Healthy Holiday Recipes

Treat your family and friends to a special holiday meal without overindulging. These delicious, better-for-you recipes make it easy.

November 12, 2021

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Vegan Potato, Pepper and Olive Phyllo Cups

Finely chopped potatoes are quickly boiled, then mashed with olive oil and nutritional yeast to make a creamy, "cheesy" base for these low-fat, one-bite vegan appetizers. Smoked paprika adds a bacon-y note (but there's no bacon here!). Make the filling the day before your next get-together, then fill, heat and serve on the day. P.S.: Meat eaters will love them too!

Get the Recipe: Vegan Potato, Pepper and Olive Phyllo Cups

Vegetarian "Southern-Style" Collard Greens

Sunny's hearty collard greens have all of the flavor of traditional southern-style collard greens, but none of the meat.

Get the Recipe: Vegetarian "Southern-style" Collard Greens

Mushroom Wellington with Creamy Carrot Sauce

We took inspiration from an important part of traditional beef Wellington, the duxelles (a paste of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and herbs cooked in butter), and made a hearty filling for a satisfying, low-fat vegetarian version. Serve this impressive main course with the bright carrot sauce, which gets its creaminess from just a touch of cream cheese. (Don't be afraid to use full-fat cheeses — a little can go a long way!)

Get the Recipe: Mushroom Wellington with Creamy Carrot Sauce

Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Stuff a pork tenderloin with a savory mix of mushrooms and bacon and roast to perfection — no one will guess that it's a healthy holiday main dish.

Get the Recipe: Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Curried Sweet Potato Puree

Almond milk makes this creamy side dish dairy-free. The heat from the ginger and curry counter the sweetness of the potatoes, and the lime adds a bright kick at the end.

Get the Recipe: Curried Sweet Potato Puree

Vegetarian Spinach-Walnut Pâté

The words "vegetarian," "pâté" and "caviar" don't necessarily go together, but this creamy, flavor-packed appetizer spreads like pâté, and the tart bursts of pomegranate seeds are a little like caviar. This vegetarian (in fact, vegan) dish is inspired by the country of Georgia's dish pkhali, a spinach spread that can also be made with beets or mushrooms.

Get the Recipe: Vegetarian Spinach-Walnut Pate

Goat Cheese, Lentil and Brown Rice Rolls

Giada stuffs steamed Swiss chard leaves with a flavorful mixture of goat cheese, lentils, brown rice and herbs for a vegetarian main dish that even meat lovers won't be able to resist.

Get the Recipe: Goat Cheese, Lentil and Brown Rice Rolls

Vegan Saffron Risotto

Inspired by the flavors of bouillabaisse (the Provencal seafood stew), this creamy, saffron-hued risotto is a special-occasion dish for vegans, vegetarians and even meat eaters. Ingredients high in umami (the savory fifth taste), like tomato paste, soy sauce and canned tomatoes, add depth; nutritional yeast adds a bit of a cheesy taste. Make the stock ahead of time, and rewarm it when you're ready to make the dish.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Saffron Risotto

Eggplant Ricotta Bites

Lightly breaded eggplant is sauteed instead of deep-fried, giving it crunch without excess oil. It's then topped with ricotta and tomatoes for an eggplant Parmesan-inspired appetizer with much less fat.

Get the Recipe: Eggplant Ricotta Bites

Shrimp Cocktail with Tomatillo-Horseradish Sauce

Bobby puts his spin on the classic seafood appetizer by first poaching the shrimp with lemon, peppercorn and coriander, then serving with them a dipping sauce of roasted tomatillo, jalapeno and horseradish.

Get the Recipe: Shrimp Cocktail with Tomatillo-Horseradish Sauce

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Pecorino Cheese

Giada's meatless pasta dish gets a big punch of flavor from kalamata olives, tomatoes and sauteed greens. It's ready in 40 minutes so makes an easy vegetarian main dish or accompaniment to meat, fish or chicken for the meat-lovers at your table.

Get the Recipe: Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Pecorino Cheese

Winter Fruit Salad

Guests are likely to bring cookies to share, so finish your holiday dinner with this jewel-toned winter fruit salad in lieu of a traditional dessert. It's full of winter fruit favorites like pomegranate, orange, mango and kiwi.

