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Here are all the best healthy side dishes to make a complete meal! These easy recipes are colorful, nutritious, and most of all…delicious.

Healthy side dishes

Looking for nutritious side dishes to go with your meal? It’s easy enough to make a main dish: but finding easy sides to accessorize with it can be tricky! In fact, we spent years going the iceberg lettuce plus ranch route. But guess what? There are hundreds of ideas of colorful, wholesome and unique side dish recipes to add nutrients to your plate.

Here are all the best healthy side dishes to add nutrients to your plate! These recipes use colorful vegetables, whole grains and legumes to add good-for-you ingredients: all while being 100% irresistibly tasty. Let’s get to it!

And now…the top healthy side dishes to try!

Looking for more sides?

We’ve got lots more ideas for wholesome sides to complete your meals! Here are a few more collections of ideas:

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Healthy side dishes

25 Healthy Side Dishes


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 7 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

Here’s how to make the best sauteed vegetables: colorful, flavor-packed and crisp tender! It’s at the top of our list of favorite healthy side dishes. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 multi-colored bell peppers (we used red and yellow)
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 head broccoli (8 ounces, stem on) 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Thinly slice the peppers. Slice the onion. Cut the carrot into thin rounds, on the bias. Cut the broccoli into small florets.
  2. Toss the vegetables in a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the oregano, kosher salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper.
  3. In large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until tender and lightly charred, stirring occasionally. Taste and add a few pinches of additional salt to taste. Serve immediately. 
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Keywords: Healthy side dishes

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

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2 Comments

  1. I make so many of your recipes & have such good luck with them. Tonight I was looking for a recipe – I think it was titled “Crunchy Cucumber Salad” – and cannot find it. It was simple with English cucumber & purple onion sliced thinly & a dressing but I can’t find it. I was sure it was one of yours. Was it, is it? Can you tell me where to get it? :) Thanks for your wonderful site! Judith