Easy meatball serving ideas, from caprese salad to bacon-cheese asparagus, and ratatouille to cheesy cauliflower breadsticks. Discover what to serve with meatballs today.
Some casual fans of meatballs might only recognize them as a topping for American-style spaghetti. In reality, however, they can be a complex and flavorful form of protein to serve along with a variety of tasty dishes.
Complement the meaty goodness with any of these meatball side dishes to create an unforgettable pairing.
Classic Caprese Salad
With just a few basic ingredients and a few minutes of preparation, anyone can prepare a delicious caprese salad to bring out the natural taste of homemade meatballs.
Start with some fresh tomatoes and add in mozzarella cheese, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper for a simple yet fully formed taste. Serving meatballs with this fresh concoction is a quick way to provide a beautiful and complex treat for almost any palate.
Creamy Baked Brussels Sprouts
Gone are the days of bland boiled Brussels sprouts that kids everywhere hated to eat. When prepared correctly, this versatile veggie can be an excellent companion to any plate of meatballs.
Bacon, butter, garlic, cream, and grated cheese combine for a well-rounded taste that brings forward the natural flavor of the sprouts without becoming too overwhelming for the meatballs served alongside them.
Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks
Cauliflower is an optimal vehicle for other flavors and serves as the perfect way to create a unique take on traditional breadsticks. Adding some robust marinara sauce completes the dish with a bold blast of tomato that pairs perfectly with meatballs.
Cut the head up into small florets before chopping it all up finely in a food processor and mixing in some cheese, herbs, seasonings, and an egg to form the base for this tasty side dish. All it takes is combining the ingredients and baking it in an oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mashed Potatoes
Don’t be fooled into thinking that this side is a bland pile of boiled potatoes. Although it is simple to make a few servings of mashed potatoes with a splash of milk, a pat of butter, and some seasoning, there are ways to make this dish a family favorite.
Mixing two or more types of potatoes, such as Russet and Yukon gold, can add some complexity. After chopping them up and boiling them until tender, season them to taste and even add some grated cheese to produce a complex and bold flavor to serve with meatballs.
Sauteed Green Beans With Garlic
Garlic might be the perfect herb to complement meatballs, and it is easy to combine its flavor with a batch of expertly sauteed green beans.
In addition to the beans and garlic, all it takes is some oil or butter to finish off the necessary ingredients. After boiling and draining the beans, toss everything into a skillet and cook them until tender and tasty.
Red Roasted Potatoes
If mashed potatoes aren’t special enough to serve alongside a plate of meatballs, here’s another way to enjoy potatoes along with some succulent meatballs.
Coating a few red potatoes with garlic, oil, parmesan cheese, and herbs will seal in some incredible flavor. After combining the ingredients, all a home chef has to do is roast them until soft in the center to create a well-balanced and enjoyable meal.
Roasted Asparagus With Bacon And Cheese
Not everyone enjoys the taste of asparagus, but when it’s prepared with bacon and cheese, this veggie can be a crowd-pleaser.
Drizzling some clean asparagus spears lightly with oil, seasoning, and herbs is all it takes to prepare them for the oven. Before they are completely roasted, adding the cheese and letting it melt creates the perfect platform for the bacon pieces that will go on as a topping as the last step before serving them along with some tasty meatballs.
Bread and Butter
Sometimes all it takes to complement a plate of meatballs is a fresh slice of bread with a bit of butter for a richer flavor.
Whether grilled or toasted, the aroma and taste of baked bread come through and provide the perfect companion for any meatball. Choosing the type of bread as well as deciding whether to bake it at home or buy it from a local bakery are personal decisions, but it’s hard to go wrong no matter which option makes the cut.
Garlic Udon Noodles
Serving stir-fried noodles might not be the first option that comes to mind when deciding what to pair with meatballs, but this is a tasty combination that could become a go-to meal for years to come.
Several great ingredients can bring out the flavor of udon noodles, such as onion, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, green onions, egg yolks, or oyster sauce. Upon finding the perfect selection of flavors for the sauce, simply stir the noodles in a sauté pan until fully cooked and toss it all together.
Corn on the Cob
Not only is this a tasty and healthy option that pairs extremely well with meatballs, but it’s also a lot of fun to eat.
Many people prefer to roast or grill corn on the cob, which can provide a rich flavor and smoky aroma. An increasingly common method of preparation, however, involves boiling the ears in a mixture of milk and butter to impart a robust taste that can complement meatballs as well as almost any other entree.
Ratatouille
This French dish might be intimidating for uninitiated cooks, but is actually fairly simple to create the complex layers and flavors that define a great ratatouille.
The base consists of sliced eggplant, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes while the right sauce is made up of olive oil, garlic, tomato, peppers, onion, and basil. Bake the veggies and then add in the sauce and seasoning for a rich, complex side that tastes incredible with a plate of meatballs.
