Recipe Roundup: Healthy Thanksgiving Dishes

Pull off a Thanksgiving feast with all of the foods you love and none of the guilt. Here’s a roundup of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes for every course of the meal — low in fat, high in fall flavors, and sure to please the friends and family you share them with.

 

 

Artichoke Hearts with Citrus Zest Prepared with jarred artichoke hearts, this little antipasto tastes fantastic and is very easy to make on short notice.

Crostini with White Beans, Garlic and Tuscan Kale Creamy white beans, hearty and vibrant kale, a pinch of red pepper flakes — these toasts have all the flavor you want in an appetizer, plus nutritious ingredients.

 

 

Butter Lettuce with Mustard Vinaigrette You can’t go wrong with a simple salad. This lightly dressed version with fresh herbs will be a welcome fresh, green addition to a big meal.

Roasted Carrot Soup Here, roasted carrots are pureed into a soup that tastes amazingly rich — no cream or other dairy added.

Watercress, Endive and Pear Salad Toasted hazelnuts, winter greens and fresh pears mingle in this seasonal salad, which makes for a colorful presentation on a buffet or table.

 

 

Roasted Turkey Breast Roasting a turkey breast is a lot easier than roasting a whole bird — and the breast is a lot lower in fat, too.

Spice-Rubbed Turkey If you are going to roast a whole turkey, keep it healthy by adding flavor with spices, rather than butter. This recipe calls for scoring the turkey skin to encourage the fat to render, adding no extra butter or oil in the process.

 

 

Braised Potatoes & Escarole Slow cook potatoes instead of mashing them, and you’ll avoid adding butter and cream. These fingerlings braise mostly in chicken stock and vinegar, with tender escarole to brighten them.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cumin and Cilantro Indian spices and herbs give this side dish a kick, using only a tablespoon of oil.

Baby Broccoli with Garlic Crispy garlic slices top this blanched and sauteed baby broccoli for a fast and simple dish. Bonus: only 4 ingredients required.

Maple-and-Soy-Glazed Acorn Squash Here, sweet maple syrup, salty soy and spicy ginger combine in a delicious glaze for hearty squash slices.

 

 

Spiced Poached Pears Skip pie crusts in favor of this crisp, refreshing finale, as striking as it is delicious.

Cranberry-Apple Crisp Candied ginger and apple juice sweeten the filling in this juicy crisp, made with nutty whole-wheat pastry flour.