60 Healthy Sides That Will Steal All The Attention

When you’re trying to eat healthier, it’s easy to fall into the trap of going for the same boring meals again and again. We’ve found that the best way to avoid that is to add fun, colorful side dishes with lots of flavor and good mouthfeel (crunchy! spicy! herby!). Check out these 60 side dish recipes that all have a little something extra going on—they great for jazzing up everything from weeknight dinners to holiday mains.

Most nights, we definitely fall prey to the ease of just tossing whatever veggies we’ve got around in a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. When we look for ideas to shake our menu up, we’ve got to get creative so as to add flavor, but not lose that simplicity. The easiest way to do this is to take all we know about stir frying, roasting or grilling our vegetables, and then taking it a few steps further with the toppings. We’re talking feta cheese, crushed pistachios, peanuts, golden raisins, black and white sesame seeds (or use everything bagel seasoning, we won’t judge), dill… the options are truly endless.

We’re also very partial to a protein-packed bean salad, particularly ones we can make ahead of time and serve hot or cold. We’ve included a few of our favorites here, like our black bean and corn salad or mediterranean chickpea salad, but get creative with the beans you like best (or whatever you’ve got kicking around in your cabinets).

We know eating healthier can sometimes mean avoiding some of your favorites, like potatoes. We’ve also included a few ways we like to make them that cut some of the calories but not the flavor, like our air fryer roast potatoes or oven baked french fries. Love mashed potatoes but hate all the butter and carbs? Try swapping in butternut squash or parsnips for all that creamy goodness, sans potatoes.

For more healthy ideas, check out our list of better-for-you appetizers, dinners, and desserts too.