What to Serve With Italian Beef Sandwiches? 25 Sides

What to Serve With Italian Beef Sandwiches? 25 Sides

What should you serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches? Let’s see the best 25 side dishes for this amazing recipe!

Coming up with dinner ideas day after day is exhausting, ask any home cook and they will nod in agreement. Even with the tremendous amount of ideas you can find online, it’s still such a chore. It might help to just go through long lists of ideas, and see what sticks. This method helped me pull off delicious and fast weekday dinners, without much thinking.

Italian cuisine is usually a safe choice because everyone loves it. When you think of Italian foods, usually pizza, lasagne, and spaghetti come to mind, but there is so much more to this. Most traditional Italian recipes use a lot of vegetables and healthy lean meats, with cheese and oils. Some of the most amazing recipes I have found were from traditional cookbooks in Italian, and google translate helped me out. Those are real gems to come by!

Although Italian kitchen tends to be healthy and balanced, there are comfort foods, just as delicious as in western cuisine. To name a few pizzas, spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, and beef sandwich. This article is about the latter one.

What to serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches? 20 Sides

What to serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches

So you decided to surprise the family with some mindblowing beef sandwiches, but still have no idea what to make for the sides. After all, a sandwich in itself can be a meal, but let’s be real, you will most likely start to wander around the fridge in an hour. So we have come up with 20 sides you can make either for lunch or dinner to accompany your Italian Beef Sandwiches.

1) Classic Potato Salad

Classic Potato Salad
Classic Potato Salad

Easy to make, but always aim for more than the recipe, because it disappears very quickly. Be it cold or hot, this one is a classic, that everyone loves. For a cold one, just use boiled potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, salt, and finely chopped onion, garlic, and paprika.

2) Coleslaw

Coleslaw
Coleslaw

Although coleslaw is a classic American side dish, it goes exceptionally well with beef sandwiches, like cookies and milk. It’s also night and day if you make it yourself, vs when you buy it readily.

3) Grilled Asparagus

Grilled Asparagus
Grilled Asparagus

Asparagus is usually available in supermarkets during spring. They taste amazingly roasted, or grilled, with some garlic, lemon, or butter. They come on white, green, or purple and all of them are a bomb of nutrients, and also low on calories.

4) Steamed vegetables

Steamed vegetables
Steamed vegetables

Steamed veggies usually pop into our minds when we are on a diet, but it doesn’t have to be this way. This mistreated side dish can be a delicious treat with fresh herbs and spices. Steamed vegetables are great to get your daily vitamin and fiber intake, and go well with practically anything. The most popular ones to steam are broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, anchovies, zucchini.

5) Air fryer crispy potatoes

Air fryer crispy potatoes
Air fryer crispy potatoes

Everyone loves crispy potatoes, especially children. If you have kids, this can be a surefire go to dinner with an Italian Beef Sandwich that everyone loves and eats without complaint, like in Mom’s utopian dream. Also, with crispy fries, it’s good to have side sauces like bbq or ketchup on the side.

6) Buttery roasted green beans

Buttery roasted green beans
Buttery roasted green beans

While green beans can be divisive because many people don’t fancy them. I’m not a huge fan either, but if you plan to make more than one side dish, this can be one of them. With some butter, garlic, and salt, they are flavorful.

7) Greek salad with feta

Greek salad with feta
Greek salad with feta

If you still don’t know what to serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches, this is a great alternative!

Greek salad is usually the go-to choice for anyone who normally isn’t fond of salads. Somehow people just love it. It might be a good way to include vegetables into a picky eaters’ diet.

8) Honey Glazed Carrots

Honey Glazed Carrots
Honey Glazed Carrots

Glazed carrots are perfect for every occasion. They are fit for a holiday side dish, glazed with maple syrup or honey. 

9) Italian stuffed tomatoes

Italian stuffed tomatoes
Italian stuffed tomatoes

Stuffed tomatoes can be tricky for novice cooks, but if you learn a proper technique it’s a piece of cake. It also looks very good and can be an elegant side dish for festivities.

10) Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad
Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is one of the most classic and known Italian salads. You only need some fresh basil, tomatoes, mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar for a fresh popping side dish! It tastes just like sunshine.

You can use this amazing salad to serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches any time.

11) Baked Sweet Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes usually appear during the autumn and winter months, but they can be usual in your weekday meals. I love to bake them whole, just rubbing some butter or olive oil, and some black pepper on it. Sweet potatoes taste amazing with a sprinkle of chili as well.

