pita chips.

This stunning side dish of layered tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash and leeks bursts with fresh flavor. To make it even more colorful, use half a summer squash and half a zucchini. Try it alongside any grilled meat. Leftovers are delicious sandwiched between slices of crusty whole-grain bread.

This anchovy and tomato salad recipe has very few ingredients but absolutely sings with flavor when it's made with cherry tomatoes picked at their ripest. For the prettiest salad, use a combination of orange, yellow and red tomatoes.

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.

Here we toss nutty roasted sprouts with a quick sun-dried tomato pesto.

This vegetarian version of chicken Parmesan uses cauliflower "steaks" in place of chicken, and has all the classic comforting flavors, without the meat! The steaks are cooked until just tender and topped with a rich sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Despite their names, classic Italian-American chicken Parm and eggplant Parm don't always contain Parmesan cheese. If it's not “Parm” to you without Parm, feel free to sprinkle on a little grated Parmesan after you add the sauce to the cauliflower cutlets.

In this healthy panzanella recipe, a classic Italian bread salad recipe, juicy tomatoes full of bright acidity are delicious when combined with the sweetness of basil and leftover bread. Bring out your best olive oil and vinegar and serve this bread salad with grilled meat or fish.

Using a variety of greens gives this simple summer salad an interesting mix of textures. The anchovy in the breadcrumbs and sun-dried tomatoes in the vinaigrette are subtle, but key to adding umami.

Capers, juicy tomatoes, and chopped fresh parsley make this vegetable side dish flavorful enough for a special meal, but easy enough for everyday.

The slightly sweet, nutty flavor of jicama--a round root vegetable with thin brown skin and white crunchy flesh--is delicious in this quick, Italian-style slaw recipe. Peel the jicama with a knife or vegetable peeler, making sure to remove both the papery skin and the layer of fibrous flesh just underneath.

Most of this savory fruit-and-tomato salad recipe can be prepared in advance-just mix the tomatoes with the dressing right before serving. For the most stunning presentation, use a mix of colorful heirloom tomatoes.