5 Delicious and Light Holiday Side Dishes

Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Fluffy Light Mashed Potatoes

The secret to these mashed potatoes is cooking the potatoes slowly for a long time and adding hot milk when mashing.

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time:45 minutes

Course: Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: American, Holiday

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 89kcal

Author: Judy Doherty

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces Russett or baking potatoes peeled, cut in 6 pieces, about 4 potatoes

  • .75 cups skim or 1% milk heated

  • 1 tablespoon butter unsalted

  • 1 pinch salt and pepper

  • 1 tsp fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes. Add them to a large pot and cover them water. Bring to a boil. lower to a simmer, and cover. Simmer on low for 35-45 minutes or until they are very tender.

  • Drain the potatoes in a colander. Whip them with a hand mixer or mixing machine or mash them by hand. Stir the hot milk in slowly. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mashed potatoes to a serving bowl, make a swirl on top and add the butter to the top.

  • Serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cups | Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

Apple Cranberry Stuffins

This apple cranberry stuffing is baked in muffin tins. It is a lovely presentation that is also portion controlled!

Prep Time:10 minutes

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Holiday

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 55kcal

Author: Judy Doherty

Equipment

  • 1 muffin tin with 1 dozen slots, regular sized

Ingredients

  • 1 bag stuffing mix

  • .5 onions peeled and chopped

  • 2 each stalks of celery chopped

  • 1 each apple peeled, cored, chopped

  • .25 cup dried cranberries or chopped fresh ones

  • 1.75 cups water

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Saute the apples, onions, and celery with a little spray vegetable oil. Cover and cook until tender. Add the stuffing mix and olive oil. Mix well. Then add the water. Cover and cook on very low heat for a few minutes.

  • Grease the muffin tins. Scoop the stuffing into the tins.

  • Bake the stuffins for about 30 minutes or until they are heated through and a nice brown color on the top and sizes.

  • Serve on a platter. Garnish with a few more cranberries and some parsley.

Notes

For this recipe, we used the Sprouts stuffing mix. You can also use any commercial stuffing mix but in that case, follow the directions on the package except cut the fat in half and add in the sauteed cranberries, apples, celery, and onions. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 0.001mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Roasting wedges of sweet potatoes and apples on a sheet tray is super easy and yields a delicious side dish great for a holiday celebration or any day

Prep Time:15 minutes

Cook Time:1 hour 25 minutes

Course: Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: American, Holiday

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 27kcal

Author: Judy Doherty

Ingredients

  • 3 each red yams peeled, cut in half, then in wedges

  • 1 each carrot peeled, cut in half then in quarters

  • 1 each apple peeled, cored, cut in wedges

  • 1 tsp olive oil

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes or Korean red pepper flakes

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Prepare the vegetables and apples. Toss them in olive oil and seasonings in a bowl. Spread onto a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  • Bake the vegetables for 1-1.5 hours or until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork.

  • Sprinkle the maple syrup over the top of the yams and apples and toss them together. Bake for 5 more minutes.

  • Serve hot on a serving platter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 153IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Air Fried Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Orange Glaze

Using an air fryer for Brussels sprouts makes them so delicious they will be a hit at any meal.

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes

Course: Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 105kcal

Author: Judy Doherty

Equipment

  • 1 Air Fryer you can also bake at 425F in the oven

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts rinsed, trimmed, ready to cook

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

  • 2 each orange

Instructions

  • Toss the Brussels sprouts in olive oil. Cook them in an air fryer at 375-400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until they are very crispy and brown on the outside.

  • Toss the Brussels sprouts with the dried cranberries and juice of one orange.

  • Serve them hot on a platter garnished with a sliced orange.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 856IU | Vitamin C: 97mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

Air Fried Green Beans and Garlic

These green beans are roasted to perfection.

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:20 minutes

Course: Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: American, Holiday

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 74kcal

Author: Judy Doherty

Equipment

  • 1 Air Fryer Or use oven or toaster oven

Ingredients

  • 1 pound green beans fresh, remove stems

  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and sliced

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin

  • 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/2 cup lettuce for garnish

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar optional or use any vinegar

Instructions

  • Coat the green beans with the oil by tossing them together in a mixing bowl. Place the beans into the air fryer. Half way through cooking, add the sliced garlic to the beans in the air fryer.

  • When the beans are tender, remove them from the air fryer. Place on a platter with a little lettuce under them for garnish (optional)

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 828IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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