When I think about Thanksgiving, a few words come to mind right away: abundance, family, and the rich colors of fall. And for me, the garden is always part of that picture. Fall and early winter are my favorite gardening seasons, and this is the time of year when my kitchen is full of beets, carrots, squash, kale and spinach.
The holidays are the perfect chance to let those colorful vegetables take center stage. Instead of the usual green bean casserole, why not bring a dish made with something you grew? One year I counted eight different vegetables from the garden at one dinner at our table!
Here are 12 of my favorite healthy fall vegetable side dishes. They’re great for Thanksgiving, a potluck or feeding a crowd, and most of them work just as well on a regular weeknight.
After the recipes, I’ll share the habits that help me eat more vegetables all season long, even when the holidays get busy.
Fresh Salads to Balance the Heavy Holiday Food
#1: Marrakesh Carrot Salad
Garden Vegetables: Carrots, red onion, scallions, cilantro
This is one of my favorite dishes to bring to a holiday potluck. Lentils, feta and dates keep the carrots interesting, and the purple, orange and green colors look beautiful on the table.
Its bright, fresh flavor is a welcome balance to all the heavier holiday food. I was a vegetarian for more than 20 years, so I love that the lentils add some protein, too. I harvest carrots from my garden into early December.
Try the recipe by Sprouted Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Sprouted Kitchen
#2: Roasted Beet Salad with Spinach and Herbs
Garden Vegetables: Beets, spinach, parsley, chives, dill
If you plant fall spinach, you might be harvesting it for the holidays. One year I hosted family from both sides for Christmas and picked a big spinach salad from my front yard garden on Christmas morning.
Try the recipe by Naturally Ella
Photo courtesy of Naturally Ella
#3: Arugula, Dried Cherry and Wild Rice Salad with a Zippy Lemon Dressing
Garden Vegetables: Arugula, basil
Arugula is a very cold hardy salad green that I always make sure to grow in my fall garden. That means I usually have plenty to harvest throughout the fall and even into the holiday season. Adding wild rice to this salad makes it hearty enough to serve as a main dish on a busy weeknight, or bring as a potluck contribution to a party.
Try the recipe by Cookie and Kate
Photo courtesy of Cookie and Kate
#3: Super Kale Salad
Vegetables: Kale, and anything else you’re harvesting from your garden
At a dinner I hosted, my brother-in-law told me, “Megan, I think you’re trying to make me like kale. This salad is so good!” I’ll admit it: I’m secretly trying to get everyone in my family on the kale party wagon.
Massaging the kale completely transforms it from that waxy garnish into a savory, smooth and filling salad that deserves to be center stage at the dinner table.
Try the recipe by The Creative Vegetable Gardener
Cozy Roasted and Baked Sides
#6: Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Vegetables: potatoes, garlic, onion, sage, thyme, rosemary
Scalloped potatoes overloaded with dairy is a dish that’s too heavy for my taste. But, it’s often a staple of holiday meals. This Rainbow Plant Life version is much lighter and fit for dairy free and vegan guests.
Try the recipe by Rainbow Plant Life
Photo courtesy of Rainbow Plant Life
Gard.
.#7: Carmelized Brussels Sprouts and Apples
Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, apples, garlic
Sweet apples balance the earthy flavor of Brussels sprouts. I leave my Brussels sprouts in the garden until we’ve had a few hard frosts or even snow, which makes them sweeter.
Try the recipe by 101 Cookbooks
Photo courtesy of 101 Cookbooks
#8: Arabian Squash Casserole
Vegetable: butternut squash, onion, garlic
My family has been making this for potlucks and holidays for years, and it’s always a crowd favorite. My husband once brought it to his family’s Thanksgiving, and people kept asking who made it.
Try the recipe from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
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#9: Butternut Squash and Leek Stuffing
Vegetables: butternut squash, leeks, onions, garlic, sage, rosemary, parsley
A stuffing with a lot more vegetables than the usual bread-heavy version. Here’s how I store winter squash so I have plenty for the holidays.
Try the recipe by Love and Lemons
Photo courtesy of Love and Lemons
#10: Pumpkin Cornbread
Vegetables: pumpkin
Pumpkin is the secret ingredient here. It makes the cornbread moist and hearty, and it’s perfect alongside a bowl of chili.
