Give your guests the gift of healthy Thanksgiving food this year. Our Thanksgiving dinner menu is full of the classics—stuffing, green beans, and turkey—and it's also low in calories, sodium, and fat. While this healthy Thanksgiving dinner menu might be lighter than your usual fare, it's full of flavor and proves that a well-balanced holiday meal can still taste delicious.
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Spinach-Parmesan Dip
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Research proves that eating a snack before a big meal can help you eat smarter and feel more satisfied. With that in mind, why not start your holiday dinner with a heart-healthy Thanksgiving appetizer or two that will occupy your guests while you finish preparing the sides, entrée, and dessert?
This creamy spinach-Parmesan dip gets its subtle heat from cayenne pepper. Serve it with sliced veggies to keep the calorie count in check (and to save room for the deliciousness to come). The slow cooker dip recipe is so creamy and rich-tasting that your guests will never know it's actually a healthy Thanksgiving appetizer!
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Hazelnut-Crusted Turkey Breast
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Calories: 260, Fat: 8 g, Sodium: 58 mg
Want healthy Thanksgiving turkey recipes? Instead of roasting a whole bird, opt for just the breast instead. With a whopping 38 grams of protein per serving, this lean turkey breast is an absolute powerhouse. Its crunchy hazelnut crust and a hint of cinnamon, plus the juicy kumquats served alongside, will make this turkey recipe the talk of your Thanksgiving meal.
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Spinach-Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins
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Calories: 254, Fat: 10 g, Sodium: 478 mg
These turkey breasts prove that heart-healthy Thanksgiving turkey recipes can be far from boring. Your guests will ask for this recipe stuffed with spinach and melty cheese long before the last bite. Plus, the spinach filling is a healthy twist on classic Thanksgiving stuffing!
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Sweet Potato-Pomegranate Slaw
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Calories: 260, Fat: 17 g, Sodium: 154 mg
Give Thanksgiving sweet potatoes a healthy makeover with this quick and easy recipe. Serve this colorful spiralized recipe instead of the cream-heavy traditional coleslaw or sugar-laden candied sweet potatoes as one of your healthy Thanksgiving sides. Nutrient-dense sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil make this salad a tangy treat.
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes
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Calories: 267, Fat: 8 g, Sodium: 312 mg
What's one way to make heart-healthy Thanksgiving mashed potatoes? Make mashed sweet potatoes instead. Sweet hazelnuts add a hint of nutty flavor and crunch to a delicious mashed sweet potato recipe. You'll get all the taste of the traditional Thanksgiving side-dish recipe in a more vitamin-rich package.
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Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
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Calories: 82, Fat: 3 g, Sodium: 364 mg
Healthy butternut squash recipes are the way to go this year. This soup combines squash and carrots for a creamy dish that will make an eye-catching addition to your Thanksgiving table. Stir in crème fraîche and toasted pumpkin seeds to add extra pizzazz to this healthy Thanksgiving side-dish recipe.
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Savory Butternut Squash Dressing
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Calories: 149, Fat: 5 g, Sodium: 426 mg
Hosting a healthy Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to mean skipping the stuffing. Rich butternut squash and ripe red cranberries shine through in this fall favorite. Mixing egg, light cream, and low-sodium chicken broth creates an extra-moist and healthy stuffing recipe without extra fat and calories.
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Herbed Cheese Whole Wheat Breadsticks
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Calories: 53, Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 91 mg
Serve a starchy side you can feel good about sharing with your friends and family. These flaky, tender whole wheat breadsticks have a slightly cheesy flavor. This healthy Thanksgiving side dish is low in calories and fat. So go ahead—grab a second one!
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Roasted Green Beans with Beets, Feta, and Walnuts
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Calories: 199, Fat: 14 g, Sodium: 303 mg
This version of a healthy green bean casserole subtracts the high-fat and high-calorie condensed soup and fried onions but keeps all the flavor (and cranks up the color). Walnuts, feta cheese, and beets bring plenty of good taste and fiber to the table. Switch it up with what you have available—almonds and goat cheese work well here, too. No matter what combination you use, everyone will definitely be going back for seconds for this healthy Thanksgiving side dish.
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Brined Skillet-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
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Calories: 126, Fat: 9 g, Sodium: 346 mg
You'll be surprised how much flavor you can coax out of Brussels sprouts with just a few pantry staples and a sizzling skillet. No butter, cream, or cheese required! A quick brine in a saltwater solution infuses the sprouts with seasoning (without being overly salty). Roasting in a cast-iron skillet caramelizes the natural sugars to tame any final hints of bitterness. This healthy Thanksgiving side dish is so affordable and easy that you'll want to make it all year long.
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Pumpkin-Pecan Tassies
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Calories: 113, Fat: 7 g, Sodium: 92 mg
Even if you're hosting a heart-healthy Thanksgiving dinner, you can still treat yourself to a "slice" of pie (or two). Dig into these low-carb Thanksgiving desserts this year. They're like eating mini pumpkin pies and pecan pies all in one!
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Pumpkin-Almond Macarons
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Calories: 65, Fat: 2 g, Sodium: 12 mg
Calling all PSL-lovers! These low-calorie and low-carb sandwich cookies are stuffed with a warmly-spiced pumpkin butter filling. Don't be confused by the "butter" in the name...pumpkin, apple, fig, and other fruit-based "butters" are almost always fat-free. They're the fruit simmered down with a bit of juice and/or sweetener, then blended into a butter-like, spreadable consistency. Slather it between a couple of pillowy almond cookies for a healthy Thanksgiving dessert that also makes for a delightful to-go treat if you're too full to nosh on them now.