12) Brussels Sprout Chips

Brussels Sprout Chips
Brussels Sprout Chips

Brussels Sprouts are usually not kid-favorite dishes. But have they ever tried it as chips? Well, it’s about time! They taste amazing and are fun to eat as well. It’s good for picky eaters to get some fiber and nutrients into their daily meals, and goes amazingly with an Italian Beef Sandwich. Who says it has to be potato chips all the time?

13) Roasted Red Potatoes

Roasted Red Potatoes
Roasted Red Potatoes

Red potatoes are a regular in most households, and they are the best for roasting, especially like a jacket potato dish. Was them, and let them dry thoroughly before roasting in the oven. Put a batch of fresh green herbs on them like basil or rosemary, with olive oil. It smells divine!

14) Roasted Parmesan Zucchini

Roasted Parmesan Zucchini
Roasted Parmesan Zucchini

Zucchini is a regular in the Italian kitchen, just like parmesan. If you only ever tried parmesan from the supermarket, try to go find local Italian gourmet shops.

The real deal will blow your mind! Authentic parmesan has a very strong aromatic flavor, that is almost like a spice, instead of cheese. That’s why Italian cuisine uses smaller amounts of it. In this side dish, the parmesan should be spicing up the Zucchini, not overpowering it.

15) Garlic Steamed Mushrooms

Garlic Mushrooms
Garlic Mushrooms

Mushrooms are as much divisive as green beans. Usually, at a regular table of folks, there will be some who just plainly refuse to try it. But if you happen to entertain vegetarian guests, chances are, they will very much appreciate them.

Besides steaming, you get roast or grill them as well, and stuffed mushrooms tend to charm those meat eaters too. Garlic and cheese go very well with most types of mushrooms, with some white or black pepper.

16) Mashed Cheddar Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Cheddar Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Cheddar Sweet Potatoes

You could say, that mashed potatoes don’t really accompany Italian Beef Sandwiches well, but many restaurants started to serve sandwiches with cheesy mashed potatoes, and surprise, it tastes amazing! Even better when it’s sweet potatoes.

Just peel them, boil them until soft and mash them with butter, cheddar, salt, and pepper. Some even put in a drop(!) of vinegar, because it enhances the flavor, but be very careful to only put in 1 drop, and not more.

17) Roasted Chilli Vegetables

Roasted Chilli Vegetables
Roasted Chilli Vegetables

What’s better than a spicy green salad? Well, some spicy roasted veggies with chili. Put some carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, anchovies, or any other vegetable into a roasting pan. Mix them with olive oil, sprinkle some salt and chili, and let them roast for 45 minutes.

You can also glaze them with a batch of honey to have a caramelized finish. Before serving, squeeze a few drops of lime onto the roasted chili vegetables and serve them with the Italian Beef Sandwich.

18) Fresh green salad with mozzarella and balsamic vinegar

Fresh green salad with mozzarella and balsamic vinegar
Fresh green salad with mozzarella and balsamic vinegar

Well, green salads are the ultimate classic side dish, and also healthy, but upgrading it with mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and maybe some lime juice can really bring out some great flavors.

A light salad can be a great side to the main Sandwich, and make it a more-or-less healthy choice of meal. If you think salad is boring, try to incorporate some pasta, and make a pasta salad from them to please the picky eaters too.

19) Italian Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

Italian Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil
Italian Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

When you think of Italian dishes, the first thing that comes to mind is tomatoes naturally. If you are lucky enough to eat a salad in Italy, they are usually more rusticly chopped, and the dressing is some type of vinegar and maybe a few drops of lime or lemon juice.

Keeping some fresh herbs at home can make a regular meal into a real finesse.

20) Pasta Salad with Olives and Sundried Tomatoes

Pasta Salad with Olives and Sundried Tomatoes
Pasta Salad with Olives and Sundried Tomatoes

A pasta salad is usually the “western” version of a salad but if your family has picky eaters, or just don’t fancy vegetables that much, and don’t mind the extra calories, a pasta salad can be a good choice.

You can hide a surprising amount of vegetables and healthy added ingredients to it, and can still be a delicious and comforting side or main dish. For a real taste of summer, incorporate some sundried tomatoes as well.

You can make them yourself, it’s really easy, and tastes amazing with some olive oil and basil.

