Healthy Recipes Holidays & Occasions Healthy Christmas Holiday Recipes 20 Christmas Casseroles Just Like Grandma Used to Make By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 20, 2023 Close Photo: Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster When you need a comforting addition to your Christmas dinner spread, make grandma proud with one of these flavorful main and side dish casseroles. This collection of warm and cozy casseroles ranges from cheesy scalloped potatoes to savory stuffing. Recipes like our Wild Rice Stuffing with Apple & Sausage and Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe are healthy and delicious options that will be welcome on any table. 01 of 20 Wild Rice Stuffing with Apple & Sausage This amazing wild-rice stuffing recipe is bursting with fall flavors, including rye bread, sausage, apples, dried cherries, pecans and fresh herbs. View Recipe 02 of 20 Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes with Spinach Classic scalloped potatoes get a burst of color, heartier texture and a healthy update with the addition of chopped spinach. The greens in this side dish also create a nice contrast to the creamy, velvety potatoes. View Recipe 03 of 20 Carrot Casserole Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Carrot casserole is a great holiday side dish that’s both creamy and savory with just a touch of sweetness from the carrots. Coriander and dry mustard add lovely background flavors to the cream sauce. Microwaving the carrots gives them a jump-start in the cooking process and ensures that they’re cooked through. The carrots should all be sliced thinly so they cook evenly. If you have one, a mandoline can make quick work of the slicing, but a good sharp knife will also do the trick. View Recipe 04 of 20 Broccoli Casserole This lightened-up broccoli casserole is sure to be a hit. Learn how to make this classic side dish healthier. View Recipe 05 of 20 Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This crowd-pleasing mashed potato casserole is made for entertaining. You can prep it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat. Waxy Yukon Gold potatoes yield a creamier texture than more starchy russets. Leaving their thin skin on instead of peeling them cuts down on prep time and also offers a boost of fiber. View Recipe 06 of 20 Baked Mac & Cheese Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber. View Recipe 07 of 20 Au Gratin Potatoes We use flour-thickened milk combined with a modest amount of tangy sharp Cheddar to make a creamy cheese sauce for our healthy spin on the classic potatoes au gratin recipe. They're topped with additional cheese and some breadcrumbs, then baked until golden brown and bubbling. Serve the au gratin potatoes as a Thanksgiving side or with roasted chicken and vegetables for a satisfying dinner. View Recipe 08 of 20 Scalloped Sweet Potatoes If you're looking for a twist on classic scalloped potatoes, this recipe using roasted sweet potatoes and melty Gruyère has all the creaminess of the original with a new flavor twist. The sweet potatoes and lightened sauce--made with flour and low-fat milk--keep it healthier than butter- and cream-laden versions. Don't cut your sweet potatoes too thin--they'll turn mushy under the sauce. View Recipe 09 of 20 Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna This delicious vegetarian lasagna recipe showcases seasonal vegetables. Butternut squash brings a sweet richness while spinach gives it a nutrition and flavor boost. As a bonus, this recipe makes an extra lasagna that you can freeze for an easy holiday-season meal. View Recipe 10 of 20 Sweet Potato Soufflé This creamy sweet potato soufflé is complemented with a crunchy pecan-oat topping for a truly scrumptious side dish. The filling can be made up to five days ahead, so you just have to top it and bake it when it's time. Whip up this healthy sweet potato soufflé recipe for Thanksgiving or any other special occasion. View Recipe 11 of 20 Cheesy Green Bean Casserole If green bean casserole is a must-have in your family at Thanksgiving but you're, well, ready for a change, give this cheesy version a whirl. View Recipe 12 of 20 Cornbread & Oyster-Mushroom Stuffing Mushrooms are a rich, meaty addition in this healthy cornbread stuffing recipe. Here we use oyster mushrooms, but you can use any variety you like. If you have time, bake the cornbread a day or two in advance so it has time to dry out a bit, which lets it absorb the flavors more readily. View Recipe 13 of 20 Easy Lasagna This classic beef lasagna recipe is easy to make and will be ready to eat in just over an hour. View Recipe 14 of 20 Vegan Green Bean Casserole Now everyone can enjoy classic Thanksgiving favorites, like this dairy-free green bean casserole. We make a homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup using almond milk for the creamy base that's combined with fresh green beans. Top it off with classic french-fried onions (we have a vegan recipe for that, too!) for a side dish everyone will devour. View Recipe 15 of 20 Cheesy Corn Casserole This cheesy corn casserole is surprisingly light and fluffy, thanks to eggs and a whirl in the blender. The sweet corn batter and salty Cheddar cheese make this casserole pleasing to kids and adults alike. View Recipe 16 of 20 Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole Diana Chistruga Thanksgiving isn't complete without a homemade sweet potato casserole. We like to sprinkle chopped pecans on top along with the marshmallows for a bit of texture. View Recipe 17 of 20 Sage Cornbread Dressing Johnny Autry A cast-iron skillet gives the cornbread nutty brown edges that impart extra color and flavor to the dressing. Serve this sage cornbread dressing as a holiday side or anytime you want some Thanksgiving flavors. View Recipe 18 of 20 Monticello's Macaroni Jerrelle Guy This is the macaroni and cheese recipe that would have been made in the kitchens at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Jefferson first became familiar the creamy, cheesy baked dish of macaroni from his time in Paris and it was enslaved cooks, James Hemings, Peter Hemings, Edith Hern Fossett and Frances Gillette Hern, who prepared this favorite dish over the years. The popularization of this iconic American dish can be traced to Black cooks, like Peter Fossett (the freed son of Edith Hern Fossett), Rufus Estes and Freda De Knight, who helped spread the dish throughout the United States. Learn more about Macaroni and Cheese at Monticello. View Recipe 19 of 20 Mushroom-Cornbread Stuffing This healthy mushroom-and-leek cornbread stuffing recipe is a lightened-up version of the must-have holiday side. Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, you can make this recipe moist or crispy. If you're an extra-moist-stuffing type, bake it covered for the full 50 minutes; if you like some crispy bits on top, follow the recipe as written: bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes. View Recipe 20 of 20 Slow-Cooker Corn Casserole With just five ingredients, you can make this healthy corn casserole with ease. The tang of the cream cheese and sour cream balances the sweetness of the corn. Frozen corn can vary in sweetness, so taste the brand you're using to determine if the optional sugar is needed. This creamy corn casserole makes the perfect veggie side for any meal. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit