Dishes

45 Low-Carb Side Dishes That Will Keep You Full Without Wrecking Your Diet

By Elaine E. Sexton 3 years ago

Pursuing a very low-carb ingesting approach can likely support you eliminate bodyweight, reduce your cholesterol and blood force and decrease your danger for sort 2 diabetes—and that is not just us declaring it studies back again this up. But when adhering to any form of diet plan, it’s essential that the foods basically preferences very good (if not what’s the stage?). As a substitute of accepting that you will be hungry following dinnertime, fill your plate with reduced-carb and keto-helpful greens like cauliflower, zucchini, kale, cucumbers and much more. These 45 reduced-carb aspect dishes will round out your meal with no wrecking your diet regime, from cacio e pepe Brussels sprouts to melted onions.

Linked: 55 Minimal Carb Lunch Concepts You are going to Truly Be Psyched to Eat

Time Determination: 35 minutes
Why We Really like It: <10 ingredients, low sugar, ketogenic

The simple combo of black pepper and cheese instantly elevates not only pasta but also pretty much every veggie, plus it’s low carb and flavorful to boot.

See ya later, spuds. These crispy turnip fries are just as tasty as everyone’s favorite side dish, but a whole lot healthier. They’re dressed up in garlic powder and Old Bay, but you can customize the seasoning if you want.

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, sheet pan recipe, ready in <30 minutes

Who knew that decadent, delightful Ina Garten could go diet-friendly too? This sheet pan wonder is a play on the classic broccoli with cheese sauce, but for adults.

Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Why We Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, gluten free, dairy free, vegan

When it’s too hot to cook, don’t. All you have to do is slice some cukes, season them and then let it all marinate in the fridge for a bit.

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, Instant Pot recipe, crowd-pleaser

Cauliflower rice is a standby of the keto diet (aka a super low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein eating plan), but it’s pretty plain on its own. That makes it a great blank canvas for all kinds of combinations and meals.

Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, under 500 calories, make ahead

Our favorite veggie has done it again. This lightened-up version of the cookout staple is dressed with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, making it lower in fat too.

Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, make ahead, gluten free

The dressing is based on the flavors of a Caesar salad dressing, but uses soaked nuts and seeds as a base, which adds creaminess without adding too much oil. That also means it can be made totally vegan if you omit the blue cheese.

Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: under 500 calories, beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe

Look ma, no dishes! This one-pan recipe involves steaming the vegetables in a parchment parcel, so there’s practically zero cleanup.

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly

The store-bought marinated tofu means these zoodles are hearty enough to be a main course, but you can also serve smaller portions to make them a side dish.

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, low sugar, gluten free

Presenting ratatouille’s chic Italian cousin. This simple dish keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, plus it has fresh mozzarella. (Drool.)

Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

This recipe takes the classic French combination of radishes and butter and roasts the vegetable. Adding arugula at the end takes it from snack to full-blown side.

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: one pan, dairy free, gluten free, vegan

Whoever decided sautéed spinach was bland had never tried this version, which is creamy without including any dairy at all. (Bonus: It’s made in a single skillet.)

Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: gluten free, low sugar, under 500 calories

They’re cheesy, herby and comforting, and—dare we say it?—way tastier than the unlimited breadsticks at a certain chain restaurant we all know.

Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe

It’s a simple (15 minutes!) yet flavorful (so much cheese) upgrade to your usual summer squash coins. Plus, the recipe can be doubled or tripled for serving a crowd.

Time Commitment: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead

While you could make this the traditional, stovetop way, using a slow cooker means you can set it and walk away without worrying about an unattended open flame.

Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free

In our humble opinion, honeydew is the most underrated melon. When you choose a ripe one, it needs little more than fresh herbs and some briny cheese to dress it up. (But go ahead, use cantaloupe or watermelon if you must.)

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, low sugar, gluten free

As it turns out, we’ve all been sleeping on celery as a star ingredient. It’s crisp, flavorful and unexpected—three traits we look for in a diet-friendly side dish.

Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe, low sugar

Contrary to popular belief, cabbage isn’t just for coleslaw. With just a few simple seasonings, it can be a dinner-party-worthy side dish that’s very hands-off and happens to be ready to eat in less than an hour.

Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly

Have you heard the word? Brussels sprouts are the new potatoes, at least from a low-carb side dish standpoint. These are crispy and cheesy, but you could skip the cheese and drizzle them in hot honey instead.

