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No, Really: People Will Actually Love These Healthy Super Bowl Recipes

by Kristina Johnson

Most people seem to fall into two camps when it comes to the Super Bowl. It's either all about the football, or it's all about the commercials. I however, am in a third camp, because my favorite thing about any Super Bowl party is inevitably the food. My family usually serves up everything from pizza to wings to chips and dip, but since I'm not an Olympic swimmer, I can't indulge in thousands of extra calories in the span of a few hours just because everything is delicious. Luckily though, there are tons of healthy Super Bowl recipes that give you lower calorie, lower carb options to chow down on without feeling like you're missing out.

Super Bowl food usually tends to be fried, breaded, covered in cheese, or sometimes all three (which sounds amazing, to be honest). Your typical party spread has nary a vegetable in sight, unless you count the sad stalks of celery that sometimes accompany a platter of hot wings. But there are plenty of easy ways to get some veggies in there, and alternative ways to prepare your dishes that don't include a vat of oil.

Here are 15 awesome, healthy options to add to your Super Bowl menu.

1

Zucchini Pizza Bites

Pizza is a must for any Super Bowl party, but the millions of slices eaten on game day add up to billions of carbs. These zucchini pizza bites from Damn Delicious are a healthier alternative that should still satisfy your craving for hot and cheesy goodness — without having to wait for a delivery guy to show up.

2

Asian-Baked Chicken Wings

Fried chicken wings are amazingly delicious, but baked ones are a whole lot healthier. Luckily, they're also pretty yummy. These Asian baked chicken wings from Simply Delicious Food are slathered in a sweet sauce, but they get a kick of spice from red pepper flakes, too.

3

Turkey Meatballs

Using ground turkey instead of beef typically cuts down on calories and saturated fats, according to Spoon University. With a great recipe for turkey meatballs like this one from Well Plated, your party guests may not even be able to tell you made the switch. Cooking them in a Crock-Pot will let the flavor really sink in, and you can leave them in there to stay warm no matter how long the game goes.

4

Caprese Salad Bites

These little Caprese salad bites from The Comfort of Cooking look so fancy, but they're so easy to put together. Though a standard caprese salad usually has tomato, mozzarella, and basel, you could easily customize these with a different drizzle or mix of veggies.

5

Zucchini Fries

Yummy zucchini fries are so, so yummy, and really easy to make. Seriously, this recipe from Dinner Then Dessert has just 3 steps, and chopping up the zucchini is probably the hardest part of it. If you want to indulge yourself with a little greasy goodness, you can fry these up, but the instructions also lay out how to bake them in the oven.

6

Baba Ghanouj

A Super Bowl spread isn't complete without a couple of dips. My favorite kind tend to be oozing with cheese and cream, meaning they're as fattening as they are delicious. This Baba Ghanouj recipe from The Healthy Foodie keeps the creaminess and the flavor, but gives you a serving of eggplant along with it.

7

Baked Salmon Balls

I chowed down on some amazing fried fish balls at the last party I went to, but I'm thinking these baked salmon balls from The Domestic Life Stylist look just as good and healthier, too. If you haven't cooked with salmon much before, you definitely won't have to worry about deboning or filleting — canned salmon works just fine.

8

Seven Layer Dip

One of my favorite Super Bowl snacks every year is a yummy seven layer dip. I've never been able to figure out what all of the layers are exactly, but it seems like the majority of them are cheese, somehow. Four of the seven layers in this colorful, delicious dip from Little Broken, however, are veggies.

9

White Bean Dip

Bean dip doesn't have to be oozing with cheese to be delicious. This version from Peas and Crayons pairs white beans with avocado for an appetizer that's vegan and gluten-free.

10

Fruit Salad Cups

When the Seattle Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl in 2015, Eating Richly came up with the idea for these adorable fruit cups in team colors. I love the idea of serving fruit for the big game, because it works as well on the appetizer table as it does on the dessert table. You could go with a mix of blueberries and strawberries to represent the New England Patriots colors this year, or blueberries and orange slices to mimic the blue and gold of the L.A. Rams.

11

Chicken Patties

These spicy chicken patties from Family Food on the Table include a hidden veggie, so they could be great for tricking your kids into eating some greens during the big game. They're also Paleo, Whole 30, and dairy-free, making them a good menu option if you're inviting over any football fanatics with special dietary restrictions.

12

Buffalo Cauliflower

There's more you can do with Buffalo sauce than just slather it on chicken wings. This recipe for crispy Buffalo cauliflower from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken is a spicy, delicious option if you or any of your guests are vegetarian (though I bet meat-eaters will try and steal some, too).

13

Cucumber Chips

Once you rip open a bag of chips, it can be hard to stop yourself from devouring the whole thing. These pretty cucumber chips from Low Carb Yum satisfy your craving for a salty, crunchy snack with a fraction of the calories. You can make them in a dehydrator if you've got one, but a regular oven will work just fine.

14

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Old-school deviled eggs are traditionally made with mayo and mustard, but this recipe from To Simply Inspire shows you how to use avocado for a delicious filling instead. Any of your guests doing the Keto diet will be thrilled to see these on your appetizer table.

15

Hummus

Hummus is so easy to make that the first time you whip up some at home, you'll wonder why you've gone with store-bought for so long. This easy hummus recipe from Inspired Taste is a great one for beginners, as long as you've got a good blender or food processor on hand to nail the creamy texture.