When it comes to dinner, the side dishes can make or break your meal—especially when you’re eating healthy. As much as we love simple steamed veggies or a quick tossed salad, both can get boring when they’re your weeknight go-to. Filling your table with wholesome choices can (and should be!) so much more interesting. With the right recipes you can rotate between healthy whole grains, vitamin-packed potatoes, cruciferous gems like cauliflower or broccoli and, of course, lots of flavorful takes on veggies. Not sure where to start? We love Ina’s green beans, dressed with a homemade Gremolata including lemon zest, grated Parmesan, minced garlic and parsley, plus toasted pine nuts for a buttery crunch.

We took classic bagel toppings and combined them with sliced cucumber for a dish inspired by Logan Moffitt’s TikTok-famous shaken salads. Our everything-except-the-bagel version is vegetarian as well as gluten-free and gets loaded into a 2-quart container so it’s a generous amount for 2 to 4 people. Tomatoes and red onion add color, capers and everything-bagel seasoning add classic flavor while avocado and whipped cream cheese turn into a creamy dressing that coats the cucumbers deliciously. We recommend shaking the mix just before eating to keep the salad crisp and the dressing thick, not watery.

Cauliflower can shine in many forms. This recipe shows how simple it is to turn the florets into a healthy, low-carb side dish — our version has only about one-quarter of the carbohydrates in rice.

It's hard to resist the crispy bits of roasted Brussels sprouts – the caramelized outer parts and little leaves that fall off when roasting and turn perfectly golden. But there never seems to be enough of them. This recipe solves that problem by using shaved Brussels sprouts instead of whole or halves, so every bite is perfectly crispy. Shaved Brussels are commonly sold bagged in grocery stores, or you can shave your own on a mandoline or thinly slice them with a knife. A toss with lemon zest and juice amps up the flavor and a sprinkle of salty Parmesan adds nuttiness.

We season cauliflower florets with a simple, pantry-friendly mix of dried spices, then air fry them until golden and crisp for an easy weeknight side dish. A quick and creamy honey mustard sauce is the perfect accompaniment for dipping or drizzling.

Ratatouille is classically a bright, chunky, vegetable-forward Provençal-style stew. Our sheet pan version is a little less stew-like, with a touch of caramelization to the eggplant, onions, zucchini and bell peppers. Since everything is baked all at once on one pan, it cuts down on the hands-on cooking time. We stayed true to the typical garlic, herb and rich olive oil flavor this dish is known for and added a touch of sweetness with honey and white balsamic vinegar. A generous dusting of Parmesan finishes it off, though you can skip the cheese if you prefer. Enjoy as a vegetarian main or serve alongside grilled fish or meats.

This simple side salad is a favorite to serve alongside some of the Philippine’s most popular grilled and fried foods. Crunchy cucumbers, sweet tomatoes and a tangy spiced dressing are a perfect cool, crisp complement to richer Filipino dishes like Lechon Kawali (crispy pork belly), Pork Tocino (sweet cured pork) and anything barbecued. Persian cucumbers and cherry tomatoes are used in this version, but feel free to use the varieties you have on hand or what looks best at the market.

Ina lets roasted carrots shine with just a little bit of fresh dill mixed in. How easy is that?

We love a cheesy pasta bake, but even the coziest dinners need a boost of nutrition. Enter spaghetti squash. This hearty winter vegetable packs a healthy punch without compromising on warm, comforting flavor, and most of the work takes care of itself in the oven. From nutty cheeses to classic tomato sauce, the flavor possibilities are truly endless.

The Barefoot Contessa's Moroccan-inspired couscous studded with pine nuts and currants is one of those recipes you'll want to learn by heart.

Andy Liang writes, "This refreshing, flavorful salad stars Chinese black vinegar with light soy sauce as its milder sidekick. Smashed cucumber salad (pai huang gua in Mandarin) is a staple side dish in many Chinese restaurants, and I’ve often ordered it along with soup dumplings for a light meal. Chinese black vinegar has a deep and slightly smoky flavor, mild acidity and faint sweetness. The salad usually includes garlic and sesame seeds or sesame oil, and some variations add chiles or Sichuan peppercorn; this version uses gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes) for a touch of heat, which isn’t traditional but gives the salad a nice red hue and balanced spiciness. Smashing the cucumber helps to create jagged edges so there is more surface area to absorb the dressing, while salting the cucumber softens the skin, firms up the flesh and releases some water, concentrating the cucumber’s flavor."

