If you’re in a dinner rut and looking for something light to serve with your main salad dish, this article is for you. Here I list five popular side dishes that pair perfectly with salad.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer:
Some great side dishes to serve with a salad main course are roasted carrots, mashed potatoes, feta cheese-stuffed tomatoes, garlic bread, and lemon-basil couscous. You can also add protein by serving pan-seared shrimp or grilled chicken.
Ready? Let’s jump right into it.
Roasted Carrots
Roasted vegetables are an easy and delicious way to add flavor and texture to any meal — including your salad main. I like prepping carrots with garlic and oregano for extra flavor.
Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables before baking them in the oven for 15 minutes until they’re crispy and slightly browned around the edges.
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are always a classic side dish option, whether you’re using them for a family dinner or with a special occasion meal. If you want your potatoes even creamier than usual, feel free to use cream cheese instead of milk, as it adds a bit more richness and depth of flavor!
Serve these mashed potatoes next to your favorite greens to keep things healthy while indulging that comfort food craving.
Feta Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes
These stuffed tomatoes have just enough oomph to work as an appetizer or a side dish—perfect if you’re saving time (and dishes) on cleanup!
Four ingredients give this recipe a crunchy filling: pine nuts, feta cheese, fresh parsley leaves (which I always substitute with cilantro), and olives (I recommend Kalamata!). Plus, it takes less than 10 minutes of prep time when all ingredients are ready!
Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is one of my go-to last-minute sides whenever I need something fast—it goes great with almost anything!
This recipe uses garlic powder but feels free to sub this out for two cloves of minced garlic for an extra bite if you prefer it spicier! Serve warm from the oven alongside freshly made salads–everyone loves an excellent garlicky kick!
Lemon-Basil Couscous
If you love Mediterranean flavors like me, try some lemon-basil couscous as an easy side dish with salad!
To make this flavorful concoction cook up some whole wheat couscous according to package instructions, then mix in 1/3 cup freshly sliced basil leaves along with 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice—dinner is served in no time at all!
These two flavors complement each other perfectly, so discovering recipes that match basil and lemon is always exciting!
Roasted Vegetables
This is one of my favorite side dishes because it’s simple yet delicious. Instead of boiling or steaming veg, you can roast them for added flavor and texture.
Roasted vegetables make salads more filling—and better looking too! I like to roast carrots, peppers, squash, and potatoes in olive oil and herbs, then toss them into my salads for extra color and heartiness. If I want something even crunchier, I add pumpkin seeds too.
Crushed Nuts and Seeds
Add some crushed nuts or seeds on top for an easy nutty kick to your salads! They provide excellent texture and an additional protein boost, so your salad can keep you full for extended periods during the day.
Tahini dressing is also good if you don’t feel like crushing any nuts yourself—it adds richness without making the dish overly creamy or rich like traditional dressings do.
Grilled Fish
Salad can be served as both appetizers or mains, but when it comes to proteins, lighter seafood options always work best-especially when grilled!
The lightness of fish pairs well with green leave without being too. Moreover, grilled fish helps cut through those heavier ingredients that give other salads their distinct flavors (such as bacon bits).
Remember not to overcook it to get that tender texture that’s so essential here! Think tilapia fillets with olive oil rubbed on before cooking or salmon steaks mixed with herbs (like oregano) and lemon juice to finish the meal in style.
Goat Cheese Tartlets
If your preference leans towards more decadent flavors, these goat cheese tartlets should be at the top of your list! These flaky pastries filled with crumbled goat cheese could be tried first in appetizer form.
Still, they’re also an ideal accompaniment if your main dish includes green vegetables or pasta as main components-allowing for some savory sweetness throughout every forkful eaten!
Baked Salmon Fillet
Salmon is exceptionally high in omega-3 fatty acids, essential nutrients our bodies need daily- especially when discussing health benefits from eating lunch/dinner items such as those found in salads!
Bake up this tasty alternative instead of frying it; top it off with some tomatoes out of oil/vinegar dressing mixtures before serving alongside lettuce leaves dressed lightly elsewhere either beforehand or during the plating time for guests who might want something less wet around their greens sections once everything else hits their plates right afterward!.
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Vegetarians will never lack flavor when grilling up portobello mushrooms beforehand – slices will bring out beautiful earth tones within their interior parts plus offer unique textures outside later on down after plating times soon arrive too.
Serve these alongside arugula & romaine mix-type salad concepts or those already finished off via cottage cheese components included therein instead though (beware – they may create new sets of textures otherwise missed due to originally not containing this item!).