21+ Delightful Side Dishes For Pizza You Must Try In 2023

Whenever there is a mention of side dishes for pizza, most people would be confused since pizza is good on its own. However, a good dish will be better when you have a suitable accompaniment.

And when it comes to the sides, your options are almost endless. You can choose the healthy way with various salad variants or fully indulge yourself with the cheesiness of roasted parmesan broccoli and the savoriness of soy sauce chicken wings.

The things that might prevent you from exploring this side of cooking are time and creativity. However, this list will help with the second problem by giving you multiple recipes while you can gradually develop your own. Without further ado, let me take on another journey.

The Best Accompaniments To Pizza

While the idea of having pizza with a side dish is uncommon for some people, it’s not entirely wrong. I think combining pizza with a delicious accompaniment will enhance the overall experience. If you’re curious about what to make, here are some suggestions you might like.

1. Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Total time: 40 minutes

In this section, I want to show you my favorite recipe: garlic roasted sweet potatoes. This delicacy is so easy that even absolute beginners can recreate it.

Instead of regular potatoes, this dish calls for sweet potatoes, which have a softer texture, but the inherent sweetness also makes the savoriness of the other ingredients pop more. The rest of this specialty includes garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and parsley.

First, brush the sweet potatoes with butter and season them with garlic powder. Next, bake them with the seasoned side down first. When the skin turns a little brown, flip the potatoes over and sprinkle a layer of cheese on top.

You know this one is ready to serve when you feel that distinct nutty fragrance from the melted parmesan cheese.

2. Mexican Corn Dip

Total time: 15 minutes

A good way to elevate your pizza slice is to dip it in a classic Mexican entree to create an extra layer of texture. The liquid will coat the pizza evenly, and you have that extra layer of deliciousness. However, the biggest question is how to choose the right dip type.

Well, in that case, I would suggest the Mexican corn dip recipe, which will bring that unique Central American flair to your meal.

The central portion of this dip consists of corn since it has a crunchy texture that makes chewing fun. The vegetable is also good at providing sweetness to lessen the heat of jalapeno, another ingredient in the dip.

And finally, to round out this fantastic set of flavors, the recipe also uses cotija, a type of salty cheese. The melted layer of cheese contrasts nicely with the corn and the jalapeno.

This Mexican corn dip recipe packs many flavors that can blow your mind.

3. Roasted Tomato Soup

Total time: 1 hour (with 10 minutes of cooling time)

Sometimes, pizza can be pretty heavy on your stomach, so you need something light to balance your appetite. If that’s the case, you might as well experiment with one of the most delectable cherry tomato serving ideas in the form of roasted tomato soup.

The most beautiful aspect of the soup is how refreshing the texture and the taste are. When you dip the spoon into the delectable surface, the thickness appears perfect due to the combination of blended tomatoes, full-fat coconut milk, and chicken broth.

And as for the flavors, you will be surprised to find that the acidity of the tomatoes is not overwhelming. There is a hidden richness coming from the milk, and you can also taste that subtle savoriness of the broth.  

4. Garlic Bread

Total time: About 1 hour and 10 minutes

Since you’re already taking in a lot of carbohydrates with pizza, adding one more to the mix might not make that much difference. In this section, I want to introduce you to a fantastic little snack called garlic bread.

While garlic bread seems simple, this tasty dish can be an impeccable complement to chicken parmesan or pizza. The first layer of flavor you can feel belongs to the cheese. That incredible creamy stretchiness you get from biting into the bread will explode inside your taste buds.

Once the cheesiness has subsided, another wave of essence will wash over you. Garlic might be a bit too spicy when it’s raw, but garlic will exude an incredible fragrance with the correct preparation. When combined with butter, garlic bread can send you to culinary heaven.   

5. Zucchini Noodles

Total time: 10 minutes

If you think pasta noodles are too starchy. This recipe for zucchini noodles is perfect for those wanting to reduce their carb intake, and the dish makes a great accompaniment to pizza.

To turn the zucchini into strands of noodles, you can use a unique tool called a spiralizer. There are two common types of spiralizer: handheld and tabletop.

Once you get a sufficient amount of noodles, the next thing to do is add them to a frying pan with butter and garlic. The buttery coating will enhance the noodles’ crunchiness, while the garlic makes the dish smell even better.

