Soup is one of the easiest dishes to serve, offering simplicity whilst still delivering outstanding flavors. However, soup by itself is sometimes not enough to suffice for an entire meal.
By simply adding a side dish, soups can be elevated to the next level taste-wise, and become a lot more fulfilling to keep you satisfied throughout the day.
But, do you ever wonder what to serve with soup? If so, this blog has got you covered!
What to Serve with Soup? 18 Best Side Dishes to Try
Here are 18 brilliant side dishes to complement your soups. Have a read-through for some tasty inspiration, and find out which side dishes work best with specific soups and textures.
Pull-Apart Cheese Garlic Bread
A garlic bread oozing with cheese is a well-loved and hearty traditional side dish. The firmness of crispy garlic bread also makes it great for dipping and scooping more textured soups.
As garlic is such a classic and well-loved flavor, this dish can accompany most types of soup. Still, we recommend using pull-apart cheese garlic bread as an accompanying dish for more dense soups, such as vegetable soup or potato soup.
Red Potato Salad
A red potato salad is a great addition to a meat-based soup or stew for a hearty meal guaranteed to warm you up during cold weather. Serve with a tasty turkey bone broth for a healing, cozy meal.
Roasted Asparagus
Roasted asparagus works well with anything creamy or cheese-based! This healthy side dish can be easily made with minimal fuss and ingredients. Simply drizzle the asparagus stems in olive oil and season using salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any additional herbs to suit your tastes.
Set your oven at 205 degrees celsius and pop the asparagus in for 10 minutes to roast.
The Ultimate Smoked Salmon Bagels
If you want a side dish that is as elegant as it is healthy, this recipe is for you! For a touch of class, serve your bowl of soup alongside smoked salmon bagels for a dinner party pleaser.
To make these, simply toast some bagels then smother in a cream cheese of your choosing. Add a delicate slice of salmon and sprinkle with some freshly chopped chives to serve.
Instant Pot Coconut Rice
Instant pot coconut rice is incredibly easy to make with minimal prep time required. The only ingredients you will need to make this side dish are coconut milk, jasmine rice, sugar, salt, and water!
The sweetness and creaminess of the coconut milk will add a tropical flavor to your dish, reminiscent of Asian cuisine.
Pair with black bean soup for a vegetarian meal, or with chicken noodle soup for a delicious, satisfying main course. Serve either on a separate dish or on top of the soup for an Instagram-worthy meal.
For those on a weight loss or keto journey, check out these healthy alternatives to white rice.
Custard Filled Popovers
Popovers are usually the perfect accompaniment to a classic onion chowder soup or creamy vegetable dish. To elevate your dinner even further, try swapping a savory popover for this sweet custard-filled pastry.
This delectable dish can be a great finale to eat after a light soup to enhance satisfaction and create the perfect balance between savory and sweet.
Crispy Chicken Salad
This delicious yet simple crispy chicken salad can pack in a nutritious punch of flavor and protein to complement your soup. The crispy texture of chicken can make it perfect for dipping into a steaming bowl of tomato soup!
This simple salad makes a refreshingly light soup side dish, which is ideal for a quick and healthy lunch.
To make this, simply mix your own choice of vegetables with some baby spinach or lettuce. Use egg, flour, breadcrumbs, and seasoning to crumb your chicken breasts before frying them in vegetable oil for around 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the crispy chicken to your salad and drizzle with your choice of salad dressings.
Oyster Crackers
The best soup side dishes create a contrasting yet complementary array of flavors and textures, carefully designed to maximize your taste experience. Oyster crackers do just this! These oyster crackers offer a crunchy texture to provide some variance to your soup.
Cheddar French Dip Sandwiches
Cheddar cheese and tomato enjoy a culinary history of complementing one another, making the perfect pair. As such, this side dish is great to dip in tomato soup for a delicious combination of flavors.
Similar to a grilled cheese sandwich, cheddar french dip sandwiches combine bread and melted cheese to offer a wholesome, filling soup side dish.
