24 High-Fiber Vegetable Sides for Spring

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Published on April 9, 2024

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

a recipe photo of the Roasted Broccolini with Lemon & Parmesan — Photo:
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall

Make one of these satisfying vegetable sides to pair with dinner this spring. From asparagus and peas to mushrooms and radishes, these timely dishes are made with the seasonal vegetables that are at their most flavorful this time of year. Plus, each serving offers at least 3 grams of fiber to help you stay full for longer and support gut, heart and bone health.

Make our Pureed Broccoli Soup when you need something to dip your grilled cheese sandwiches into. Or, pair any of your favorite entrées with our Roasted Broccolini with Lemon & Parmesan that one reviewer calls “the perfect side dish.”

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Pureed Broccoli Soup

Pureed broccoli soup in a white bowl with a golden spoon on its right side — Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

In this easy recipe, broccoli cooks together with onions, celery, garlic and fresh herbs and is then puréed into a delicious creamy soup. Try this healthy broccoli soup alongside grilled cheese sandwiches or as a starter for a simple dinner.

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Simple Cabbage Salad

Simple Cabbage Salad — Photography / Greg DuPree, Styling / Ruth BlackBurn / Julia Bayless

Cabbage maintains a nice crunch when it's tossed with an easy dressing in this simple cabbage salad recipe.

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Asparagus Casserole

Asparagus Casserole — Jason Donnelly

Blanching the asparagus before assembling this casserole helps to maintain its vibrant green color. This asparagus casserole is perfect for the holidays or a weeknight dinner.

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Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad

Here a pungent garlicky dressing is infused into kale by massaging the greens and the dressing together with your hands. Any type of kale will work in this recipe, just remember to remove the tough stems before you start.

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Roasted Broccolini with Lemon & Parmesan

a recipe photo of the Roasted Broccolini with Lemon & Parmesan — Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall

Broccolini, a hybrid of conventional broccoli and gai lan, or Chinese broccoli, is perfect for roasting. Here, we add freshly grated Parmesan, which coats the florets and helps the cheese melt into every bite. If the pan seems crowded, divide the broccolini between 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast in the upper and lower third positions of your oven, rotating between racks halfway through.

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Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms with Garlic Butter

a recipe photo of the SautÃ©ed Oyster Mushrooms with Garlic Butter — Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

This oyster mushroom recipe is quick, easy and versatile. Serve them on their own, or spin them into a vegetarian main dish by using them as a topping for creamy polenta or farro. The trick to super-savory mushrooms is not crowding the pan while they cook. We brown the mushrooms in two batches and add the garlic and butter in the last step to maximize the flavor.

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Creamy Radish Soup

Overhead view of a white bowl of Creamy Radish Soup recipe — Sonia Bozzo Photography

In this creamy radish soup recipe, radishes are sautéed and pureed with potato, creating a velvety, healthy soup. Cooking radishes also tones down any bitterness, while leaving plenty of sweet, earthy flavors to enjoy. Using smaller radishes will give the soup a pretty pink hue, like the one pictured here, while larger radishes result in an almost white soup.

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Spicy Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Green Salad

Spicy black-eyed pea & collard green salad in a light green bowl with two wooden servings spoons — Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman

This black-eyed pea and collard green salad recipe can be served warm or at room temperature, either as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course along with rice or crusty bread. Harissa and peri-peri sauce provide gentle heat, and preserved lemon gives it briny tang.

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Carrot Salad

a recipe photo of the Carrot Salad — Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This zesty carrot salad features a sweet-and-savory vinaigrette that adds punch to every bite. Serve it on its own, mix it with greens, or use it as part of a sandwich or wrap filling. Let it stand for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld. Freshly grated carrots work best here. Grate them using the large holes on a box grater, or use the shredding disk for your food processor if you have one.

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Broccoli with Balsamic Mushrooms

Broccoli with Balsamic Mushrooms

Just a touch of butter adds silkiness to the balsamic sauce that coats broccoli and meaty mushrooms in this easy broccoli side dish recipe.