Finally, add the grated parmesan cheese to the noodles alongside salt and pepper. The cheese will melt and add more dairy-forward richness to the zucchini.

6. Oven-Baked Zucchini Fries

Total time: 40 minutes

The zucchini train is not stopping because this recipe is a zucchini creation fit for starting a meal with incredible crunchiness. For health-conscious people, this version of zucchini fries is not as greasy as standard fries since you bake it in an oven.

Unlike the zucchini noodles, you don’t have to get a new kitchen appliance since a knife is enough to cut the vegetable into thin strips. The coating for this delicacy consists of almond flour, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.

The preparation starts with dipping the zucchini sticks into an egg batter and coating them with flour. The egg batter is the binder to keep the mixture from slipping off the zucchini sticks.

After baking the zucchini for around 30 minutes, the flour mixture will harden and create a crunchy layer. You can taste that nuttiness as well as the creaminess in the fries.   

The zucchini fries are much less greasy than standard french fries.

7. Honey Roasted Broccoli

Total time: 25 minutes

I’m sure you will not regret making this honey-roasted broccoli to go with your favorite pizza. This delicacy not only enhances the taste of the pizza but also can reduce the greasiness after you eat too many slices.

Honey roasted broccoli is quick to make while waiting for the pizza to arrive. You only have to cut the vegetable into separate florets and combine them with a sauce mixture (butter, soy sauce, honey, and crushed garlic).

Wait for the marinade to infuse its sweetness and savoriness into the broccoli and start baking. The honey will caramelize and slightly turn the broccoli yellow. As a result, you have a crunchy side dish that goes exceptionally well with any meat dish and pizza.

8. Ratatouille (French Stewed Vegetables)

Total time: 1 hour

The best way to contrast the carb-heavy pizza is by having a vegetable-focus side dish to balance your diet. In this case, ratatouille is perfectly suitable because the French delicacy uses a variety of vegetables to enhance their natural sweetness.

Although the name sounds quite fancy, ratatouille is easy to recreate. You should cut the ingredients like zucchini, tomatoes, and bell peppers into smaller portions. The smaller the veggies are, the faster they will tenderize when you’re cooking.

As for the seasonings, they include olive oil, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. These components will increase the savoriness, thus preventing the ratatouille from being too bland. Remember to stir the vegetables to cook them evenly.

9. Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Total time: 30 minutes

Nothing comes as close as a salad plate to the best vegetable-based delicacies worldwide. Thanks to the versatile nature of salads, you can be as creative as you want in adding or removing ingredients.

A good example is this Mediterranean-styled specialty called the orzo salad. To anyone unfamiliar with the term, orzo is a type of pasta that resembles a large rice grain.

The components for this salad variant come in two parts. On one side, you have solid ingredients consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, orzo pasta, and feta cheese. You have the umami from the tomatoes, the crunch of the cucumbers, and the creaminess of the cheese.

In the other part, you have the dressing that comes from lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil. The sauce has a pleasant sourness to it that enhances your appetite.  

10. Black Bean Salad

Total time: 20 minutes

The incredible thing about a salad dish is that you can dump a bunch of ingredients in a single bowl, drizzle a dressing of your choice, and it’s still a legitimate salad plate. The preparation process is that simple. I want to introduce you to this black bean salad in this section.

This dish is perfect for various feasts, from an outdoor barbeque to an intimate pizza party. The necessary components are black beans, corn, and cherry tomatoes. You must chop the vegetables into smaller portions to let the dressing coat everything evenly.

To make the sauce, you combine freshly squeezed lime juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. The dressing has a high level of acidity, but it works against the backdrop of so many fresh and starchy vegetables.

11. Chickpea Salad

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Chickpea salad is another starch-based dish if you’re looking for an alternative to the black bean version. Chickpeas possess the same nuttiness that exists in many legumes. However, there is also a hint of earthiness within the core flavors of chickpeas.

Alongside the chickpeas, you also add feta cheese, which is a product from Greek. Unlike other types of cheese, which are malleable, feta cheese crumbles easily and can stay firm for much longer. Feta cheese also has a distinct tanginess.

