Healthy Recipes Health Conditions Heart-Healthy Recipes 21 Heart-Healthy Veggie Side Dishes for Spring By Sadie Schulte Sadie Schulte Sadie Schulte is EatingWell's editorial apprentice. She attends Iowa State University, where she is a senior studying advertising and fashion communications. During her time at college, she has worked as a reporter at the campus newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, where she writes about culture and lifestyle. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 6, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Ali Redmond Enjoy a colorful and nutritious plate full of spring vegetables with our delicious side dishes featuring produce like cabbage, fennel and beets. Plus, each of these recipes are made low in saturated fat and sodium to help support a strong and healthy heart. From roasted veggies like our Roasted Cabbage Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette to crisp salads like our Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad, these side dishes make taking care of your heart flavorful and satisfying. 01 of 21 This Roasted Cabbage Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette Is “Super Tasty” Ali Redmond This roasted cabbage is dressed with a bright and flavorful lemon-garlic vinaigrette. It goes with everything, from chicken and steak to tofu and grain bowls. If you already have your grill on, you can grill the cabbage wedges instead, which will impart a delightful smoky flavor. You can use red or green cabbage—even Savoy or napa works! View Recipe 02 of 21 Crispy Smashed Beets with Goat Cheese 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. View Recipe 03 of 21 Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad Jake Sternquist Cooking the Brussels on the stovetop first gives them a jump-start to becoming brown and crispy without drying out. The roasted flavor of the Brussels sprouts combines with the Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese in the dressing to build the savory profile that Caesar salad is known for. View Recipe 04 of 21 Hot Honey Parmesan Carrots Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco This sweet side dish turns up the heat with hot honey and lots of crispy Parmesan cheese crisps for a savory note. To make your own hot honey, combine honey and crushed red pepper in a small skillet and bring just to a simmer over low heat. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Stir in apple-cider vinegar to taste. Try this easy method with other veggies like beets, turnips or Brussels sprouts too. View Recipe 05 of 21 Roasted Golden Beets Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek Golden beets are sweet and earthy just like red beets, but prepping them is a little less messy thanks to their mellower golden color. Roasting beets enhances their sweetness, but we give their flavor a boost with just a touch of honey. This golden beet side dish works well with roasted chicken or pork. You can easily jazz them up by topping them with crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese and a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs. View Recipe 06 of 21 Fennel & Grapefruit Salad This quick and colorful side salad is a lovely accompaniment to fish, chicken, or pork. When slicing the fennel, don't discard the fronds! The wispy green tips resemble fresh dill and provide a colorful, anise-flavored garnish. View Recipe 07 of 21 Crispy Potato Latkes with Ikura Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco In a nod to her Japanese heritage, Maya Ono tops these crispy latkes with ikura (salmon roe) and nori furikake along with sour cream and scallions, but they’re delicious topped however you like them. Russet potatoes are the preferred variety to use here, as they’re starchier than other types, which helps the latkes hold together. View Recipe 08 of 21 Carrot Casserole Is an Easy Side Dish for Any Occasion Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Carrot casserole is a great holiday side dish that’s both creamy and savory with just a touch of sweetness from the carrots. Coriander and dry mustard add lovely background flavors to the cream sauce. Microwaving the carrots gives them a jump-start in the cooking process and ensures that they’re cooked through. The carrots should all be sliced thinly so they cook evenly. If you have one, a mandoline can make quick work of the slicing, but a good sharp knife will also do the trick. View Recipe 09 of 21 3-Ingredient Crispy Potato Peel Chips These 3-ingredient potato peel chips are a cross between a french fry and a potato chip, and they’re the perfect snack to make when you have potatoes to peel! These chips can be enjoyed as-is or dressed up with seasoning. Simply toss baked potato peel chips with seasoning immediately after removing them from the oven. (If you season before baking, the spices may burn.) The only trick is to season them right away—the seasonings will not adhere well once the chips have cooled. View Recipe 10 of 21 Stir-Fried Carrots, Corn & Peppers This eclectic stir-fry is a colorful combination of carrot, red bell pepper, corn and romaine lettuce. This recipe exemplifies how to stir-fry vegetables with different textures. The carrots, which are a “hard vegetable,” should be stir-fried for a minute before adding “medium-hard” vegetables like peppers or corn, which require slightly less cooking. Finally, add “soft or leafy vegetables” in the last 30 seconds to ensure all the vegetables achieve the same level of doneness. Make sure the lettuce is dry--if it's wet when added to the pan, it will turn the stir-fry into a braise. View Recipe 11 of 21 Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate This gorgeous warm salad with nutty roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet-tart pomegranate seeds and creamy goat cheese is perfect for any winter meal—from a weeknight dinner to Christmas dinner or any other holiday celebration. The recipe is easily doubled if you are entertaining a crowd: just be sure to spread the sprouts out (use 2 pans if necessary) so they roast instead of steaming. View Recipe 12 of 21 Beet Salad with Feta & Dill <Placeholder forThe sweet, earthy flavor of beets shines alongside tangy feta and fresh dill in this easy Greek-inspired beet salad. If you don't have time to roast beets, look for precooked beets in the fresh produce section. paragraph block> View Recipe 13 of 21 Honey-Chipotle Roasted Broccoli Honey and chipotle peppers coat roasted broccoli in this sweet and smoky side dish. Serve alongside grilled pork, roasted chicken or with any main dish that could use some kick. View Recipe 14 of 21 Lemon-Parmesan Crispy Smashed Potatoes Jacob Fox Smashing parboiled potatoes creates more surface area and craggy edges that get crisp when roasted in a hot oven. View Recipe 15 of 21 Roasted Squash & Fennel with Thyme We have only one word for this recipe: magical. As the vegetables roast in the oven, the fennel develops sweet, caramel flavors and the summer squash is infused with the garlic. Serve it with grilled pork chops or chicken. View Recipe 16 of 21 Brown Sugar-Glazed Beets Try a sweet glaze on beets or other root vegetables to help balance their earthy flavor. This easy recipe will work with steamed carrots, turnips or rutabaga too. View Recipe 17 of 21 Crispy Loaded Mashed Potato Balls Jazz up your mashed potatoes by rolling them into balls with bacon and cheese and giving them a crispy coating in the oven. You can enjoy these as a fun side dish or an appetizer for your next holiday dinner. View Recipe 18 of 21 Garlic & Parmesan Roasted Carrots Roasting carrots in the oven brings out their inherent sweetness, while Parmesan and garlic give this easy side dish a flavorful savory accent. View Recipe 19 of 21 Caramelized Broccolini & White Beans Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Broccolini takes on a smoky char from the cast-iron pan before it's combined with white beans and aromatics in this savory side dish. A vibrant parsley and hazelnut sauce finishes the dish with a bright and nutty flavor. View Recipe 20 of 21 Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables Cooking Light A mix of colorful root vegetables may be your star side. Peeled, pre-chopped butternut squash saves time, but pieces tend to be irregular and small—we prefer peeling and cubing it yourself. View Recipe 21 of 21 Easy Rutabaga Puree with Bacon Andrea Mathis Rutabagas are the star in this creamy side dish. A pinch of sugar balances the vegetable's slightly bitter taste while bacon adds smoky flavor. Serve this easy side dish for Thanksgiving. Read more about this recipe. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit