Asparagus in butter sauce, or bacon wrapped asparagus. Cheese stuffed mushrooms or tomatoes. Wilted spinach with toasted pecans and feta cheese. Cucumbers in dilled sour cream sauce or in a vinaigrette. Spinach artichoke dip or dill dip with raw low carb veggies. Pickle tray, deviled eggs. Seared zucchini or eggplant planks smeared with a seafood cream cheese spread, or topped off bruchetta style.

It depends on your definition of simple. You can make a green kugel gluten free with gluten free matzah or bread as a binder (with eggs). It's mostly vegetable, so low carb. It's a big favorite here, easy, though takes more time than plain steamed vegetables. There is a whole class of casseroles of the “carrot soufflé” variety. Those come in zucchini, rutabaga, parsnip, potato and other varieties. Caramelized onions alongside mushrooms cooked down with port and shallots give a lot of flavor and are good condiments for turkey for those who don't like cranberry sauce.

Roasted veg can look and taste fancy but be dead easy. Slice the tops off tomatoes, drain slightly, drizzle with olive oil and add some fresh herbs and a small amount of bread crumbs, crumble topping (either can be GF), almond flour crumble, or just finely chopped seeds or nuts. If the nuts or seeds are oily, add a dab or butter. Roast at 375 or 400 F, until soft-ish and browned.

Cut small, thin eggplants into spears, making sure one side is skin. Toss in tasty oil, herbs and whatever seasonings you like. Put them skin side Down on parchment on a baking sheet. Roast until they're very soft on top or even shrunken down mostly to the skin.

Cube up celery root, toss in oil and seasoning and roast until the edges are dark and the center is creamy. Etc.

Check out high end vegetarian cookbooks for fancier things. Ottolenghi Has some fabulous ones.

I went GF a few years ago. A few favorite sides: Paleo Sweet Potato Cranberry Stuffing (www.fedandfit.com); Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake (you can omit the flour completely or use chickpea flour - www.simplyrecipes.com); Cranberry Apple Orange Relish; Green Bean Almandine (or something similar with asparagus). There's also some good GF gravy recipes. Mashed Potatoes!!! Carbo-loaded but GF!

Just realized that sweet potatoes aren't the best for a low carb diet. There's any number of things you can prepare acorn squash. There's also Brussels sprouts with pistachios and lime (www.bonappetit.com).

My favorite sides given that criteria would be things like simple green beans or broccoli, or a mix my sister does with brussel sprouts, dried cranberries, sweet potato, and pecans.

I make a stuffing made with Sage sausage, chopped mushrooms, onion and celery all held together with monterey jack cheese. It is wonderful!

Thank you all for the ideas.

Sometimes I get a bit wiggy about what it all means,... keto, vegan, low/no carb, pescatarian, (only veg stock), some keto will go with lentils and organic garbanzos and wild rice. No problem this year without company, friends or family...

I have pics in a file years past titled 'holiday'. I have an older sister all things deleted including gluten, night-shade, probably vegan now...I think recently is all fresh whole not cooked...the raw diet. (?)

Anywho, I can support all diets with at least three fresh shaved salads, and a roasted roots veg. The way we eat most days anyway.

Same this year without guests. Lots of veg variety, fresh and roasted.

A bit of everything and some raw shaved salads. Roasted, and shaved raw Brussel sprouts, greens raw massaged, and some roasted...I'll get what I can find. Always similar this time of year. We both like all of it. Smaller amounts this year.

I'm interested in this thread and the ideas too. My son's family is gluten free, dairy free, and egg free. One member is allergic to turkey. That's easy to remedy by making a pork roast. But the sides are always iffy. We usually make a variation of my grandmother's rice stuffing along with mashed potatoes. Gravy is thickened with cornstarch. I always make LindaC's Cranberry Jezebel just because I love it, and it goes so well with turkey, pork, ham -- you name it. But I'd be interested in other possibilities for side dishes.

Yes I understand. One year out of about 14 people we had one vegan, one vegetarian, and two gluten free. That was a little bit of a challenge. It's just six of us this year but I try to eat gluten free and my daughter and I are trying to eat low carb right now. I think in addition to our normal things I'm going to use my scalloped potatoes recipe and substitute cauliflower. And maybe try a low carb pumpkin cream cheese dessert.

This is one option I got from Bon Appetit some years back. It makes enough for about 10 people, so you can adjust the amounts as needed. These are starchy root veggies, so maybe not great regarding carbs. You could change to other veggies or whatever suits you...all good with the vinaigrette. Even just roasted green beans, asparagus or Brussels sprouts.
Roasted Root Vegetables With Thyme and Marjoram Vinaigrette

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
9 T. olive oil
2 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh marjoram
2 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
1 1/2 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium-size red onions (about 1 pound), peeled, root ends left intact, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3 T. balsamic vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. lemon zest
Fresh parsley sprigs

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Whisk 6 T. oil, 2 T. thyme, and 2 T. marjoram in large bowl. Add yams, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, and onions and toss to coat. Sprinkle vegetables generously with salt and pepper and divide between prepared baking sheets. Roast vegetables until tender and brown in spots, turning occasionally, about 50 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven about 15 minutes, or microwave on high until heated through, about 6 minutes, before continuing.)

Whisk balsamic vinegar, remaining 3 T. oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, and 1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram to blend in small bowl. Drizzle over roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon peel. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to platter; garnish with parsley sprigs. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I do love all roasted veggies. I brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Penzey's Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken/Fish Seasoning, or my mixture of salt, pepper and garlic powder. And sometimes with Parmesan.

For T-Day...

Roasted Brussels sprouts.

Mashed, but chunky cauliflower, with seasonings and perhaps cheese melted into it. (As a sub for potatoes. )

I will have eight people and two are 7 and 11 yr olds who will eat the hotdogs, mac and cheese and their own made-by- me desserts. Smores and rainbow sherbert.

One is a picky vegetarian, one a millennial, one likes no sweets at all, one wants a very traditional thanksgiving, one happy camper and one is trying not to gain weight and eat healthy-me.

I bought canned crescent rolls for our bread. Prior self would have shuddered with horror.

I'm trying to get ideas here before I give up completely and it turns into a scene from Talledega Nights where we order fast food for everyone. :-)

And it just got worse I found out the vegetarian is actually a vegan

The year we had a vegan and a vegetarian there were a lot of veggies. Stuffed acorn squash and brussel sprouts is all I remember but I didn't make them. My niece made them as her partner is vegan. I know they cook a lot of grains and veggies.

I've never tried jackfruit but I've heard it can be a vegan meat replacement.

Bumblebeez - that second post made me LOL

Thankfully the vegan is a male who's heavily into carbs so I'm making sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and pecan pie all vegan and have to buy what we used to call margarine but is now vegan butter, and some almond milk.

I've been googling vegan recipes for all these.

I have some highly rated fake meat crumbles which I may season like sausage and put into some dressing. He can also eat the broccoli, cranberry sauce and I'll make some green beans that don't have bacon.

I like some creamed sides for holiday meals. They feel luxuriant and are low carb although hardly low calorie. Creamed spinach with a little Amaretto. Creamed corn with a little nutmeg. And mashed cauliflower with plenty of cheese gets better reviews than mashed potatoes!

Cauliflower pureed with a little goat's cheese. Sprouts lightly boiled, sautéed in butter with chestnuts. Fondu of leeks cooked in butter sprinkled with garlicky, crunchy breadcrumbs cooked in butter. Glazed carrots, cooked in butter and a little orange juice.......love veggies!

To me cauliflower isn’t that low carb. I am making prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

Also carrots are carb heavy.