Get the Recipe: Winter Fruit Salad

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Hazelnuts

Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out their nutty flavor; Bobby adds pomegranate seeds, orange zest and toasted hazelnuts to his roasted sprouts for a perfectly festive side dish.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pomegranate and Hazelnuts

Low-Fat Eggnog

What's better than sipping on eggnog by the fireplace? Sipping our lower-cal version, made with lowfat milk flavored with fragrant citrus zest, vanilla beans and bourbon.

Get the Recipe: Low-Fat Eggnog

Grapefruit-Mint Salad

Take advantage of citrus season by turning grapefruits into a salad. Honey and fresh mint balance the healthy citrus fruit's natural tartness.

Get the Recipe: Grapefruit-Mint Salad

Avocado-Feta Dip

Feta cheese is a lower-fat choice with a very bright flavor. A little bit goes a long way in this fresh, green dip.

Get the Recipe: Avocado-Feta Dip

Eggplant Caponata

Food Network Magazine's jewel-toned eggplant dish makes a beautiful addition to the holiday table, whether as a side dish or appetizer, served with toasted bread.

Get the Recipe: Eggplant Caponata

Cucumber Cups with Creamy Salmon Whip

Ellie's take on this retro appetizer replaces most of the full-fat cream cheese with reduced-fat cottage cheese. With only 60 calories in three pieces, this is an appetizer you can feel good about serving (and eating!).

Get the Recipe: Cucumber Cups With Creamy Salmon Whip

Green Bean Casserole

A slimmed-down version of this classic offers the creamy mushroom flavor and sweet tang of onion you expect, with 60 percent fewer calories and 80 percent less fat.

Get the Recipe: Green Bean Casserole - Slimmed

Roasted Fennel with Charred Tomatoes, Olives, and Pecorino

The flavor of fennel marries well with the Mediterranean flavors of slightly charred tomatoes, meaty kalamata olives, and crystalline bursts of earthy, aged Parmesan cheese.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Fennel with Charred Tomatoes, Olives, and Pecorino

Oven-Fried Latkes

Using the oven to make crisp latkes saves a lot of calories and fat -- and hassle. You can cook a large batch quickly in a very hot oven. Egg white takes the place of a whole egg, keeping the cholesterol low, too.

Get the Recipe: Oven-Fried Latkes

Roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Chile

Roasting cauliflower gives it a deep, nutty flavor. Drizzle it with a flavorful chile-caper sauce for an easy side dish to serve alongside roasted meat or fish.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Chile

Roasted Pork and Potatoes with Creamy Applesauce

Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat and a perfectly elegant choice for a holiday meal.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Pork and Potatoes With Creamy Applesauce

Hummus

This holiday appetizer is ready in just 10 minutes. Ina keeps the hummus simple with garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Serve with crisp vegetables on the side for dipping.

Get the Recipe: Hummus

Light Scalloped Potatoes with Roasted Chiles

Scalloped potatoes get a kick from roasted poblano chile pepper in this dish from Food Network Magazine. This healthier take uses modest amounts of Parmesan and Mexican crema (or sour cream) to supply satisfying creaminess.

Get the Recipe: Light Scalloped Potatoes With Roasted Chiles

Warm Spinach Salad

Pistachios and red grapes add a variety of textures and flavors to this warm spinach salad tossed with Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Small amounts of crisp bacon and crumbled blue cheese make the recipe seem more decadent than it is.

Get the Recipe: Warm Spinach Salad

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Try these Cornish game hens from Food Network Magazine as an alternative to traditional turkey at your holiday feast. A parsley pesto made with pumpkin seeds brings an earthy, aromatic flavor to the meat.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Cornish Game Hens With Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Potatoes With Chili Butter

A little bit of butter goes a long way in this flavorful side dish from Food Network Magazine.

Get the Recipe: Potatoes With Chili Butter

Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail

Tide holiday guests over with a spicy seafood cocktail made with scallops and shrimp. Zippy ingredients like lime juice, chile and onion deliver lots of flavor but very few calories.

Get the Recipe: Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail

Mulled Wine Granita

This mulled wine granita is similar to an Italian ice or sorbet, but it is flavored for the holidays with a cinnamon stick and cloves. The presentation is sophisticated, but the preparation is simple: Just freeze the mix and scrape with a fork. Bonus: There are only 165 calories per serving.

Get the Recipe: Mulled Wine Granita

Roasted Balsamic Onions

Roasting onions with a splash of vinegar makes them sweet and tender, and as a bonus, the dish is low in calories.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Balsamic Onions

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