Thanksgiving will be here sooner than you think, and that means some kind of cooking is inevitable. Whether you’re hosting a full-on dinner or just need something to bring to Mom’s, easy Thanksgiving sides are the ticket to a stress-free holiday. These recipes have five ingredients or less (plus salt, pepper, and sometimes olive oil), so you can get in and out of the grocery store painlessly, and make it to family dinner without a headache. Plus, they’re healthier than the traditional versions, which means one thing… bring on the pie.
1. Bacon Garlic Green Beans
Ditch the green bean casserole and bring this side dish to dinner instead. It’s got plenty of bacon, garlic, and even some butter, so no one will notice it’s way healthier than a French-onion-soup-covered batch. Plus, it’ll save you from buying a box of those crispy onion pieces you’ll never get through.
2. Mashed Cauliflower With Ricotta
We know, we know, mashed potatoes are a Thanksgiving *staple*. Who are we to mess with tradition? But chances are, someone else will bring the classic version, and now you can have a healthier option on call too. Plus, with ricotta, garlic, butter, and chives, it’s just as flavorful as the real thing.
3. Paleo Cranberry Sauce
No Thanksgiving is complete without cranberry sauce, and you can never have too many varieties. This one is sure to be the healthiest, since it’s only made with three ingredients, and not one of them is sugar. Just heat cranberries, pineapple, and diced apple, and you’ll get a thick chutney perfect to slather over turkey, a roll, or veggies.
4. Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
It takes a bit of time to get the sweet potatoes to the perfect level of softness for this casserole, but the actual work involved is a breeze. Mix ’em with applesauce coconut oil, and cinnamon, then top the mix with pecans. After another half hour in the oven, it’ll be nice and bubbly.
5. Shaved Brussels and Kale Salad
Green veggies tend to be pretty absent from Thanksgiving dinner, or at least overlooked in favor of all the yummy potatoes and stuffings. This super-easy dish is hard to look past, though, with its tasty mix of dates, kale, shaved Brussels, and hazelnuts. Top it with a homemade sweet basil dressing or a similar store-bought version to truly make it five-ingredient.
6. Pecan Pie Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Twice-baked potatoes are always worth the effort, especially when there are this few ingredients. Maple syrup, cinnamon, and coconut sugar are all it takes to make them perfectly sweet, and diced pecans add a nice crunch. Seriously, the hardest part is waiting for these delicious ‘taters to come out of the oven.
7. Honey-Roasted Carrots With Goat Cheese
Carrots probably aren’t the first Thanksgiving side dish you think of, but these sweet honey-roasted babies are the perfect healthyish veg to add to the holiday spread. Plus, goat cheese and thyme add a much-needed savory taste to the sticks, and the pretty colors are perfect for fall. All the wins.
