The holiday season is synonymous with feasting, but savoring the weeks ahead doesn’t mean you have to compromise health for tradition. Making healthier holiday choices won’t require skipping your favorites (or skipping meals); a few simple ingredient swaps can boost nutrition while still retaining flavor.
Sometimes that means adjusting portion sizes, adding more protein and fiber-rich items to your plate to promote fullness, adding more colorful vegetables and whole grains, or lightening up a dish with smarter ingredients.
All of the options below are designed with that in mind: simple tweaks that keep the joy (and flavor) in your favorite recipes while providing a little nutritional boost. Think of them as upgrades, not sacrifices, that can make your holiday table a little brighter.
Mushroom Wellington
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
A festive, plant-based spin on classic beef wellington, this mushroom wellington is made for special occasions.
With two types of mushrooms, lentils, walnuts, and butternut squash, this showstopping mushroom wellington is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or anytime you want a recipe packed with plants.
High-Protein Sourdough Stuffing
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
High protein stuffing! With 18 grams of protein per serving, this sourdough stuffing uses less butter than traditional stuffing with homemade tempeh sausage for extra fiber and protein.
While you can use any bread for this stuffing, sourdough is often easier to digest than other breads.
High-Protein Sourdough Stuffing Recipe
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
You don’t have to be plant-based to enjoy this lentil shepherd’s pie! As a dietitian, I’m always trying to get my clients to eat more legumes, and lentils are an easy way to start. No presoaking required, and when seasoned correctly, they can mimic the texture of ground beef.
Try them in this recipe, topped with homemade mashed potatoes. It’s always a crowd pleaser and perfect as a hearty, vegetarian main dish.
Mushroom Gravy
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
This rich, savory mushroom sauce, enhanced with a splash of balsamic vinegar, can easily stand in for gravy. It’s packed with plenty of umami flavor, lower in saturated fat, and contains beneficial antioxidants from the fresh and dried mushrooms.
Simple Glazed Carrots
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
This glazed carrot recipe uses maple syrup in place of traditional brown sugar and uses roughly half of the amount called for in most other dishes.
Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness, making this the perfect side dish to complement more savory options.
Healthy Creamed Spinach
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
You’d never know this creamed spinach is dairy-free! Made with a blend of cashews (and a secret ingredient), this creamy spinach is incredibly flavorful and tastes just like traditional creamed spinach, with a quarter of the fat and calories.
Healthy Creamed Spinach Recipe
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
We make these pumpkin cornbread muffins almost weekly starting in October. Thanks to the addition of canned pumpkin puree, they are more moist than regular cornbread muffins and have extra fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffin Recipe
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
Enjoying soup as a first course is a great way to fill up, especially with this spicy pumpkin soup, which has 5 g of fiber per serving. Made with canned pumpkin, coconut milk, and kale, this veggie-packed soup is a flavorful way to sneak in extra vegetables.
Pumpkin Pie Pecan Bars
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
Love pumpkin pie and pecan pie? Then you’ll want to make these bars, one part pecan pie and one part pumpkin pie. Instead of having a slice of each, these hybrid bars satisfy your craving for both pumpkin and pecan pie.
Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
Most of us can agree that Thanksgiving isn’t really Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. I don’t serve it any other time of the year, but it’s one of the most requested dishes from my husband and my in-laws.
This version uses fresh green beans, a homemade creamy mushroom soup, and baked, crispy onions on top. Or, throw the onions in the air fryer for an extra-crispy version, more like the traditional store-bought onions.
Fresh Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Green Beans Almondine
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
These green beans almodine are so easy, you almost don’t need a recipe! Buttery green beans with shallots, toasted sliced almonds, and lemon. An elegant side dish for any meal, and a crisp vegetable offering that pairs with any other rich side.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Image Credit: Alexandra Caspero
Instead of the usual butter-and-cream-heavy sweet potato casserole, these hasselback sweet potatoes let the natural sweetness of the sweet potato shine.
Hasselback-style just means making thin, horizontal slices almost through the potato, creating plenty of nooks to tuck in the toppings of your choosing– marshmallows or toasted pecans and herbs. This is a show-stopping side that works for any holiday celebration meal.
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes Recipe
