You can enjoy thanksgiving food without missing the best part of the big day with these classic recipes that follow a low-sodium diet. These healthy thanksgiving recipes are great tasting and will be a wonderful addition to your holiday season. I have put together a few simple sides will help you to make a healthy thanksgiving dinner.
Low Sodium Thanksgiving
I promise that you can have a low sodium thanksgiving without missing out on anything. To be honest I have found that when I’m limited on the amount of salt I can add to a dish I turn to other seasonings and spices that turn out to be better than the original version. The low sodium thanksgiving recipes I have here are ones that you will want to make again and again.
There are a few things that you will want to keep an eye on to make certain these recipes stay low in sodium.
Unsalted Butter
Be sure that you always use unsalted butter in your cooking and baking. Using unsalted butter means that you will have more control over how much butter goes into a dish.
Prepackaged Seasoning
Prepackaged seasonings are notorious for being high in sodium. Instead of buying the seasoning packages put together your own seasoning blend. Not only will you skip out on the high salt content but the end result will be a more fresh and flavorful seasoning.
Processed Meats
Processed meats such as bacon, ham, and sausage are filled with lots of sodium. Be sure to avoid these items in order to keep an eye on your salt intake.
Canned Beans
Canned beans typically have 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Even if you rinse the beans you are left with a considerable amount of sodium. Since the recommended amount of sodium is 2,300 milligrams per day you can easily over do it by using canned beans. Instead always opt for fresh or dried beans.
Delicious Low Sodium Thanksgiving Recipes
Full printable versions of all the recipes will be available at the end of this post. I also have several more recipes here that you might be interested in. I love spending time in the kitchen and feeding people is one of my love languages for sure.
Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are filled with nutrition. Known to improve your vision and support your immune system sweet potatoes are an excellent and easy thanksgiving side dish for your holiday meal.
For this recipe you will need:
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup fresh apple juice
As an alternative to the sweet potato you could also substitute butternut squash or do a combination of both vegetables.
Be sure to use unsalted butter when you are making the sauce for this dish. You want to be sure that you are in control of how much salt goes into this simple recipe in order to keep it in line with a low-sodium diet. The sauce comes together easily over medium heat and tastes fantastic.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I have to be honest with you that I love these roasted brussel sprouts so much I make them pretty frequently. The roasted brussel sprouts are fantastic to have on your thanksgiving table but they are just too good not to make all the time.
For this high blood pressure friendly dish you will need:
- 1 pound brussel sprouts
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Roast the brussel sprouts on a sheet pan to get nice crispy sprouts that are golden brown and scrumptious. If you are feeling fancy you can grate some parmesan cheese on top after the brussel sprouts come out of the oven.
Best Quinoa Salad
This quinoa salad is the perfect side dish. Your thanksgiving meal will thank you for including this yummy, colorful, and easy thanksgiving sides.
You will combine fluffy quinoa, fresh vegetables, and a dressing made from lime juice and honey to create this easy thanksgiving side dish.
I have the recipe that my family loves in a printable version at the bottom of this post but feel free to play around with different vegetables that your family enjoys.
Potato Salad
I have noticed that there seems to be a bit of debate about potato salad and whether you should serve it hot or cold. For me, I am one hundred percent team cold on this one. I have tried several different potato salads and the cold ones are always the best.
Another tally mark in the cold potato salad column is that when it comes to simple recipes you cannot get much better than thanksgiving food that you can make the day before. In fact, I personally think making the day before helps it to taste even better when it’s time to serve.
One thing to keep an eye on is the type of mayonnaise that you use in this dish. Be sure to choose a mayo option that goes well with your low-sodium diet.
Roasted Green Beans
You may opt for a healthy green bean casserole but personally I prefer this variation on the classic recipes. Roasted green beans pack a ton of flavor and they are an easy way to have a great thanksgiving side dish with fresh green beans and still watch your salt intake.
You will not be sorry to have these roasted green beans on your dinner table as part of the big meal.
The only thing you need is:
- Two cups fresh green beans
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons oil (avocado or olive)
- 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, and pepper
Happy Thanksgiving
I hope that you have a wonderful and happy thanksgiving this year. Please be sure to leave a comment below and let me know if you tried any of these delicious low sodium thanksgiving recipes.
For more great Thanksgiving posts:
Fun Thanksgiving Activities For Children
Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup apple juice, unsweetened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Lightly grease a square baking dish
- Prepare sweet potatoes by peeling and cutting into approximately one inch pieces
- Put chopped sweet potatoes into a stockpot, cover with water, and boil for 5 minutes.
- Drain the sweet potatoes
- While the potatoes are boiling combine unsalted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and apple juice in a small sauce pan.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and be sure to stir frequently
- Put the drained sweet potatoes into the greased square baking dish. Top with sauce.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender and the sauce is bubbly
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
- 1 pound brussel sprouts
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Lightly grease a baking sheet
- Trim the ends off the brussel sprouts and cut in half lengthwise
- In a medium bowl combine the brussel sprouts, oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well to make sure that the brussel sprouts are coated well
- Transfer brussel sprouts to a single layer on your greased baking sheet
- Roast for 20 minutes or until the brussel sprouts have brown up and are crispy
Best Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup tri-colored quinoa
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 medium cucumber, chopped
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Dressing:
- juice from 2 limes (approximately 3-4 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa by adding quinoa to boiling water. Reduce the heat and allow quinoa to simmer until all of the water is absorbed
- When the water is all absorbed remove the quinoa from the heat and use a fork to fluff it up. Allow the quinoa to cool while you work on the vegetables
- Clean and chop vegetables
- In a medium bowl mix together lime juice, olive oil, and honey
- Add the cooled quinoa to bowl with the dressing and mix together well
- Add vegetables to the bowl the quinoa and dressing
- Mix well
Notes
Instead of water you can substitute bone broth to add more nutrients to the dish.
Potato Salad (Low Sodium)
Ingredients
- 1 lbs potatoes, diced and boiled
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 tablespoon dried dill
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Peel and dice potatoes then boil until fork tender
While the potatoes are cooling prepare your vegetables
Mix potatoes, onion, carrot, celery, dill, mayo, and mustard together.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve cold
Notes
Be sure that the mayonnaise you are using is a low sodium variety if you are wanting the dish to be heart healthy.
Roasted Green Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups green beans, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (can substitute olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F
Grease a baking sheet
Prepare the green beans by washing them and trimming the ends
In a bowl combine together the green beans, oil, and spices.
Mix everything together until the green beans are all evenly coated with the oil and spices.
Spread green beans out on your greased baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for 10 minutes and then stir
Roast for an additional 5 minutes
Leave a Reply