Name: What To Serve With Meatballs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 portion meatballs

Table of Contents

If you’re wondering what to serve with your meatballs, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I list 42 of the most popular side dishes for meatballs.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer.

The best side dishes to serve with meatballs are tomato basil pasta, minestrone soup, spaghetti squash arrabbiata, pita bread, and mashed potatoes. Try vermicelli noodle salad or fried rice if you’re making Asian-style meatballs. For more veggie options, try honey butter peas or roasted garlic green beans.

Ready? Let’s jump right in.

Spaghetti squash arrabbiata

Roasted spaghetti squash is an excellent low-carb alternative to pasta.

Shredding the flesh yields noodle-like strands that have a texture similar to angel hair pasta.

The faux noodles have a neutral flavor, making them the perfect base for a flavorful sauce like arrabbiata.

All they need is a topping of meatballs.

Why we love this recipe: you can serve this right out of the hollowed-out squash shells.

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Spaghetti squash arrabbiata
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Everyday Italian salad

This Italian salad is a vibrant medley of fresh greens, juicy tomatoes, pepperoncini, onions, and crunchy croutons tossed in a simple but punchy Italian vinaigrette.

It’s simple, but the different textures and flavors complement each other wonderfully, giving you a well-balanced dish.

Prop some Italian meatballs on top of this for a satisfying meal.

Why we love this recipe: it’s perfect for summer because it doesn’t involve any cooking.

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Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes

These mashed potatoes are the perfect side to saucy meatballs.

The rich and creamy mash will soak up all the sauce meaning not a drop of flavor will go to waste.

Adding sour cream and zesty chives takes the spuds up a notch.

Why we love this recipe: it’s easy enough for a regular weeknight dinner but also special enough for a fancy meal.

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Sour cream and chive mash
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Minestrone soup

What makes this Italian classic stand out is its rich base, made with a combination of beef and chicken bone broth.

You can use regular broth if that’s all you have, but I highly recommend the bone broth if you can find it.

Toss your meatballs into the soup and let them absorb all the goodness – yum!

Why we love this recipe: it’s a bowl of pure comfort.

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Roasted garlic green beans

If you want something simple, here it is.

Roasting green beans with garlic transforms them from drab to fab. They get delightfully crispy texture and you can flavor them however you like.

This recipe keeps it simple with some salt, pepper, and garlic.

Why we love this recipe: you put the green beans on the same tray as your meatballs – an easy sheet pan dinner.

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Pita bread

Skip the store-bought pita bread and try your hand at making them from scratch – everything you need to make them is probably already in your pantry!

They’ll puff up nicely, leaving you with a pocket you can tear open and stuff with some meatballs and tzatziki.

Or whatever sauce you like!

Why we love this recipe: you can make a big batch and freeze them for up to three months, so you’ll always have pita bread on hand.

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Vermicelli noodle salad

Not all meatballs have to be covered in tomato sauce!

If you’re making Asian-style meatballs (like these lemongrass Vietnamese meatballs), it’s a no-brainer to serve them with vermicelli noodle salad. But any meatball will work.

It’s light, healthy, and oh-so-delicious.

The salad is packed with fresh vegetables like carrots, beansprouts, and cabbage, and the dressing brings a hint of spice.

Why we love this recipe: each serving only has 170 calories.

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Briam (greek vegetable casserole)

Briam is a Mediterranean dish featuring tender slices of vegetables drenched in tomato puree and seasoned with Greek flavors.

It usually comes with a side of crusty bread and some feta, but a few meatballs wouldn’t go amiss.

Why we love this recipe: it’s a fancy-looking dish with zero hands-on cooking.

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Peperonata
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Sauteed broccoli rabe

This sauteed broccoli rabe is a quick and easy way to add some greens to your meal.

Broccoli rabe can be a bit bitter, but you can mellow this out by blanching the greens before you sautee them.

Although some people like it!

Why we love this recipe: it comes together in under 10 minutes.

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Tomato basil pasta

Italian meatballs served with this rich, tomato-based pasta are a match made in flavor heaven – and one you’ve probably already thought of!

But I’m here to convince you to ditch the jar of sauce and make you’re own from scratch.

It’ll be so much tastier.

Why we love this recipe: everything is cooked in one pot – including the pasta.

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Sauteed cabbage

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/392798398761499908/

You’ll be surprised at how flavorful cabbage is when you cook it right.

A simple saute with olive oil gets your cabbage delightfully caramelized and tender.

And to elevate the humble veg even more, you can add the secret ingredient apple cider vinegar to the mix – it adds a sweet, rich note to your cabbage.

Why we love this recipe: it’s budget-friendly.

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Fried rice

Planning to make some sweet hoisin meatballs or some teriyaki meatballs?

It’d be criminal not to serve them with fresh-off-the-stove fried rice.

This homemade version is packed with umami flavors, thanks to the sesame oil, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.

Why we love this recipe: it’s ready to be enjoyed in just 15 minutes – that’s faster than ordering takeout.

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Fried rice
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Honey butter peas

Make your sauteed peas more special by adding some cream cheese, honey, and parmesan cheese to the mix.

The resulting dish?

Lightly sweet and luscious peas with a delectable salty note – they’ll be simply irresistible next to your meatballs (especially Swedish meatballs).

Psst… add some corn in for a splash of color.

Why we love this recipe: it’s creamy without being too heavy.

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Honey butter peas
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Roasted garlic & rosemary artisan bread

Why not try your hand at baking with this artisan bread?

It requires no yeast and kneading. Just mix your ingredients in one bowl, then leave it to rest for at least 12 hours.

Then rip off a chunk and dunk it in your meatball sauce.

Why we love this recipe: you get crusty bread with an airy interior and a superb garlicky, herby flavor.

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