Need Side Dish ideas for homemade pizza

[gerry27]

Making Pizza for a batch of friends tonight, and I need some ideas on what to serve on the side. Someone is already bringing a fresh green salad, so I'd like another side to serve as well.

Preferably, something I can prep earlier in the day, so I can spend more time on the pizzas.....

any thoughts?

cheers

[escondido123]

So gerry27, what did you do?

[gerry27]

I actually used one of my own suggestion that I made on another post. I made a roasted corn salad with lots of lime juice, roasted red peppers, black olives and a big handful on cilantro. It went great with the pies I made!

(Homemade mozzarella, olive oil, basil and spicy sausage )

I will def try the white bean idea next time (I just didn't have any on hand)

thanks all!

[ChiliDude]

Glad things worked out and thanks for relaying the result.

[Kajikit]

Pizza is a meal unto itself. It doesn't need any accompaniments except possibly a fresh green salad to cut the grease, and you've already got that taken care of.

[IndyGirl]

I had the same thought, but I've been in this position before, where I felt like I wanted something *else.* That's why I suggested something light like white beans, which actually make a great accompaniment.

[monavano]

I'm in the salad camp. No matter what type of pizza or toppings you pick, there is a salad that will go with it. I love the cold crunch of salad as a counterpoint to warm pizza.

[hotoynoodle]

because of the tomato sauce, i've never been a fan of salads or marinated foods with pizza. broccoli rabe with garlic and red pepper flakes, or garlicky spinach would be my call. roasted cauliflower with pine nuts and golden raisins would be good to. these veg dishes also work room temp, so you could make them ahead.

[escondido123]

But rabe is one of my favorite pizza toppings, along with some Romano when it comes out of the oven. Just had one last night.

[hotoynoodle]

love it in pizza too, but we have no idea what kind of za's op is serving, lol.

[monavano]

Love rabe on pizza, too! It is a good idea for a side. It'll definitely hold its own.

[ChiliDude]

Have you seen the price of pine nuts lately? They are $30 a pound around here because of a bad crop in China last year.

[monavano]

If I were to buy pine nuts, I'd buy from Italy only and pay the money. That said, walnuts are a great substitute.

[ChiliDude]

I know about walnut substitution, but I agree that going Italian is more patriotic since such genes are in my wife's DNA.

[monavano]

I also thought the pine nuts from China were thought to be questionable (quality and age) and implicated for the occasional pine mouth.

[ChiliDude]

Not knowing what toppings you're gonna put on the pizza makes this tricky. How 'bout a serving dish containing marinated artichoke hearts, several kinds of olives, marinated mushrooms, and pickled peperoncini for people who can tolerate a little heat.

You may need to go out or send someone out to buy these comestibles. If you decide on this idea, you won't have to make anything from scratch.

[escondido123]

Maybe a fresh corn salad, though I really think a salad is all you need.

[FishTales]

If you put the right things on top you won't need anything extra on the side. Well, maybe a glass of wine or two...

Cheers!

[IndyGirl]

White bean salad? (Rosemary, white beans, little bit of white or red wine vinegar, salt, and rosemary and maybe red pepper flakes?) I tihnk some protein would be nice.