A good salad plate is incomplete without the dressing, which comes from just olive oil and lemon juice. The simplicity in the sauce will ensure that the overall taste doesn’t get overwhelmed by the olive oil.

This chickpea salad recipe packs many distinct Mediterranean flairs.

12. Caesar Salad With Pasta

Total time: 30 minutes

In the world of salads, nothing is as iconic as the Caesar salad, which comes from an Italian-Mexican chef, Caesar Cardini. Instead of making the classic version, this interpretation adds something to the mix, which is pasta.

The main ingredients for this version include pasta, romaine lettuce, and parmesan cheese. Since the recipe consists of pasta, you have to boil it in water until the texture becomes soft to the taste.

During the wait, you can get started on the dressing by blending parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and mustard. This process will create a tangy, spicy, and creamy sauce.

The final step is to toss the romaine hearts with the pasta, sauce, and cheese. This dish will be a suitable appetizer and an accompaniment to your main course.

13. Vegan Potato Salad

Total time: 20 minutes

Although a salad dish is very vegetarian-friendly, some recipes include meat or dairy-based products. Well, if you’re seeking a plant-based side cooking suggestion, let me introduce you to this recipe called vegan-friendly potato salad, which features no dairy products.

You will need chopped potatoes, celery, red onions, and chopped dill pickle for the solid parts. The potatoes will provide most of the starch, while the celery, onions, and dill pickle have the crunchiness.

On the other hand, the dressing consists of vegan mayonnaise, yellow mustard, salt, and pepper. Regular mayonnaise contains eggs, so this vegan version replaces it with soy milk. However, the taste remains very rich and delectable despite this change.   

14. Avocado, Corn, And Tomato Salad

Total time: 10 minutes

As I have said above, creating a salad bowl depends only on your creativity. You can add as many ingredients as you like, and you can choose what sort of dressing to use.

To show you how creativity can take you far in cooking, I want to introduce to you this next entry called avocado, corn, and tomato salad. Despite the messy list of vegetables, each component’s flavors work well with each other.

Regarding the texture, the avocado is quite tender, so it’s perfect for combining with something with a little crunch like corn. And as for the tomatoes, they’re also soft but possess a certain burst of flavor that explodes in your mouth.

With a filling salad like that, the dressing tends to be milder. You only need a combination of lime juice and olive oil to enhance enough of the flavors.

15. Kale Salad

Total time: 10 minutes

This entry is a quick 5-ingredient salad that you can whip up in no time, which means you can always have a decent accompaniment to your pizza every time.

To start, chop the kale leaves so the dressing can penetrate every nook and cranny. Drain the kale of excess water before you begin the mixing part. Transfer the chopped kale into a separate bowl and add olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.

When you’re tossing the salad, you have to keep the motion at a steady pace. That’s because it will help the dressing to coat the leaves evenly. The final step is to serve the salad.

The kale salad has that signature crunch that explodes in tanginess. This refreshing delicacy keeps the pizza from being too greasy for your taste buds.  

This tutorial will show you how to make this accessible version of kale salad.

16. Marinated Tomato Salad

Total time: 10 minutes

Tomato is one of the most essential and popular ingredients to add to a salad dish. However, what if you take other veggies away and leave only the tomatoes? Well, you will have this entry called marinated tomato salad.

Despite looking relatively simple in presentation, the flavors of this salad are pretty vibrant. The slices of tomato provide the signature umami that your palate can’t resist. Not just that, when you combine it with the olive oil – vinegar dressing, the tang just makes the dish better.

Other than tomatoes, you can also add parmesan cheese as a companion. The creaminess from the cheese improves the taste and texture. Nothing in this delicacy clashes with each other, so you can enjoy the salad with some pizza.   

17. Cilantro Lime Slaw

Total time: 10 minutes

Cilantro lime slaw is an updated version of the traditional coleslaw, a European delicacy. The ingredients in a standard coleslaw include cabbages, shredded carrots, and maybe a sprinkle of cheese, topped with cream or mayonnaise.

However, in this cilantro lime slaw version, you can add cilantro for that extra citrusy fragrance. As for the dressing, you combine Greek yogurt, lime juice, and jalapenos (only if you can handle the spice).

