7 Healthy and Delicious Keto Side Dishes

When you’re following any eating plan, it can be hard to come up with new and exciting recipes to enjoy that still adhere to diet guidelines; keto diets are no different. In fact, because keto diets are a little more restrictive than some other diets, some dieters may find it even more challenging to procure a variety of food choices.

Keto, short for ketogenic, is a diet that shuns most carbs in exchange for foods rich in healthy fats and protein. Following this diet essentially means saying hello to delicious meat and cheese proteins, but waving goodbye to your favorite pasta dishes and potato dishes.

When it comes to dinner, the keto diet can sometimes leave you wondering what can be paired with your main protein dishes besides standard steamed veggies. Luckily, we’ve got some creative ways for you to mix up dinner with these unique mouth-watering keto side dishes. You won’t want to miss these seven healthy recipes!

1. Baked Asparagus with Cheese

Ingredients

• One tablespoon sea salt
• One teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Three garlic cloves, chopped
• One cup grated parmesan
• One cup shredded mozzarella
• Three-fourths cup heavy cream
• Two pounds trimmed asparagus

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish, place trimmed asparagus and cover evenly with heavy cream.
3. Sprinkle chopped garlic, mozzarella, parmesan, red pepper flakes, and sea salt over the top of asparagus and cream mixture.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and asparagus is cooked through.
5. Enjoy!

2. Bacon-Wrapped Carrots

Ingredients

• 12 peeled carrots
• One-fourth cup maple syrup
• 12 bacon strips
• Black pepper
• Sea salt
• Cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. While the oven is preheating, wrap carrots with one bacon strip each. Place wrapped carrots with bacon ends facing down on the baking sheet to hold in place.
3. Brush maple syrup over carrots and sprinkle tops with the desired amount of black pepper, sea salt, and cayenne pepper.
4. Bake carrots for ten minutes, then remove from oven and drizzle remaining maple on top. Continue baking for ten more minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy!

3. Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• One-half cup flour
• One teaspoon black pepper
• One-half cup unsalted butter or margarine
• Three cups whole milk
• Two cauliflower heads, chopped into florets
• Two and a half cups shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided
• Three and a half cups shredded cheddar, divided
• One teaspoon of sea salt
• One teaspoon hot sauce
• One teaspoon mustard powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Boil water in a large pot and cook cauliflower for six minutes until tender.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and continue to cook for three minutes to thicken and make a rue.
4. Add mustard powder, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and milk to butter mixture. Simmer for five minutes until thickened.
5. Add two cups Colby Jack and three cups cheddar into the saucepan and stir until melted. Finally, add in cauliflower and stir until well-mixed.
6. Add the entire mixture to a large casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake for 15 minutes until melted and golden brown.
7. Serve and enjoy!

4. Baked Brussels Sprouts with Melted Gouda Cheese

Ingredients

• One tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as desired
• One tablespoon olive oil
• One-half onion, chopped
• Four minced garlic cloves
• One tablespoon black pepper, plus more as desired
• One cup plain Greek yogurt
• Two tablespoons chopped parsley
• One teaspoon dried rosemary
• One-half cup mayonnaise
• One-half teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Two beaten eggs
• One-half cup grated parmesan
• One-half cup shredded Gouda cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add onions to a large skillet and cook until tender over medium heat. Add in garlic, Brussels sprouts, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for seven minutes until Brussels sprouts are tender.
3. Combine mayonnaise, eggs, parmesan, and Gouda in a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. In a large baking dish, combine both mixtures. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.
5. Add parmesan and more red pepper flakes to garnish. Enjoy!

5. Cauliflower and Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

• One-half cup chicken broth
• One-half pound ground sausage
• One onion, chopped
• One head cauliflower, chopped
• Two large peeled carrots, chopped
• Two celery stalks, chopped
• One cup mushrooms, chopped
• Four tablespoons butter
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Two tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary
• One tablespoon dried basil
• One-fourth cup freshly chopped parsley
• One tablespoon freshly chopped sage

Directions

1. Brown sausage and set aside.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
3. Add carrots, celery, and onions to melted butter and sauté for eight minutes until softened.
4. Add mushrooms, cauliflower, parsley, rosemary, basil, and sage to sautéed mixture; season with salt and pepper as desired. Stir in sausage mixture.
5. Pour chicken broth over sautéed mixture and combine well.
6. Enjoy!

6. Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients

• Two cauliflower heads, chopped into florets
• One-third cup milk
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• One teaspoon garlic powder
• One teaspoon onion powder
• Six ounces softened cream cheese
• Fresh chives, chopped

Directions

1. Boil chopped cauliflower florets in a large pot of water for ten minutes. Drain and press cauliflower to remove excess water.
2. Mash cauliflower in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add in garlic and onion powder and stir well.
3. Add milk and cream cheese to cauliflower mash and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle chopped chives on top, serve, and enjoy!

7. Spaghetti Squash Mini Pizzas

Ingredients

• One and one-half cups shredded mozzarella
• One-third cup grated parmesan
• One medium spaghetti squash, cut in half
• Two cups pizza sauce
• Olive oil
• One package mini pepperonis
• One tablespoon garlic powder
• One teaspoon onion powder
• One teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brush olive oil onto halved spaghetti squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place face down onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour, cool, and then shred.
3. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees.
4. Combine shredded squash in a large bowl with onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and grated parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and add one-fourth cup squash mixture to each cup. Form mixture to make cups inside cups. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes, or until firm and slightly crisped.
6. Allow cups to cool and then fill with desired amounts of pizza sauce. Top with pepperoni, shredded mozzarella, and then bake for five minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!