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Crispy Parmesan-Crusted Cabbage Slices with Gremolata

a recipe photo of the Crispy Parmesan-Crusted Cabbage Slices with Gremolata — Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

These cheesy, tender-crisp cabbage slices will make anyone fall in love with the vegetable. Arranging the cabbage around the perimeter of the baking sheets is crucial as it ensures the most even browning and the crispiest Parmesan crust. The lemony gremolata adds a dash of freshness and brightness to balance the salty cheese.

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Creamy Turnip Soup

Creamy turnip soup in a white bowl, topped with turnip green and carrot salad — Diana Chistruga

In this healthy turnip soup recipe, the humble turnip is transformed into a velvety soup made creamy with just 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve it as a starter or side soup. The mini salad on top is optional, but we love the bit of texture from the greens and pop of flavor from the vinaigrette.

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Melting Cabbage

Melting Cabbage

This velvety cabbage in this easy cabbage recipe melts in your mouth and picks up the flavors of caraway, cumin and garlic as it simmers in broth in the oven. Serve it alongside roasted pork or chicken.

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Sauteed Broccoli & Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

Sauteed Broccoli and Kale with Toasted Garlic Butter

In this easy vegetable side dish, broccoli and kale are drizzled with a butter, garlic and crushed red pepper sauce. Serve this healthy recipe alongside roasted chicken, turkey or ham--or on top of your favorite whole grain, such as quinoa or farro.

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Cheesy Spinach & Mushroom Casserole

Cheesy Spinach & Mushroom Casserole — Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst, Prop Stylist / Holly Raibikis

Both homey and healthful, this cheesy dream of a casserole is loaded with nutrients from spinach, and super savory and lip-smack-y from all the sautéed mushrooms. Any 'shroom will do, so pick your fave.

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Quinoa with Peas & Lemon

Quinoa with Peas & Lemon — Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh

Green peas add a pop of color to this bright whole-grain side dish. Plus, choosing frozen saves you time—no shelling required! Want to save even more time? Use a pouch of precooked quinoa.

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Sichuan Fava Bean, Pea Sprout & Radish Salad

Sichuan Fava Bean, Pea Sprout & Radish Salad — Leigh Beisch

This fresh and spicy salad features fava beans, which besides adding heft to this radish salad are a main ingredient in the iconic chili bean paste of Sichuan province. Look for frozen favas with Hispanic foods or in the freezer section in your supermarket. If you want an even more substantial salad, just double the sauce and add cooked sweet potato glass noodles.

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Quick & Easy Cabbage Stir-Fry

a recipe photo of the Quick & Easy Cabbage Stir-Fry — Phoographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

This quick and easy stir-fry cabbage recipe pairs well with roasted chicken or pork, or serve it over rice with a poached egg as a vegetarian main dish. Sweet green cabbage is easy to find and works well here, but savoy cabbage or napa cabbage will work well too. For a slightly different flavor, use peanut oil in place of sesame oil.

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Smashed Carrots

Smashed Carrots — Jason Donnelly

Smashing steamed carrots coated in curry powder then finishing them under the broiler lets the flavor set in and gives the carrots a light, crispy edge.

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Collard Greens

Collard greens are meltingly tender when cooked for a long period of time. Smoked turkey in place of bacon adds the traditional smoky taste.

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Garlic-Parmesan Asparagus

asparagus on a tray

In this garlic-Parmesan-crusted asparagus recipe, we combine Parmesan cheese, whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs and walnuts for a crispy topping that's baked over asparagus. Roasting the asparagus spears in a hot oven keeps them tender-crisp in this quick side dish!

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Japanese Shiitake & Vegetable Rice (Takikomi Gohan)

Japanese Shiitake & Vegetable Rice (Takikomi Gohan)

Dashi gives this vegetable rice recipe its savory depth. Rinsing the rice may seem like an extraneous step but it removes some of the surface starch for fluffier rice. And soaking the rice in seasoned dashi before cooking infuses the dish with more flavor.

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Tea-Leaf Salad

Tea-Leaf Salad

Traditionally, the star of this famous Burmese salad, laphet, is made by fermenting just-picked tea leaves for several months underground. While laphet is starting to be imported, it is still hard to find. This version of tea-leaf salad, using readily available green tea, offers a quick alternative.

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Creamy Smashed Turnips

Rich in vitamin C, these mashed turnips are flavored with reduced-fat cream cheese and chives. A perfect side dish for any meal.

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