21 Heart-Healthy Veggie Side Dishes for Spring

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Updated on March 6, 2024

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

a recipe photo of the Roasted Cabbage Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette — 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.

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This Roasted Cabbage Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette Is “Super Tasty”

a recipe photo of the Roasted Cabbage Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette — 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!

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Crispy Smashed Beets with Goat Cheese

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.

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Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

Photo of Caesar Salad with Brussels Sprouts — 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.

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Hot Honey Parmesan Carrots

a recipe photo of the 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.

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Roasted Golden Beets

a recipe photo of the 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.

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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.

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Crispy Potato Latkes with Ikura

a recipe photo of the Crispy 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.

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Carrot Casserole Is an Easy Side Dish for Any Occasion

a recipe photo of a Carrot Casserole — 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.

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3-Ingredient Crispy Potato Peel Chips

Potato Peel Chips on a gray oval platter, overhead with an off-white linen on a robin's egg blue surface.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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>

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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.

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Lemon-Parmesan Crispy Smashed Potatoes

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.

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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.

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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.

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Crispy Loaded Mashed Potato Balls

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.

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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.

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Caramelized Broccolini & White Beans

a recipe photo of the Caramelized Broccolini and 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.

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Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables

Roasted vegetables on a sheet pan — 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.

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Easy Rutabaga Puree with Bacon

Thanksgiving Rutabaga — 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.

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