A perfect Salisbury steak is meaty, juicy, and flavorful, drenched in an incredible gravy. Because of how rich it is, it is often served with sides. The classic choice is mashed potatoes, suitable for sopping up the sauce and providing creamy textures and tastes.
But what to serve with Salisbury steak other than potatoes? If you want to stick to the carbs-packed theme, you can choose rice, bread, or noodle dishes. But if you prefer the healthy route, nearly all veggies are excellent with this dish. The recipes for all these are compiled in this article, so read on!
1. Mashed Potatoes
This article starts with the world’s favorite side dish for Salisbury steak: mashed potatoes. It’s easy to see why the combination works so well. The potatoes absorb the sauce and incorporate creaminess, butteriness, and earthiness. Plus, the textures are deliciously complex when you have both in a spoon. However, if potatoes aren’t your thing or are inaccessible, mashed cauliflower works the same way and imparts similar qualities.
2. Oven Roasted Potatoes
Another potato side dish that’s impeccable with Salisbury steak is oven-roasted potatoes. Unlike mashed, it isn’t all fluffiness. Instead, you get crisp skins, so each chunk is a complex of contrasting textures. The flavors, though, are less creamy because there’s no milk or cream. Instead, there’s butter and spices, so expect a more savory taste. Also, you can add bacon bits and parmesan for more flavors and textures.
3. Baked Potatoes
If you don’t have the time to mash, puree, or dice your potatoes, prick each one a few times and chuck them into the oven. Then, you can take them out, slit them open, and top them with your choice of ingredients, like butter, mushrooms, cheese, or Salisbury steak gravy! The textures of this side dish are similar to oven-roasted: crisp skins and soft flesh.
4. Rice Pilaf
Plain, cooked rice is impeccable with Salisbury steak because, like the mashed potatoes, it’s excellent at sopping up the sauces and flavors. But if you want a step above basic, make this rice pilaf. It’s more flavorful than plain rice because it has onions, celery, broth, salt, pepper, cayenne, and fresh parsley. The rice grains are also toasted, which imparts a unique color, texture, and aroma.
5. Mushroom Risotto
Another fancy rice dish you can pair with Salisbury steak is mushroom risotto. While classic or plain risotto is fantastic, incorporating mushrooms transforms its flavor profile into something that perfectly matches the entree. If you recall, most Salisbury steaks are topped with mushrooms, or the gravy has them. That’s because the crop’s umami flavors elevate the rich sauce and contribute chewy and tasty textures.
6. Homemade Egg Noodles
Another carb-based dish you should serve with Salisbury steak is egg noodles. They’re best homemade, as the flavors are fresh, the textures are perfectly chewy. However, keep the flavors simple when cooking them because the Salisbury steak is rich. Thus, you can go for a humble, buttery sauce or cook the noodles plain and serve them with the entree’s sauce or gravy.
7. Dinner Rolls
This article’s final carb-based side dish is a fixture in many American meals: dinner rolls. Each piece is incredibly soft and tender. They’re good for dunking into saucy dishes, like Salisbury steak, and help you feel full from the meal. Admittedly, they take time and effort, but nothing beats the quality and taste of a recipe made with love.
8. Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
Contrary to carb-based sides, veggies feel light and fresh. Thus, they are perfect for those who want to keep their meal healthy and not overwhelming. Moreover, many have crisp-tender textures that are fun to eat and flavors that melt in your mouth. One dish that offers such an experience is sauteed green beans with garlic. Its savory taste profile also complements Salisbury steak, making them a terrific tandem.
9. Asparagus
Asparagus is a go-to side dish for all sorts of entrees. They make a meal feel and taste classic and are effortless to prepare. For instance, this recipe teaches you how to cook your asparagus spears in three ways: roasted, grilled, and blanched. Final qualities may differ slightly, but they all come out crisp, tender, and vibrant. Thus, you can opt for the method most convenient for you.
10. Caramelized Broccoli with Garlic
If you have broccoli, serve them with your Salisbury steak! The usual route is to cook them with basic seasoning. But if you want to be slightly fancy, try this caramelized broccoli with garlic recipe. It helps you draw out and intensify the veggie’s sweetness. Also, the added garlic, lemon juice, and peppers make the final taste profile more complex, intertwined with hints of savoriness, tanginess, and spice.
11. Brussels Sprouts
Many often don’t know what to do with Brussels sprouts, and if you’re one of them, here’s an idea: serve them with Salisbury steak. But don’t just dump it on the side! Instead, follow this recipe, which tosses them in garlic, parmesan, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then, the coated Brussels sprouts are roasted, thereby locking those flavors in and drawing out the caramelized sweetness from the veggies.
12. Glazed Carrots
Although the previous veggies flaunt caramelized flavors, their sweetness is subtle compared to these glazed carrots. Carrots are naturally sweet veggies, but when coated with a brown sugar-butter glaze? They taste phenomenal! Glazed carrots are also one of the quickest sides you can prepare, as this recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare and cook! The ingredients list is also simple: carrots, butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
13. Instant Pot Frozen Vegetables
Talking about quick and easy, here’s another simple side dish you can turn to when the schedule’s tight: instant pot frozen vegetables. However, before you judge the use of pre-packed veggies, be assured that this one won’t come out mushy, chewy, or half-cold. That’s because using an instant pot helps make the dish more consistent, so all the veggies come out tender, warm, and fresh.