This coleslaw can be refreshing as a side dish for your BBQ, tacos, or pizza. The crunch from the shredded vegetables is a delightful feeling that makes you eat more. The tangy dressing is effective in increasing your appetite.

18. Pico De Gallo (Mexican Tomato And Cucumber Salad)

Total time: 25 minutes

Pico De Gallo, or the tomato and cucumber salad, is a mixed vegetable side dish from Mexico. The name of this delicacy is translated to “rooster’s beak” because you use two fingers to pick up the salad, similar to how a rooster eats its food.

The main ingredients for this salad include tomato, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro. The preparation is easy since the only step is to cube up the vegetables. The combination of tomato and cucumber gives a nice refreshing feeling.

The dressing for this type of specialty is also easy to make. Squeeze some lime juice and sprinkle a bit of salt. The salt extracts the moisture from the vegetables, increasing the crunchiness, while the lime juice gives a tangy aftertaste. 

19. Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Total time: 15 minutes

Sometimes, you just want to make a quick broccoli starter or side dish with your favorite pizza. In this case, let me tell you about this delightful recipe called garlic parmesan roasted broccoli.

The central part of this delicacy is broccoli, which you prepare by separating the florets from the stems. Next, place the broccoli florets on a baking tray and drizzle some olive oil. The oil will keep the vegetable from being too dry.

Aside from the oil, you can also sprinkle salt and pepper to make the florets more flavorful. Toss the broccoli to let the seasoning coat evenly. The final thing to do is to bake the broccoli.

When you finish baking, add parmesan and lemon juice to enhance the overall taste. The parmesan will be nutty and creamy, while the juice has a pleasant acidity. 

20. Sticky Soy Chicken Wings

Total time: 1 hour (With 30 minutes of marinating time)

Pizza is very carb heavy due to the dough, so you should choose a meaty dish to balance the nutrients. To me, sticky soy chicken wings might be the perfect option to enhance the delight of your feast.

This dish is so good from the combination of sauce and chicken wings. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and cooking oil for the marinade. Soaking the wings in this special sauce will enhance the meat’s savoriness.

Marinate the wings for 30 minutes in a refrigerator before you bake. When the wings are in the oven, the caramelization will take place and slowly turn the wings brown. The sweetness from the sauce also complements the meaty taste of the wings.  

21. Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Total time: 45 minutes

Jalapeno popper is the name of a delicacy in the U.S, specifically from the state of Texas in the 1970s. This dish uses hollowed-out jalapeno peppers and replaces the core with a lot of meat and cheese.

However, this version will be a bit different since you don’t have to stuff the peppers with meat. Instead, you need cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and seasonings (garlic powder and onion powder) as the filling. On the outside, the bacon slices will act as the shell.

The change brings many unique flavors and textures to this Texan specialty. When the bacon crisps up in the oven, you can feel that savoriness pops inside your mouth. The creamy and rich cheese combo improves the experience to another level. 

22. Beer Battered Onion Rings

Total time: 15 minutes

Regarding popular sides for pizza, nothing can come close to the onion rings. This delightful treat has existed in British and American cuisines for centuries. The delicacy is easy to make, so anyone, even amateur cooks, can easily recreate it.

For the preparation, slice the onion perpendicular to the veins and separate each slice into rings. This recipe will make a beer batter consisting of eggs and beer. Mix dried ingredients like flour, baking powder, and onion powder in another bowl.

Combine the beer batter and the dried flour mix. The beer will be the catalyst to make this specialty crunchy. Dunk the rings into the batter and start the deep-frying. When the onion rings turn a nice golden brown, you can enjoy them with a slice of pizza.  

Popular chef Martha Stewart will show you how to make onion rings.

Enjoy Your Pizza With These Wonderful Sides!

Like many people, there are times when I enjoy eating pizza on its own. However, I mostly love to have the dish with some accompaniment to lessen the greasiness. From the list above, you can see that there are many options to have alongside pizza.

There are many options for different tastes, from the wide variety of salads to the more elaborate zucchini noodles and chicken wings. With the help of this article, your next pizza pasty will be a blast.

If you’re a pizza lover, I would love to hear about your favorite sides in the comment section. Other than that, thanks for reading, and make sure you hit that like button. Also, you can share these recipes with your friends and family. Have a great meal!