18 Healthy Sides That Pair Perfectly with Burgers

sweet potato fries

The next time you make burgers, complete your meal with these healthy side dishes. Whether it's a side salad, crispy fries or grilled vegetables, these dishes are an easy pairing. Recipes like Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries and Kale Salad with Balsamic & Parmesan are delicious and nutritious.

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Kale Salad with Balsamic & Parmesan

a bowl of kale topped with Parmesan cheese
Jason Donnelly

In this healthy kale salad recipe, you massage the dressing into the kale, tenderizing the leaves and infusing the salad with sweet balsamic flavor. Creamy pine nuts and salty Parmesan cheese added at the end balance the flavors.

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Baked Parmesan Zucchini Curly Fries

baked parmesan zucchini curly fries on a plate

This healthy recipe combines two bar food favorites—fried zucchini and curly fries—into one tempting package. Serve these baked zucchini fries with a simple dipping sauce made with ranch dressing and marinara sauce for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or a side dish for burgers, chicken or pizza. No matter what you serve them with, they're a fun way to eat more vegetables for kids and adults alike.

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Grilled Vegetables In Foil

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Grilled vegetables in foil is a great recipe to have on hand when camping or cooking over an open fire, but it's also nice on your backyard gas grill too. Here, we cook asparagus, mini peppers and zucchini together with a hint of garlic and butter. Delicious!

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Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette

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Make a larger batch of this basic vinaigrette to have on hand for salads throughout the week.

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Avocado Fries with Sriracha Aioli

Avocado Fries with Sriracha Aioli

Creamy avocados are a delicious foil to crunchy breading in this healthy oven-fried avocado fries recipe. Dip into spicy Sriracha dipping sauce for a flavor explosion. Save your ripe avocados for guacamole or toast—only firm ones will do when making these fries.

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Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

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Air-fried sweet potato fries are crispy, tender and delicately sweet. They're also made with less fat than traditional fries, so they're a healthier option when you're craving crunchy spuds. If the cinnamon-pepper spice is too intense, try thyme, oregano, paprika or garlic instead.

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Roasted Asparagus Parmesan

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This oven-roasted asparagus Parmesan has just the right amount of cheese—and it's incredibly easy to make. Serve this healthy side dish with chicken, fish, lamb—or any other protein.

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Crispy Oven-Baked Fries

Crispy Oven-Baked Fries
Eva Kolenko

Classic french fries get their crispy exterior and pillowy soft interior thanks to a dunk or two in hot oil. The trick for achieving the same crave-able results minus the deep fryer is to boil cut-up potatoes in salted, acidulated water prior to putting them into the oven. Yes, it's an extra step, but it's worth it. The salt helps extract excess moisture from the potatoes while the vinegar strengthens the exterior and helps the fries hold their shape. The result? Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

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Air-Fryer Kale Chips

Air-Fryer Kale Chips

Homemade kale chips are incredibly easy to make. Thanks to the air fryer, fresh kale leaves turn extra crispy in under 15 minutes with much less fat than some store-bought options. Warning: These will go fast!

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Parsnip 'Fries'

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Swap parsnips for potatoes in this oven-baked fries recipe and get 5 grams more fiber per serving. Dress these healthy fries up with a side of spicy or garlicky aioli: just mix mayo with Sriracha or roasted garlic (or both!).

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Esquites (Mexican Corn)

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This street corn dish, known as esquites, is served in cups instead of on the cob for all the flavor of elote without the mess.

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Parmesan-Rosemary Baked Zucchini Fries

Parmesan-Rosemary Zucchini Fries
Jason Donnelly

These fries are great as an appetizer with a dipping sauce, such as ranch dressing or marinara sauce, or alongside just about anything from burgers to fish. Have an air fryer? You can use that too!

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Charred Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette & Hazelnuts

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Our go-to trick for this crunchy, mustardy vegan side dish: Use a grill basket—it lets you cook all the things that would ordinarily fall through the grill grates, no skewering required. Pick one up from the hardware store or order one online for less than $15.

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Massaged Kale Salad with Grapes & Cheddar

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The kids participating in the California Farm to School Network who inspired this salad knew that they could make kale more tender and appealing to fellow students by massaging it first to break down tough cells in the plant. You probably won't find crumbled Cheddar at your market, but all you have to do is buy the cheese as a brick and then slice before breaking it into little chunks.

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Oven-Baked Curly Fries

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These oven fries crisp up without the greasy mess of deep-frying. Plus they're a bit easier and faster to make than traditional hand-cut fries thanks to the quick work of the spiralizer. Just watch the thickness: Cut too thin, and the fries will burn easily.

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Balsamic-Parmesan Sautéed Spinach

Balsamic-Parmesan Sauteed Spinach

Tender spinach with a hint of garlic, Parmesan cheese and sweet balsamic vinegar makes a quick and flavorful side dish. The sturdy leaves of mature spinach hold up best during cooking.

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Oven-Roasted Corn with Smoked Paprika Butter

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This healthy corn on the cob recipe is easily doubled or tripled when you have guests over. If you don't want to turn on your oven, grill the foil-wrapped corn over medium-high heat, turning a few times, until tender, about 10 minutes total.

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Grilled Asparagus

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Grilling is a simple and fast way to cook asparagus that yields a delicious result every time. Trimming off about one inch of the asparagus yields the best flavor—the ends are tough and hard to chew.

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