This simple, but deeply flavorful side is the perfect accompaniment to roasted pork, chicken or sausages. The crinkly leaves of savoy cabbage hold up well to this cooking method and the buttery sauce readily clings to them, but you could use regular green cabbage, too.

There are two basic styles of this Japanese rolled omelet: a dashi version and a slightly sweet version made with a little sugar. The former is fluffier and moister, but the latter is simpler to prepare because you don’t need to make dashi and the egg isn’t as wet, so it rolls up more easily. The omelets are traditionally cooked in special square or rectangular tamagoyaki pans, but a round skillet, preferably nonstick, is possible (although a little trickier). Serve tamagoyaki hot, at room temperature or cold, for breakfast or as a side dish, snack or part of a bento box.

This stir fry is couldn't be simpler, and it makes for a light, delicious side dish.

Widza Gustin writes, "In Haiti, it's a must to have pikliz with fried foods and pork. But this spicy, crunchy slaw-like condiment is also excellent with rice, meats, poultry — in fact it’s on the table for just about every Haitian meal. I even top boiled eggs with it. The crunchiness of the vegetables and the sweet, tangy and fiery liquid is famous for heightening the flavors and cutting the fat of the foods around it. Pikliz is traditionally made with only green cabbage, and Scotch bonnet pepper is added to the mix and given time to sit. The twist in this recipe is the addition of purple cabbage, which is rarely used in Haiti, and blending the pepper right into the pickling liquid. Purple cabbage makes this version particularly colorful, and blending means that the pikliz is perfectly spicy almost instantly instead of needing several days to infuse and intensify. I suggest using a mandoline to make quick work of thinly slicing the vegetables, but you can use a sharp knife as well."

Chawanmushi is a savory Japanese flan steamed in a cup (“chawan” means teacup or rice bowl and “mushi” means steamed) that is typically eaten as an appetizer or part of a meal. The silky-smooth custard, made with eggs, dashi, soy sauce and mirin, is very delicate in flavor and texture. It generally contains a variety of fillings, perhaps most classically chicken or shrimp (or both), shiitake or shimeji mushrooms, fish cake, a gingko nut and mitsuba (Japanese parsley). Ginko nuts and mitsuba are difficult to find in the States, but you can substitute a few edamame for the gingko nut and some chopped scallion green for the mitsuba, if you like. The fillings in the ingredient list are all optional, though.

Alex's fresh, green salad is a celebration of spring with three kinds of peas (fresh shelled green peas, plus snow and sugar snap) topped with delicate pea shoots. Toss it all with a light dressing made with tarragon and sherry vinegar.

Avocado fans are sure to love this quick-cooking side, which cooks up in just 10 minutes.

This spicy cucumber kimchi is a perfect summer side dish. (Oi means cucumber and sobagi indicates it’s been cut in a cross shape and stuffed with a seasoned mixture.) It is often made with Korean cucumbers, which have very thin skins and few seeds, but this recipe uses Kirby cucumbers. They are more accessible in the U.S. and hold up just as well during the fermentation process, staying firm and crisp. Unlike traditional kimchi made with cabage, cucumber kimchi shouldn’t be kept more than 7 days at most, and it is best eaten within 2 to 3 days.

By quickly broiling the zucchini first, you can ensure all the pieces will be evenly cooked once they get baked with the tomato sauce.

The classic vegetable tart gets a photo-worthy makeover with a vibrant blanket of fresh radishes and cucumbers.

This quick, flavorful salad, popularized by Japanese restaurants in the U.S., gets a head start with already-cooked imitation crab sticks (“kani” is the Japanese word for crab). We like to make the dressing with Japanese mayo (such as Kewpie), which is richer and a little tangier and sweeter than American mayo. So add a healthy pinch of sugar and a teaspoon or two more rice vinegar if all you can find is American mayo. When choosing a mango for this recipe, pick one that is ripe but still firm -- a very ripe mango will make this dish too juicy. If you have a mandoline, you can make quick work of slicing the vegetables into long matchsticks.

This spicy broccoli rabe calls for a handful of ingredients and takes a mere 10 minutes to cook up.

Light, refreshing and quick to prepare, this spicy cucumber salad is the perfect addition to summer meals. This Korean side dish for rice is a treat on its own but can also be added to sandwiches, noodles and more.

Got a hankering for fries? Go for Trisha's crispy, crunchy baked version made with fresh green beans.