20 Heart-Healthy Appetizers to Make This Fall
Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD
Enjoy the comforting and cozy flavors of autumn with these delectable appetizers. Made low in saturated fat and sodium, these dishes feature heart-conscious fall ingredients like beets, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes to fit into heart-healthy eating patterns. Try recipes like our Mushroom Jerky and our Roasted Cauliflower & Walnut Dip, and you'll be wanting to make them on repeat.
3-Ingredient Blue Cheese & Fig Bites
Salty-tangy blue cheese pairs beautifully with sweet fig jam in these easy appetizers, which are perfect for a holiday party. The optional minced chives add a nice pop of color, but these are just as tasty without herbs. Keep the ingredients on hand and you can whip these up for impromptu holiday cocktail parties.
Easy Stuffed Mushrooms
This healthy stuffed mushroom appetizer is a nice balance of soft mushrooms, creamy filling and crunchy topping. This combination tastes downright decadent, but these easy stuffed mushrooms are actually good for you.
Yogurt with Beets (Borani Chogondar)
Borani, a Middle Eastern yogurt dip, can be made with anything from spinach to eggplant to carrots. This recipe gets its shockingly pink color from grated beets. Make it ahead--the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Read more about this recipe.
Roasted Cauliflower & Walnut Dip
This creamy roasted cauliflower dip has the texture of hummus but swaps chickpeas for roasted cauliflower and walnuts for tahini. A head of roasted garlic--which is cooked at the same time as the cauliflower--gives it great flavor.
Mini Crustless Caramelized Onion & Cheese Quiches
These crustless mini quiches are packed with savory caramelized onions and flavorful cheese. This technique for making caramelized onions uses way less fat, and by using sweet onions (like Vidalia, if you can find them), you don't need to add the sugar some recipes call for.
3-Ingredient Cheddar & Apple Bites
Creamy apple butter and sharp Cheddar cheese are a perfect match in these easy party hors d'oeuvres. This recipe calls for prepared pie crust, which is pressed into mini muffin tins to make little tart shells, so it's super easy to make as well. Add slices of apple for extra crunch, if you'd like, or keep these bites simple. Either way, consider making a double batch--they'll go quickly.
Mushroom Jerky
This vegan version of beef jerky has the same level of smoky spice you'd expect from the real thing. It can be enjoyed as a snack or on top of a salad for a jolt of meaty, umami goodness. It's also a great snack to take camping! The mushrooms stay pretty chewy (no crunch except for some of the crispy ends); this method is a great option if you don't have a dehydrator.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Feta & Dill
Smashing cooked potatoes then roasting them in the oven increases the surface area, giving you plenty of golden-brown crispy crust. We garnish these smashed potatoes with feta cheese, dill and a little lemon zest for a Greek-inspired flavor profile.
Garlic-Butter Steak Bites
These protein-boosting garlic-butter steak bites are great to pull together for a party or gathering. Serve these tasty bites skewered with toothpicks alongside skewered veggies.
Pomegranate, Cranberry & Brie Bruschetta
Make this simple festive appetizer for your holiday guests. Toasted baguette slices with creamy, melted brie are topped with an orange-cranberry-pomegranate mixture--each bite delivers an explosion of flavor and texture!
Roasted Garlic & Caramelized Onion Flatbread
Create a savory baked good with fragrant garlic and onion in just 10 minutes of active time. This flavorful flatbread will be a tasty, fresh addition to any table.
Hasselback Cheesy Garlic Bread
Potatoes were first to benefit from the Hasselback techinique--making thin slices crosswise toward the bottom of the vegetable, but not all the way through, so the potato becomes fanned, seasoned and baked until crisp. Here we've adapted the concept to garlic bread and updated it with cheese for an easy and completely mouthwatering cheesy bread side dish.
Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms
This finger food is the perfect healthy appetizer to get your party going. Three ingredients are all it takes to make this elegant hors d'oeuvre--no one will ever guess how easy they were to make! Want to keep things plant-based? Use vegan pesto in the breadcrumb stuffing. You can also swap the whole-wheat breadcrumbs for gluten-free.
Salade de Christophines (Chayote Salad)
This easy summer salad, which is inspired by similar salads served in Guadeloupe, features the squash that is called christophine in Guadeloupe, chayote in Mexico and parts of the U.S., chocho in Jamaica, xuxu in Brazil and mirliton in New Orleans. It makes a refreshing foil to Caribbean curries and other spicy dishes. Read more about this recipe here.
3-Ingredient Cranberry-Brie Crostini
With just three ingredients, you can pull together an impressive appetizer perfect for holidays or dinner parties. The tangy cranberries cut through the richness of the cheese to create a balanced bite. This quick appetizer can be easily doubled to feed a crowd.
Stuffed Brussels Sprouts
This festive side dish is Thanksgiving in one bite! Brussels spouts are hollowed out, stuffed with a sausage-and-breadcrumb stuffing and baked until brown and crispy on top. Large Brussels sprouts work best here. Enjoy this as a side dish or on its own as an appetizer.
Jonathan Perno's Spiced Candied Pecans
At home or at Campo, the restaurant he oversees at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Albuquerque, chef Jonathan Perno likes to welcome guests with spiced New Mexican pecans. You won't see this in most spiced-nut recipes, but Perno blanches them to reduce some of the bitter tannins in the skin that can sometimes overwhelm the pecans' delicate flavor.
Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Chips
Thinly sliced sweet potatoes fry to a crispy crunch in the air fryer. These homemade chips also use much less oil, which cuts down on calories and fat. They're a naturally sweet side for sandwiches, burgers, wraps and more.
Crispy Smashed Shallots with Goat Cheese & Fig Jam
These crispy smashed shallots mellow while they roast and become the perfect vessel for sweet fig jam and creamy goat cheese. Serve these shallots as an appetizer or alongside grilled chicken or steak.
Panko-&-Parmesan-Crusted Mushrooms
Serve these rich and tender mushrooms filled with panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese alone as an appetizer or alongside anything from pork to fish. To ensure even cooking, look for mushrooms that are similar in size.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