What goes with Italian Beef Sandwiches for dinner? 5 Side dishes

What goes with Italian Beef Sandwiches for dinner

If you plan to make a delicious Italian Beef Sandwich for dinner, I suggest having to vegetable and fiber-filled side to go easy on your tummy before going to sleep. These juicy and versatile meals are surprisingly filling.

If you don’t have time to make a complete side dish, you can also create an assortment with cut vegetables, some cheese, and hams on a plate, and let your guests and family serve themselves with these bites with their beef sandwiches.

21) Grilled Zucchini

Zucchini is a regular is Italian cuisine and needs proper seasoning. Some cumin, pepper, rosemary, and a moderate amount of butter can do the trick. You can grill or roast them, and it takes around 20 minutes to fully prepare. Easy on your stomach, and novice chefs nerves as well.

22) Caesar Salad

Without a doubt, Ceasar’s salad is by far the most popular salad globally. Whether you cook for yourself or others too, people will like it, no doubt.

In this case, usually, there is toast, croutons, or garlic bread included in this normally main dish, but for now, this piece of carb will be our Italian Beef Sandwich. Some parmesan and balsamic vinegar will seal the deal for a gorgeous meal.

23) White Beans Salad

Beans are one of the most nutritious and protein-filled ingredients you can choose. Incorporated in a fine salad with finely sliced carrots, tomatoes, paprika, and garlic red pesto sounds mouth-watering. It’s also good to add some acidity to bring out the flavors, such as lemon or lime zest or a drop of white wine vinegar.

24) Burrata Salad

A burrata salad is very easy to make and eerily similar to a Caprese salad mentioned above. You need some tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, a big batch of burrata cheese, pepper, and sea salt. The texture of a burrata cheese is soft, creamy, and amazing to bite into, it’s one of the most delicious cheeses of Italy. Ideally, cherry tomatoes are the best for this recipe.

25) Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas are very much underrated in most people’s kitchens, except in vegetarian households. You should incorporate this amazing ingredient more into your dishes because it has a lot of variety. Chickpeas should be left in water for a few hours, and boiled in water.

After that, you can grill or roast them, on garlic. Otherwise, you can incorporate them in any salad, with a variety of vegetables. A spicy and savory yogurt is paired very well with chickpea salad as a dressing.

Final Words

Italian Beef Sandwiches became an American classic, in a loaf of soft french bread, with pepperoni, spicy pickled vegetables, melted cheese, shredded beef, and gravy. You can add as much cheese as you want to, there is no such thing as too much when it comes to cheese.

The perfect beef for an Italian Beef Sandwich is slowly roasted to tenderness, then simmered in a strongly flavored broth with strong spices. You can either make a dry or wet beef sandwich.

These beef sandwiches can be lunch, dinner, or just snacks for a movie night. Easy to make with very few ingredients, but the flavors are amazing. Pair with a fulfilling side dish and you can make a great full meal of it.

So, do you already know what to serve with Italian Beef Sandwiches for launch or even for dinner? Please, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Other side dishes:

What to Serve With Italian Beef Sandwiches? 25 Sides

What to Serve With Italian Beef Sandwiches

The best side dishes for Italian Beef Sandwiches for dinner or any other occasion. Perfect flavour combinations for a delicious meal!
4.34 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 People

Ingredients
  

  • Classic Potato Salad
  • Coleslaw
  • Grilled Asparagus
  • Steamed vegetables
  • Air fryer crispy potatoes
  • Buttery roasted green beans
  • Greek salad with feta
  • Honey Glazed Carrots
  • Italian stuffed tomatoes
  • Caprese Salad
  • Baked Sweet Potatoes
  • Brussels Sprout Chips
  • Roasted Red Potatoes
  • Roasted Parmesan Zucchini
  • Garlic Mushrooms
  • Mashed Cheddar Sweet Potatoes
  • Roasted Chilli Vegetables
  • Fresh green salad with mozzarella and balsamic vinegar
  • Italian Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil
  • Pasta Salad with Olives and Sundried Tomatoes
  • Grilled Zucchini
  • Caesar Salad
  • White Beans Salad
  • Burrata Salad
  • Chickpea Salad

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the Italian Beef Sandwiches;
  • Prepare your side dish;
  • Enjoy your delicious meal!
Keyword What to Serve With Italian Beef Sandwiches
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Candy Seideman has been cooking for most of her life. In fact she is referred to as "The Chef" by most of her close family not only because she attended culinary school and was an actual chef, but also because she has a passion for cooking for friends and family.