Try the recipe by Healthy Homespun Living
Phot courtesy of Healthy Homespun Living
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Soups and Bowls for the Days After
#11: Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl
Vegetables: sweet potatoes, broccoli, garlic
A cozy bowl with wild rice and a miso sauce. Add a protein and it’s a full weeknight dinner. Sweet potato recipes are a must at my house. One year I had 111 sweet potatoes stored in my guest room!
Try the recipe by Smitten Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
#12: Lentil Soup
Vegetables: onion, carrots, kale, garlic, thyme. parsley
We’ve tried many different recipes for lentil soups and this is one of our long time favorites. I love that I can throw in garden kale from the freezer and carrots from the fridge.
Try the recipe by Love and Lemons
Photo courtesy of Love and Lemons
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How I Eat More Vegetables All Holiday Season
Healthy eating can be a challenge over the holidays, even for gardeners. When I stray too far from my usual routine, I just don’t feel as good. These are the habits that help me keep vegetables on the table, with room for a few chocolate chip cookies too.
- Grow food for as many months as possible. When you have vegetables in your garden, you eat more of them. In my zone 5 garden, I’m still harvesting spinach, arugula, salad mix, turnips, winter radishes, beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts and herbs in November. Even in a cold climate, you can harvest for eight months or more. Here’s what to plant for a fall garden next year.
- Stock up from storage and the freezer. Many of the vegetables in these recipes come from my stash: beets and carrots in the fridge, winter squash on the shelf, and kale and chard in the freezer.
- Add more vegetables to every recipe. I almost always add more vegetables than a recipe calls for. When I made a coconut lentil soup, I used three carrots instead of two, two onions instead of one, and threw in a bag of frozen kale. This works great in soups, casseroles, salads and egg dishes.
- Double the recipe. I learned to cook on a farm in my twenties, feeding crews of 12 to 40 people. Now I almost always double or triple a recipe so we have lunches for the next few days. Honestly, I get annoyed when a recipe doesn’t give us leftovers!
- Find a few favorite veggie-centric recipe sources. These days I search food blogs by ingredient or season more than I use cookbooks. My favorites are Love and Lemons, Cookie + Kate, Rainbow Plant Life. I borrow cookbooks from the library and buy the ones I love. Here are my favorite cookbooks for gardeners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best fall vegetables for side dishes? Winter squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, kale and spinach are all at their best this time of year. Cold weather actually improves the taste of some of them. I leave my Brussels sprouts in the garden until after a few hard frosts because it makes them sweeter.
What vegetable side dish should I bring to Thanksgiving? Bring something bright and fresh to balance all the rich holiday food. The Marrakesh carrot salad and the kale salad are two of my favorites. If you want something cozy, the Arabian squash casserole has been a crowd favorite in my family for years.
What fall side dishes are best for a potluck or a crowd? Look for dishes that are hearty, colorful and easy to make in a big batch. The arugula and wild rice salad, the Marrakesh carrot salad and the Arabian squash casserole have all been potluck hits for me. Most of these recipes double easily, and you’ll have leftovers for lunch.
Can I use frozen or stored vegetables in these recipes? Yes! Most of the vegetables I cook with in late fall and winter come from storage or my freezer. Beets and carrots keep for months in the fridge, winter squash keeps on a shelf, and frozen kale or chard can go straight into soups and casseroles without thawing.
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More seasonal recipes from the garden:
Easy Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe
5 Fermented Foods to Try This Fall
Healthy Camping Meals for Veggie Lovers
Comments
Roasted parsnip soup looks delicious! I think it will be the first course at our Thanksgiving dinner this year. It will also go well with our leftover turkey sandwiches!
Let me know how you like it, Abby!
Never tried pumpkin cornbread before. That does sound fantastic!
Let me know how you like it if you try it, Mike!
You are really a wonderful, wonderfully generous person Megan Cain!
Thank you so very much for all you share, teach, and generally be so convincingly enthusiastic about! Todays fall recipe sharing from all your favorite cookbooks is, well, wonderful. Thanks and looking forward to seeing your next whatever it may be!
Thank you so much, Linda! I hope to see you soon.