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Need a few easy side dishes for your pizza party? Here are the best sides to go with pizza, from Italian chopped salad to homemade ranch.
Ready for a pizza night? It’s deceptively difficult to find the right sides to go with pizza. Salad is a natural, but it’s got to have the right vibe. And it can’t be so much effort that it takes away from the main event! Alex and I have pizza nights often, but it’s harder than we think to find the right side dishes to accessorize with our meals. We also try to make sure they’re not overly bread-y or cheesy: since there’s so much of that in our pizza night already.
Here we’ve compiled our best sides to go with pizza! You’ll find that even within this list, the vibes of the sides vary. If you’re going for a family-friendly with kids, try our Healthy Ranch Dressing with veggies and our Classic Cheese Pizza. For a fancy night of entertaining, go for our classy Blackberry Balsamic Salad with a Truffle Pizza. You’ll find something for everyone here.
Ready to get started?
Here are our best sides to go with pizza!
Number one in our top sides to go with pizza: our best kale salad! Here dark leafy green Tuscan kale is combined with a tangy lemon and garlic dressing. The way the dressing coats the kale helps to mellow its flavor, so it's not bitter at all. Add some shaved Parmesan and this is salad perfection.
Pair with: Best Healthy Pizza or White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
Here’s a great salad that’s simply perfection, in our books. This Italian salad is full of all the right flavors and textures: crisp lettuce, crunchy garlic croutons, and zingy pepperoncini. It’s covered in punchy, herby Italian vinaigrette that makes the flavors sing! It can play sidekick to just about anything...but it's best to go with pizza.
Pair with: Perfect Pan Pizza or Ultimate Spinach Pizza
Here's another salad with just the right vibe for pizza: this favorite chopped salad! Crunchy romaine lettuce is drizzle in zingy Homemade Italian Dressing, and paired with thinly sliced shallots, cucumber, tomato, and Parmesan cheese. This one is a favorite we've made again and again (we're not just saying that) and it always gets rave reviews.
Pair with: Perfect Homemade Margherita Pizza or Pesto Pizza Recipe
If you want a quick healthy side for pizza that's kid and adult friendly, try this Healthy Ranch Dressing. It's seriously full of flavor, and comes together in just 5 minutes. The trick? Using plain yogurt and mayonnaise, which helps to cut on some calories. Serve it with carrot sticks and sliced bell peppers, and the veggies will be gone in no time.
Pair with: Homemade Cheese Pizza or Best Ever Taco Pizza (make a double recipe -- the ranch tops this one!)
Want a fancier vibe to go with your pizza? This blackberry salad is classic and chic, featuring our Best Balsamic Vinaigrette with tangy black berries, creamy goat cheese, and smoked almonds. Served on a bed of baby spinach and arugula, it's perfect for
Pizza pair: Truffle Pizza or Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs
Steamed broccoli is a perfect healthy side dish with pizza! This recipe takes 10 minutes to whip up and results in bright green, crispy tender broccoli. Stir together with feta cheese and red onion for a stunning side. (If serving with vegan pizza, omit the feta.) Another option: make this Sauteed Broccoli or Roasted Broccoli!
Pizza pair: Best Vegan Pizza or Easy Eggplant Pizza
Here's a way to dress up your pizza party: with wedge salad! This one's a unique spin on a classic wedge: it's smothered in smoky ranch dressing and topped with sundried tomatoes and crushed potato chips. Just WOW.
Pizza pair: Italian Pizza with Pesto or Artichoke & Tomato Pizza
Introducing: the simplest arugula salad. It’s quite possibly the easiest salad you’ll make: and it pairs perfectly with pizza! In under minutes, you’ve got an elegant salad that goes with literally everything. Dress baby arugula simply with olive oil and lemon juice, then add Parmesan shavings and thinly sliced shallots. Done! Simple, understated, and oh so good.
Pair with: Spinach Artichoke Pizza or Ricotta Pizza
This fennel orange salad features vibrant juicy oranges and a famous pairing: sliced raw fennel, which adds a subtle licorice essence. Throw it over greens with a few garnishes, top with a zingy homemade citrus vinaigrette, and wow! There’s so much going on flavor and texture-wise, it's the perfect refreshing pair with rich pizza.
Pair with: Veggie Supreme Pizza or Mediterranean Pizza
Topped with a creamy homemade Caesar dressing and crispy croutons, this classic Caesar salad recipe is one salad you won’t want to stop eating! The dressing is delightfully creamy and the croutons seriously crunchy. It makes pizza night complete!
Pair with: Veggie Pizza with Avocado or Perfect Neapolitan Style Pizza
Tuscan Kale Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 1x
Description
The best side to go with pizza is this incredible Tuscan kale salad! A dressing of lemon, garlic and Parmesan cheese transforms kale into tangy goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch Tuscan kale (about 8 ounces)*
- 1 very small or 1/2 medium garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon (3 to 4 tablespoons juice, plus zest)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Homemade croutons (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the kale. Then destem and roughly chop the kale leaves.
- Peel and mince the garlic clove. Sprinkle it with the kosher salt, then holding the blunt edge of the knife, scrape the sharp edge of the blade over the minced garlic, holding the knife at an angle and mashing the garlic into a paste.
- Place the paste in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and fresh ground black pepper, and whisk to combine. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- Toss the dressing with the kale leaves. Serve topped with lemon zest (and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired). If desired, serve with homemade croutons.
Notes
*1 bunch of kale makes a moderate serving size of 4: consider doubling the recipe if feeding hungry eaters.
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Sides to Go with Pizza, Tuscan Kale Salad, Kale Salad
More pizza resources
Alex and I are homemade pizza experts! Here we’ve got all the resources you need to make your own killer pizza at home:
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We need to fix it!