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If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year or bringing a dish to share, here are several easy, healthy side dish ideas to inspire your holiday menu.
I made all of these last weekend while hosting a Friendsgiving in my dorm. It was quite an undertaking: I used one baking sheet and one pot on the stovetop. Next time I hope for a real kitchen, more cookware, and a bigger fridge. Still, everything turned out delicious.
I sourced many ingredients and both desserts from The Fresh Market. Their pies were some of the best I’ve had—truly outstanding.
Below are the healthy Thanksgiving side dishes I prepared, listed in the order I made them. I include simple tips for timing and prep so you can adapt these ideas to your kitchen.
Side Dish 1: Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
I recently posted this recipe on the blog. For Friendsgiving, I baked the sweet potatoes the morning of the event since they take a while to cook and can be prepared ahead. I washed and wrapped them in foil, baked them, then left them to cool in the foil until I was ready to mash and top with an oat-nut crumble later that afternoon.
Side Dish 2: Honey Glazed Roasted Carrots
Large carrots need time to roast, so I baked these in the afternoon. I scrubbed two pounds of whole carrots (no peeling needed), halved them lengthwise, then arranged them in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet. I drizzled with 1 tablespoon avocado oil and 2 tablespoons honey, added salt and pepper, and roasted at 350°F for about 50 minutes until tender and caramelized.
Side Dish 3: Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese
For the butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese, I roasted the squash instead of boiling it to match my other roasted vegetables. While the carrots baked, I prepped the squash and then increased the oven to 425°F, roasting the squash on the same baking sheet coated with a tablespoon of avocado oil for 20–25 minutes.
I blended the squash into a creamy sauce while the Brussels sprouts roasted. I boiled the pasta just before serving and combined it with the sauce at the last minute so the texture stayed smooth and not overly thick.
Side Dish 4: Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This was the last roasted vegetable. I washed and dried a pound of Brussels sprouts while the squash was in the oven. After the squash finished, I spread the halved sprouts on the same parchment-lined sheet, drizzled with 1 tablespoon avocado oil and about 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted at 425°F for 15–20 minutes until nicely browned.
Doing these last avoided reusing parchment that had balsamic on it, which made cleanup easier.
Side Dish 5: Fall Harvest Salad
Once the sprouts were in the oven, I moved on to no-bake items. My go-to fall salad is mixed greens with nuts, feta or goat cheese, and seasonal fruit—berries in summer, apples or pears in winter. Sometimes I swap fruit for roasted butternut squash for a warm, savory-sweet option.
I planned a pear salad but the pears weren’t ripe, so I used extra roasted butternut squash instead. To keep things simple, I served the salad with a bottled olive oil vinaigrette rather than making dressing from scratch.
Side Dish 6: Fruit Salad
A fruit salad is a great healthy sweet option that works for guests who skip dessert or need gluten-free choices. This mix included chopped apples, pears, oranges, and blackberries—fresh, colorful, and easy to prepare.
That covered the sides. I considered cooking a turkey but decided against it this time—sides are usually the highlight anyway.
For dessert, I picked up two pies from The Fresh Market bakery: a classic apple pie and a strawberry rhubarb pie. Their in-house bakery pies were exceptional and received rave reviews from everyone at the table.
I warmed the pies briefly in the oven at a low temperature (about 250°F) and served them with vanilla ice cream. The warming accentuated the flavors and everyone loved them.
Lessons from hosting my first Friendsgiving
• You don’t have to make everything. Picking up a couple of high-quality desserts or a few prepared sides saved time and reduced stress. My mom taught me this approach—she often buys some items like cranberry sauce or stuffing and prepares the rest herself. The Fresh Market also lets you buy sides by the pound, which is handy for parties of any size.
• Buying pre-cut vegetables can be a huge time-saver. For this meal I bought pre-chopped butternut squash and halved Brussels sprouts, which made prep much faster.
• Write a plan and schedule. I mapped out general prep and oven times with buffer time built in so nothing was forgotten and I didn’t feel rushed. That schedule kept the evening running smoothly.
Overall it was a really fun night with friends I’ve known since my freshman year.
And if you’re still planning your menu…
The Fresh Market offers a Thanksgiving guide with inspiration, meal solutions, and recipes to help you create a memorable meal. If you prefer to buy parts of the meal, they offer fresh turkey, spiral-sliced honey ham, beef tenderloin, and lamb to prepare at home. For busy hosts, their holiday meal ordering program simplifies the process and is available seasonally.
So tell me…
What’s on your Thanksgiving menu this year?
What are your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes? What about desserts?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are my own.