Round out your plate with these tasty veggie side dishes that pair well with your favorite main meals! Each of these sides are lower in calories, carbs, saturated fat and sodium to align with a diabetes-appropriate eating pattern. Plus, they come together easily in no more than three simple steps. Try options like our flavorful Cabbage & Edamame Salad with Peanut Dressing and Crispy Lemon-Herb Roasted Potatoes for a delicious side dish that everyone will love.
Cabbage & Edamame Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ali Redmond
This colorful salad offers up plenty of fiber and plant-based protein, thanks to peanut butter and edamame. This combination of ingredients creates a nutritious, balanced side that can help support stable blood sugar levels while offering up big, bold flavors. Mint, basil and cilantro all work well here. Choose one or combine them all for a more complex flavor.
Crispy Lemon-Herb Roasted Potatoes
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
These lemon-herb potatoes are a versatile side dish that marries the bright, zesty flavor of lemon with the aromatic notes of oregano, pairing beautifully with a range of main courses from roasted chicken and pork to seafood. We love the robust and earthy flavor of oregano, but feel free to swap it out for another fresh herb that pairs well with lemon, such as rosemary or sage.
Carolina Gelen’s Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette & Parmesan
Photographed by Nico Schinco/Courtesy of Clarkson Potter Publishers
In her new cookbook, Carolina Gelen writes: “Some children grew up with fruit plates as a snack; I grew up with crisp, salted cauliflower to nibble on. My mom would always buy a bigger cauliflower than needed for a recipe since we’d munch on pretty much half of it before cooking. Heavily inspired by my mother’s cauliflower snacking plates, this simple shaved cauliflower tossed in a lemon vinaigrette was born.”
Grated Carrot & Cucumber Salad
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Amanda Stanfield, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
This refreshing grated carrot and cucumber salad is the perfect warm-weather side dish. Serve it on its own paired with anything from grilled meats to sandwiches, or as part of a larger spread of salads and sides.
Garlicky Green Beans
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
These easy garlic green beans are the perfect side for any protein. You can cook the beans ahead of time and then reheat and season them right before serving. If you don’t like tarragon, substitute dill or leave it out completely.
Cucumber Salad with Mint
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This cucumber mint salad is crisp and refreshing. While white balsamic and brown balsamic vinegar have similar flavor profiles, white balsamic is used here to keep the salad green and vibrant. Salting the cucumber before it’s mixed with other ingredients allows some moisture to leach out, helping to keep the cucumber crunchy while it sits in the dressing, so be sure not to skip this step!
Spiced Chickpea Confit
Ali Redmond
This endlessly versatile side dish pairs beautifully with any grilled meat or fish and can also be a wonderful plant-based main dish. You can serve it over rice or pasta to round it out, or pair it with whole grains or whole-wheat pasta to reinforce the nuttiness. You can also turn it into a terrific salad by serving it over baby spinach, escarole or arugula.
Crispy Lemon-Parmesan Leeks
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser
Enjoy the sweet and delicate flavor of roasted leeks with this elegant and unique side. We slice leeks into rounds and top them with savory Parmesan cheese and lemon zest that crisps up in the hot oven. Remember to thoroughly rinse and dry the leek rounds to ensure any trapped dirt or sand is removed before roasting.
Simple No-Cook Grated Beet & Carrot Salad
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Marianne Williams, Prop Stylist: Tucker Vines
This vibrant beet and carrot salad combines shredded carrots and beets with a sweet-tangy dressing. Serve it solo, toss it with greens, or use it as a sandwich or wrap filler. For best results, grate fresh carrots and beets using a box grater’s large holes or a food processor’s shredding disk. Wear gloves when grating beets to prevent staining your hands.
Quick & Easy Asparagus with Balsamic & Parmesan
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Elevate your main course with these tender-crisp asparagus spears drizzled with a glossy balsamic glaze and topped with Parmesan cheese. Try to find asparagus spears that are a medium thickness—slightly larger around than a pencil. Although thinner or thicker asparagus will work, be mindful that the cooking time may differ.
Cabbage Caesar Salad
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
In this Caesar salad, we skip the usual romaine lettuce and opt for napa cabbage, a delightfully tender cabbage variety that maintains a crisp and mild sweetness even when eaten raw. The dressing takes a shortcut, using store-bought mayonnaise instead of fresh egg yolks, and gets a savory kick from anchovy paste. Feel free to switch it up by using chopped anchovy fillets, or omit it entirely for a vegetarian-friendly salad according to your preference.
