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What to Serve with Stuffed Artichokes: 15 Best Side Dishes

One of the most frequently asked questions about stuffed artichokes is what to serve alongside them.

After all, one can only eat so many stuffed artichokes.

What to Serve with Stuffed Artichokes

But when you start looking for a side dish to serve alongside your delicious stuffed artichokes, you might get overwhelmed by all the choices (especially if you are cooking for a large group).

In this article, we’ll explore 15 of the best sides to serve alongside your delicious stuffed artichokes.

We’ll also look at why they are good choices and how they pair with your main courses.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes For Stuffed Artichokes?

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes For Stuffed Artichokes

There are lots of reasons to serve side dishes with stuffed artichokes, but we think the most important one is that it’s a great way to get more vegetables onto your kids plates.

Stuffed artichokes have been a family favorite for decades.

The problem is, stuffed artichokes can be labour-intensive, and depending on the recipe you use, they might not be all that healthy for your family.

That’s why we’ve come up with a great solution: to make delicious, healthier stuffed artichoke recipes more accessible to busy parents and families, we’re going to share our favorite side dishes that pair perfectly with stuffed artichokes. 

Our goal is simple: more vegetables at dinner (with minimal effort) so you can feel good about what you’re feeding your family.

What to Serve with Stuffed Artichokes: 15 Best Side Dishes

Stuffed Artichokes Side Dishes

Side dishes are an area of the meal that can be taken for granted, but they don’t have to be.

Here are 15 of my favorite side dishes to serve alongside stuffed artichokes:

1. Grilled Vegetables

Grilled vegetables are a great side dish, and zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant all do well on the grill. You can also grill asparagus, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. 

If you have access to a grill pan or a cast iron skillet that can go over an open flame, you can also use it to make grilled vegetables.

Grilled vegetables make a great side dish with just about any meat or poultry.

If you are making something like stuffed artichokes for dinner and you would like to serve a side with it, try one of these options.

2. Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes, especially when they’re cooked with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, are a great side dish for stuffed artichokes. If you want to get really fancy, you can use truffle oil instead of olive oil.

You can also add other vegetables to the roasting pan and make a one-dish side dish. Some favorites include tomatoes, onions, shallots and red bell peppers. You don’t have to limit yourself to just one of these vegetables or even to this list – be creative!

3. Salad, Especially the Italian Caprese salad

Whether you’re making a classic stuffed artichoke or a lighter version, it’s always tough to decide what side to serve with this iconic vegetable.

Not only is caprese salad colorful, but it has a great flavor combination of tomatoes and basil with the added creaminess of mozzarella cheese. Serve it as a side dish with any meal or as an appetizer for your next party.

4. Garlic Bread or Garlic Knots

While the artichokes are cooking, make garlic bread or garlic knots. You can bake bread at the same time as you make the stuffed artichokes, or you can buy it already made at a bakery or grocery store.

Garlic knots are a great way to use up leftover pizza dough. You could also try making a simple focaccia; just knead in some chopped garlic and rosemary into the dough before baking.

5. Pizza, if You Want to Make the Meal Really Italian!

It is hard to go wrong with pizza as a side dish. You could serve one or two slices per person or a gourmet pizza for the whole table to share. If you have never thought about serving pizza with stuffed artichokes, you may be surprised by how well the two go together.

6. Steamed Vegetables, Like Broccoli or Green Beans

When I make stuffed artichokes for dinner, I’m always looking for a side dish that won’t overpower the delicate flavor of the artichokes.

This is especially important when the stuffing contains a lot of garlic or other ingredients with strong flavors.

Steamed vegetables are an excellent choice to serve with artichokes. They’re easy to prepare, healthful and won’t overpower the star of your meal.

Steamed broccoli and green beans are my favorite choices, but any vegetable you like will work well.

Here are two bonus tips:

  • Steam them in the same pot you used to cook the artichokes — just add more water and steam right on top of the artichoke stems.
  • Or steam them in an electric steamer while the artichokes are cooking on the stovetop.

7. Baked beans

Baked beans are the perfect side dish to serve with stuffed artichokes or any other of your favorite Italian dishes.

They compliment just about anything and are very filling.

You can easily make them by opening a can of baked beans and putting it in a microwave-safe dish. Heat on high for about three minutes or until hot.

8. Roasted Carrots

Roasted Carrots are a perfect side dish for artichokes.

They pair wonderfully with the fresh herbs in the stuffing, and the sweetness of the carrots is a nice contrast to the acidity of the lemon juice.