The recipe is simple too! Simply place butter in a heated skillet and smother your pieces of bread in garlic butter for optimal flavoring. Carefully move the soaked bread into the skillet to fry and sprinkle with cheese.
Contrary to its name, cheddar cheese does not have to be used if it is not to your tastes. Instead, goat cheese or grated parmesan cheese will work just as well.
Onion Rings
Onion rings are great comfort food that all the family can enjoy. For a buffet-style dinner, make all your soup sides fun and delicious. Onion rings will provide a crispy contrast to the smoothness of your favorite soup, igniting your taste buds.
The onion flavor is best suited to tomato soup, though onion rings can be a pleasingly delicious accessory to the classic french onion soup.
Grilled Apple and Brie Breadsticks
The classic flavor combination of apple and brie transports you into fall, snuggling up to a warm bowl of soup by the fireplace. Grilled apple and brie breadsticks are perfect to serve with soup due to the ease of handling and dipping.
To make these breadsticks, drizzle some oil onto a flatbread alongside some thyme to season. Place your gently grilled apple slices upon this, layering it up with slices of brie.
Next, place the topped flatbread onto the grill and heat until the brie starts to melt. Top with a glaze of honey and cut into neatly shaped breadsticks.
Taco Salad with Nachos
A Mexican-inspired taco salad with nachos can be created for pairing with black bean and tortilla soup. This fantastic recipe incorporates the use of ground beef, tortilla chips, veggies, and cheese for a healthy yet fulfilling taco salad. Serve the dish with sour cream to complete the meal!
One serving provides a hearty 471 calories to keep you energized and fulfilled throughout the day.
Lemon Garlic Prawns
Lemon and garlic prawns work well with more subtle tasting soups, such as potato soup, as it offers a flavorful seafood experience. With a prep time of just 5 minutes, this side dish is one to add to your recipe collections due to its ease and stunning finish.
Simply cook your pawns in a medley of butter, garlic, lemon slices, and salt (add chili flakes if you like spice) until they are light with a pink twinge. Remove from heat and add white wine, lemon juice, and some more butter to release the full flavor experience.
Chicken Eggplant Parmesan
For a meaty twist on the authentic Italian dish, supplement your soup with a delicious serving of chicken eggplant parmesan. The cheesy, tomato dish will offer some protein and nutritious veggies into your meal without compromising on taste!
Bake your eggplant and chicken separately before layering them up in a casserole dish and topping off with a delicious garlic and tomato sauce. Though this recipe does not use chicken, you can easily add it to create a beautiful tasting dish to complement most types of soup.
Tomato Herb Focaccia
Few things create such a simple yet exquisite taste like homemade bread and beautifully seasoned herbed tomato sauce. This tomato herb focaccia is incredibly suited to serve with soup due to the fluffy thickness of the bread base that makes it great for dipping.
Spinach Apple Salad
Spinach and apple salad is a quick and convenient side dish to serve with soup. To make this refreshing side salad, simply combine spinach with some thin yet crunchy slices of apple. Drizzle in balsamic vinegar to add some flavorful zing!
Parmesan Tuile
Add a delicious crispy cheese side dish to your favorite soup by making parmesan cheese tuile. This is the perfect dish to pair with french onion soup for a light, mouthwatering meal.
Though parmesan tuile may look very impressive and complex, it only requires 20 minutes of active cooking.
Grate some parmesan cheese and place together to form small crisp-like circles on a baking sheet. Place in a 200-degree celsius preheated oven and leave to bake for around 3 minutes until firm and lightly browned.
Vegan Zucchini Corn Fritters
This vegetable-filled side dish is perfect for adding some essential nutrients where the soup doesn't. With a delicious crunch, zucchini corn fritters offer a welcomed new texture to shake up your soup dinner.
For those on a weight loss diet, zucchini is a fat-free vegetable that aids digestion for a healthy meal.
Conclusion
In summary, the flavor palette of soups can be tastefully amplified when paired with a suitable side dish.
For soups, broths, and stews that are as quick and delicious to make as these side dishes, check out Proper Good! With a range of nutritious meals ready to eat in under 2 minutes, Proper Good provides a health-conscious spin on the ready meal.