Quick & Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Lemon
Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
This quick side dish features a “reverse sear” for vegetables! By steaming the veggies first and then giving them a quick sear, you guarantee tenderness without the risk of burning. Plus, the convenience of using the microwave eliminates the hassle of preparing boiling water and a steamer basket. Quick and easy, all in one!
Crispy Air-Fried Sweet Potato Wedges
Side dish or snack? We say both! If you think sweet potatoes are just for Thanksgiving, give these spicy wedges a try. The smoky spice blend is easy to whip up ahead of time, but the potatoes are best eaten while hot. Though it’s tempting to crowd the air-fryer basket and cook everything in one batch, resist the urge—air flow is crucial for maximum crispiness. Not a fan of cilantro? Try basil, parsley or fresh thyme leaves.
Quick & Easy Cabbage Stir-Fry
Phoographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
This quick and easy stir-fry cabbage recipe pairs well with roasted chicken or pork, or serve it over rice with a poached egg as a vegetarian main dish. Sweet green cabbage is easy to find and works well here, but savoy cabbage or napa cabbage will work well too. For a slightly different flavor, use peanut oil in place of sesame oil.
Maple-Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
These easy maple-balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts will be your new go-to veggie side dish. Sweet Brussels sprouts are a natural pairing for maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Starting them cut-side down maximizes the browning so each bite tastes roasted and sweet. Thyme adds an earthy flavor, but fresh rosemary or sage will work well too.
Spicy Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Green Salad
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman
This black-eyed pea and collard green salad recipe can be served warm or at room temperature, either as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course along with rice or crusty bread. Harissa and peri-peri sauce provide gentle heat, and preserved lemon gives it briny tang.
Roasted Baby Bok Choy with Soy-Ginger Glaze
Ginger adds flavor and balance to the soy-honey glaze that complements tender-crisp baby bok choy. Sambal oelek, a ground chile paste, adds the slightest amount of spice. Feel free to add more if you want to turn up the heat.
Air-Fryer Honey-Sriracha Shishito Peppers with Cotija & Peanuts
Shishito peppers get topped with cotija cheese and chopped peanuts for a healthy veggie side. Shishitos are typically considered very mild chile peppers, but about 1 in 10 has as much heat as a jalapeño.
Roasted Broccolini with Lemon & Parmesan
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall
Broccolini, a hybrid of conventional broccoli and gai lan, or Chinese broccoli, is perfect for roasting. Here, we add freshly grated Parmesan, which coats the florets and helps the cheese melt into every bite.
Bang Bang Cabbage Slaw
Here we pair Bang Bang sauce, a sweet and spicy sauce made famous by the restaurant chain Bonefish Grill, with shredded cabbage and crunchy carrots and celery. You can swap out the carrots and celery for other crunchy vegetables like thinly sliced sweet bell peppers and radishes. Serve this easy slaw alongside grilled shrimp or use it to top a grilled fish sandwich.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pickled Onions
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
Pickled onions add tangy flavor to this simple tomato salad. Use your favorite varieties of tomatoes—even cherry tomatoes, Matthew Raiford’s wife’s favorite, will be delicious (you’ll need about 6 cups total). The pickling liquid is worth saving: you can pickle more vegetables with it, or whisk with oil and fresh herbs for a simple vinaigrette.
Sautéed Mushrooms with Balsamic & Parmesan
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
Tender cremini mushrooms soak up the tart-sweet flavor of balsamic vinegar, while nutty Parmesan cheese adds a savory note. This easy technique works well with other mushrooms too, like oyster mushrooms or shiitakes, so feel free to mix it up. Serve this big-flavored side alongside grilled steak, or make it a main dish by serving the mushrooms topped with a poached egg and a slice of grilled bread.
Melting Butternut Squash with Cumin & Cilantro
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Holly Raibikis
In this quick and easy recipe, butternut squash becomes crisp on the outside from 20 minutes in a high-heat oven, and creamy on the inside from the addition of a flavorful broth during the last few minutes of roasting. The flavors of garlic, paprika, cumin and cilantro are inspired by the North African condiment chermoula, which is popularly used in seafood dishes but also sometimes used to accompany meat and vegetables. Look for a squash with a long neck for best results.
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