Confused about the Side dishes to serve with eggplant parmesan? Don’t worry we have the answer. Eggplants are a very versatile vegetable with numerous health benefits. Not only are they packed with vitamins and minerals, but they also have anti-oxidant properties for keeping your cells healthy.
One way to prepare these veggies is to make the classic Italian dish eggplant Parmesan. This is a rich, cheesy meal that tastes amazing when served with a wide variety of side dishes.
In this list, we will be covering a few of the best sides for eating alongside eggplant Parmesan.
Garlic Bread
Any Italian meal is improved with the addition of garlic bread. With a crunchy crust and a moist center, this side is perfect for mopping up any spare tomato sauce after you have finished your meal.
The taste of your bread will also be greatly enhanced by the Parmesan cheese, which couples well with the taste of strong garlic.
One of the best things about this side is that you can quickly whip it up while you are waiting for your main meal to cook.
Pasta In Marinara Sauce
This is the most classic side dish for serving alongside eggplant Parmesan. The pasta provides a tasty substrate for making the veggies and cheese go much further, and will help to make the meal more filling.
You can cover your pasta in a simple marinara sauce made from canned tomatoes, basil, and garlic for a quick but flavorful side dish.
Alternatively, you can just make some plain pasta and mix it with the sauce from your eggplant Parmesan.
Italian Sausage
If you want to add a bit of meat to your eggplants, then Italian sausage is a great choice. The great thing about this recipe is that it is very versatile, and you can make these sausages out of nearly any meat you have in your kitchen.
It isn’t recommended to use ground beef, but apart from this, you can make this dish with pork, turkey, or chuck.
The sausage is seasoned with oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and paprika for a spicy, meat-based side dish that goes well with any Italian meal.
Roasted Broccoli With Smashed Garlic
Roasted broccoli is a great companion for any meal that has a lot of sauce since it offers some much-needed crunch.
This roasted broccoli side is definitely very crunchy, covered in garlic oil for a strong, aromatic flavor. It goes very well with both Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce, for a delicious Italian-style dinner.
The best part is that this side takes less than thirty minutes to prepare and cook, so you can start it while your eggplant Parmesan is in the oven.
Meatballs
Could you have a list of Italian side dishes without a few spicy meatballs? This recipe contains instructions for making the perfect meatballs out of any meat you have in your fridge.
No matter what you make them out of, these balls are very juicy with a tender center surrounded by a crispy outside made from panco breadcrumbs.
They also take less than an hour to make, which means you won’t have to wait long before you can add them to your eggplant Parmesan.
RELATED: Can You Eat Eggplant Raw?
Red Cabbage, Radicchio, And Endive Salad
If you are looking for some fresh veggies to eat with your eggplants, then this crunchy salad is just the thing for you.
It offers a wonderful mixture of flavors, from the tart edge of the radicchio to the sweetness of the red cabbage and raisins.
Garnished with chopped walnuts, this salad has a great texture for mixing with any dish that incorporates a lot of sauce.
The best part is, there is no cooking required, and all you need to do is chop up the various ingredients while you are waiting for your main meal to finish cooking.
Italian Green Beans
Green beans are a delicious and nutritious side dish that goes well with countless different meals. This is because they are a very versatile ingredient that can be prepared and seasoned in a number of different ways.
These Italian style green beans are cooked in a Dutch oven along with bell peppers, onions and finely diced bacon. All of these ingredients are covered in an Italian marinade to flavor them with hints of basil, oregano and thyme.
This green bean salad has a great texture and a beautiful smokey flavor that mixes well with strong Parmesan cheese.
Gnocchi
This is another pasta dish that makes the perfect substrate for mixing with eggplant Parmesan. These small potato dumplings after soft and creamy, which makes them a great addition to any soup.
Chicken and gnocchi soup goes beautifully with the tomato sauce and cheesy topping on eggplant Parmesan.
If you don’t have the time to make a whole soup, then you can simply cook your gnocchi like normal pasta in chicken broth for some sumptuous flavored dumplings that you can add to your eggplant based dinner.
Antipasto Salad
Antipasto salad has many of the same ingredients as a good cheese board with lots of classic Italian starters like salami, prosciutto and artichoke hearts.