You can use any carrot, but I prefer baby carrots because they are so easy to prepare.

Just scrub them, cut off the top and bottom and they are ready to go! A little olive oil and salt is all you need to make these roasted carrots delicious!

9. Mashed Potatoes

If you’re looking for a side to go with your stuffed artichokes, the answer is simple: Serve mashed potatoes.

The dish is fancy enough to pair well with stuffed artichokes, and it’s an easy make-ahead dish that can be reheated just before serving.

For a little extra richness, add roasted garlic to the mashed potatoes, or stir in some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

If you want something more than just plain mashed potatoes but can’t get the family on board for anything too complicated, try garlic mashed potatoes with roasted garlic.

If you’re serving a crowd, you’ll have no problem doubling or tripling the recipe.

10. Creamy Polenta

A creamy bowl of polenta is one of those comforting foods that you crave during the colder months.

It tastes great alongside just about any meat, but it’s particularly suited to a rich, meaty dish like stuffed artichokes.

11. Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Is there anything more soothing than a side of asparagus with your meal?

I find myself cooking this superfood at least once a week and I’m always looking for new ways to dress it up.

Oven-roasted asparagus is a simple way to make this vegetable the star of the show, with only five minutes of prep time.

Asparagus is a spring vegetable that is low in calories but high in nutrients such as Vitamin A and K. It pairs well with many main dishes and makes a great presentation on the table.

If you’re looking for a fresh take on asparagus, try oven roasting it with some garlic and parmesan.

12. Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Stuffed artichokes are a delicious and fun meal for the whole family. They’re easy to prepare, too!

The only downside is that stuffed artichokes can be a bit heavy. This makes them tricky to serve with side dishes.

You need something that will complement the flavor of the artichoke without adding too many calories.

Roasted sweet potatoes are a wonderful choice for this challenge.

They’re packed with vitamins, especially vitamin A, and they have a wonderfully sweet taste that goes perfectly with a simple dipping sauce.

Sweet potatoes are also very versatile, which means you can make many different types of side dishes with them!

13. Spinach Salad With Bacon Dressing

The most important thing to serve with stuffed artichokes is a delicious side dish. Artichokes are notoriously difficult to eat, so you need a side that isn’t too fussy to handle.

This salad is outrageously delicious. Just make sure you buy real bacon and not the prepackaged stuff. Too much sodium in the prepackaged kind will cause your salad dressing to taste extremely salty.

14. Risotto

Risotto is the ultimate side dish. It’s guaranteed to pair with anything and everything, including stuffed artichokes!

The creamy rice can be served along with a simple grilled meat, a fish or seafood dish, or even as a main course itself.

15. Pasta Alfredo

Alfredo is a rich, creamy, decadent pasta dish that is usually avoided by those who are watching their weight.

But just because it’s rich and creamy doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it occasionally. And when you do, serve it with a light salad or vegetable dish to balance it out.

5 Tips For Serving Side Dishes For Stuffed Artichokes

Tips For Serving Side Dishes For Stuffed Artichokes

One of the biggest questions that is asked when serving stuffed artichokes is what to serve on the side.

Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind when serving side dishes alongside stuffed artichokes:

1. Serve Bright, Fresh Salads with Your Stuffed Artichokes for A Crisp Contrast. A fresh garden salad or a simple tomato salad will give you the right amount of crunch and acidity to cut through the richness of the stuffed artichoke. If you want to make your salad a bit more substantial, add chickpeas or cannellini beans (See Also: Canned Cannellini Beans Recipes) as well!

2. If a salad just isn’t hearty enough for your guests, serve pasta along with your main course. Pasta is easy to prepare and lends itself well to customization. You could even toss it in some leftover stuffing!

3. If you want to make your meal extra special, incorporate some seafood into your side dishes or main course! Some classic Italian recipes combine mussels or clams with stuffed artichokes for an extra decadent dish.

4. Keep it simple. Stuffed artichokes are a meal in and of themselves, so keep the side dishes simple. If you’re at a loss for what to serve, consider starting with an appetizer and following the main course with dessert.

5. Consider the taste of the stuffing ingredients when choosing the side dish. For example, if the filling includes garlic, lemon or parmesan cheese, then use this as an opportunity to highlight these flavors in your side dish selection.

CEO at Happy Muncher | benjamin@happymuncher.com | Website | + posts

Hi, I'm Benjamin. I love cooking, long walks, and my girlfriend! Here you’ll find simple and delicious recipes that you can make in 30 minutes or less.