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, dairy free

This side dish is making the case for mushrooms beyond a sad, soggy pizza topping. They’re saucy, juicy and go with everything from steak to pasta.

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes, dairy free, gluten free

If you want to take a vegetable from boring to brilliant, look no further than citrus zest and something crunchy to finish it off. (Here, that’s pumpkin and sunflower seeds, but any nut would work too.)

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

Wait, this luscious, cheesy dish is on your diet? Believe it. It’s all thanks to cauliflower, which is a blank slate just like pasta—minus the carbs.

Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser

Roasting naturally sweet tomatoes and bell peppers makes them taste even more intense, while the eggplant turns soft, creamy and luscious in the oven. If you’re wondering what to do with your recent farmers market haul, this is the answer.

Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Florals for spring? Not so groundbreaking. Onions as a side dish? Now we’re talking. These four-ingredient beauties are naturally sweet and melted, thanks to a simple caramelizing technique that involves your muffin tin.

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients

It’s the salad that dresses itself. Giving the strawberries a quick bath in vinegar and honey makes them extra juicy, so you don’t have to break out the blender or rely on bottled vinaigrette.

Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, <10 ingredients, dairy free, gluten free

You want to feel like you’re enjoying a salad at a fancy restaurant, but you don’t actually want to go anywhere. We get it. This pinkies-out side dish looks impressive but is secretly easy to make.

Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, ready in <30 minutes, gluten free, dairy free

The smoky cauliflower is delish, but can we talk about that chile oil? It can be made ahead and keeps for up to a month, and yeah, you should make a double batch.

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe

For those that think cauliflower is bland and soggy, serve them this star of a side. The turmeric and capers maximize the flavor, and the whole thing happens to be keto-friendly.

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, high protein

A diet-friendly dish that features burrata? Say no more, we’re coming over for dinner.

Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free, dairy free

Instead of boiling those green beans to mushy oblivion, blister them in a cast iron skillet for an entirely new texture and flavor. Plus, they’ll cook up in record time.

You could babysit that skillet until your sprouts are crisp. Or you could wrap them in bacon and roast them in the oven. You get the same satisfying crunch, without all the effort.

Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser

This Italian recipe is a holiday staple, but we love its pickle-y flavor enough to serve it year-round. Pair it with a lean white fish for the full Neapolitan experience.

Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, low sugar, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser

We bet you didn’t know that Brussels sprouts happen to make the cutest slider “buns” in the universe. These bites are a nice option for summer dinners on the patio, when you’re tired of grilled corn and pasta salad.

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, dairy free

Nothing spoils a picnic quite like a bowl of gloppy, store-bought slaw at the end of a picnic table. Here, we lay off the mayo and use a zesty vinegar base instead. The result is a lighter and more flavorful take on a classic.

Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Meet the mac and cheese equivalent of veggies. It’s comfort food for sure, but with a healthy dose of green.

Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients, low sugar, gluten free

This sheet pan meal serves two as a vegetarian main course, but we also like to serve it as an unexpected low-carb side. After all, who doesn’t love halloumi?

Skip the bag of potato chips and serve these at your next barbecue. They’re just as crisp, only without as many carbs.

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes, gluten-free

We know no one is asking, but if forced to choose, we’d be team cheese over team steak any day.

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, ready in <30 minutes, low sugar, ketogenic

It’s kind of a low-carb staple, no? And compared to regular rice, it takes so much less time to make.

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, no cook

It may be too hot to turn on the stove, but dinner isn’t a lost cause. A light dressing and no actual cooking required make this an ideal substitute for a carb-y pasta salad.

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, one pan, beginner-friendly

If cauliflower rice isn’t your thing (we get it), try zucchini as a low-carb substitute instead. It pairs well with everything from grilled flank steak to roast chicken.

Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Are we obsessed with crispy Brussels sprouts? Maybe, but there are worse vices. Just wait until you dip them in that tangy Dijonnaise.

Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: gluten free, ready in <30 minutes

Proof that pesto makes everything taste better, whether it’s pasta or a low-carb pasta stand-in.

Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: low sugar, <10 ingredients, one pan

Raw radishes are peppery and intense, but when you roast them, they magically become sweet. Considering this side dish calls for just five ingredients, you have nothing to lose.

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, low sugar

Yep, croutons are on your diet. You’re welcome.

RELATED: 30 Tasty Keto Side Dishes You Can Eat with Anything

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