All of these salty, meaty delicacies are piled on top of fresh greens and mixed with olives, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese. This assortment of savory treats goes very well with a lot of Italian dishes, especially eggplant Parmesan.
You can throw this side together in a matter of minutes while you are waiting for your cheesy eggplants to come out of the oven.
Rosemary Ricotta Corn
With its crunchy and sweet texture, sweetcorn makes an awesome addition to eggplant Parmesan.
If you want to make your corn creamy as well as sweet, you can use this recipe for making a ricotta, cream cheese sauce.
Seasoned with rosemary and garlic, this side is a sweet and very smooth way to make your Parmesan eggplants even cheesier.
Taking only 7 minutes to prepare and cook, this side dish is the fastest and possibly the simplest, on this list.
RELATED: Should Eggplant Be Refrigerated (How To Store Eggplant)
Grilled Zucchini
Zucchini has a similar texture and flavor to eggplant, and as such the two vegetables complement each other very well.
Grilled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and seasoned with rosemary, oregano and thyme, these zucchinis are a great addition to any Italian meal.
The skins are slightly crispy, but the insides are sumptuously juicy, which will really enhance the flavor of your eggplants. These grilled zucchinis only take 15 minutes to cook, so you won’t have to wait long before you can tuck in and enjoy them.
Grape Feta Salad
Roasting grapes is a great way to make them taste even sweeter and juicier. Mixed with baby leave salad and chopped almonds, this salad is the perfect combination of sweet and sour for accompanying eggplant Parmesan.
The feta cheese is another great addition that goes very well with the red wine vinegar and a small dash of cumin.
This simple and easy to make salad is a good choice if you want to add even more variety to the taste of your meal.
Buttered Noodles
Simple and ready in a matter of minutes, buttered noodles are a great substrate for mixing through your eggplant Parmesan.
Egg noodles make the best choice for this side dish, but if you don’t have any, you can easily just use any regular pasta from spaghetti to macaroni.
Once you have chosen your pasta, you can fry it in butter with parsley and freshly ground pepper to create a sumptuous addition to your Italian dinner.
Top your noodles off with some spare Parmesan cheese, or just mix them into your eggplant Parmesan for a delicious meal.
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Asparagus is crunchy and packed with vitamins, which makes it a great addition to any meal. To give these asparagus tips a bit of Italian flair, they are wrapped in salty strips of prosciutto.
This offers a smokey flavor that will couple well with the Parmesan cheese and rich tomato sauce on your eggplants.
It only takes 20 minutes to prepare these tender asparagus tips, and once you taste them, you will be glad you took the time to whip up this excellent side dish.
RELATED: What Should I Serve With a BLT Sandwich? Top 10 Side Dishes
Conclusion
Eggplant Parmesan is an easy dish to make at home and with the right side dish it can make the perfect Italian meal.
It goes very well with a simple pasta, however if you want to be more adventurous than there are countless vegetables, meats and other savory treats that go well with this recipe.
All the items on this list take very little time to prepare and cook, which means that you can easily make them while your eggplants are in the oven.
So next time you are in the mood for an Italian dinner, why not make eggplant Parmesan and couple it with any of these tasty sides for a delicious and nutritious meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is An Eggplant?
An eggplant is another name for an aubergine, which is a deep purple vegetable that has a firm white center.
It isn’t very appetizing when eaten raw, but this vegetable tastes amazing when grilled in oil and seasoned with herbs and spices.
Which Meat Is Commonly Used For Italian Sausage?
One of the sides we listed above was a recipe for making homemade Italian sausage. The most traditional meat used for this dish is pork, but you can also use a variety of other meats like turkey or chuck beef.
What Is Italian Seasoning Made From?
Some of the recipes above call for Italian seasoning, which can be bought from most supermarkets. You can easily make your own version of these seasoning with oregano, thyme, basil and marjoram.
With this blend of herbs and spices, you can create your own authentic Italian cuisine whenever you want.
14 Ideal Side Dishes To Serve With Eggplant Parmesan
Enjoy a traditional, homemade Italian dinner with these 14 delicious side dishes for serving with baked eggplant parmesan.
Ingredients
Directions
- Pick a recipe from the list above
- Click the recipe name and visit the website
- Collect the ingredients and cook the food
- Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review
Recipe Video
Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.
I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!
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Mois Pasta
Monday 28th of November 2022
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