Perfect Parings: 10 Top Side Dishes for Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs are a traditional dish of Swedish cuisine.

The balls consist of ground beef, onion, and breadcrumbs often served in an egg-enriched tomato sauce with potatoes or noodles.

It is a great dish to serve for dinner, but what do you serve with them? In this blog post, we will explore ten side dishes that go well with Swedish Meatballs.

These recipes include rice pilaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, almondine, and more.

What to Serve with Swedish Meatballs? 10 BEST Side Dishes

After eating Swedish meatballs, you might be looking for something else to eat.

A side dish can be served with the meatballs, or as a light meal on its own.

It is essential to consider what might go well with your Swedish Meatballs, and it’s helpful when you have found that perfect pairing.

Read below for some great suggestions of side dishes that would work well with this traditional dish.

1 – Sautéed Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon juice

Let’s kick start things with this sautéed broccoli with garlic and lemon juice.

This is an easy dish that will work well with any meatball side.

It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and tastes delicious with garlic, salt, and lemon juice added for flavor.

To make it, you need to cut the florets of your favorite vegetable into small pieces before cooking them in a pan for five minutes.

Then, add some salt and pepper as needed.

Cook until tender, then squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top just before serving (optional).

The result is a great vegetable that will feel like it is on the same level as your meatballs.

2 – Rice Pilaf with Pine Nuts

As mentioned, the best way to serve any meatballs is with starch.

Here, we have rice pilaf with pine nuts to make the perfect accompaniment for your Swedish Meatballs.

The recipe only takes thirty minutes or so and tastes fabulous as it has hints of rosemary in addition to the traditional vegetables like carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.

This dish can be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of beef broth.

It’s also an excellent choice if you’re looking for ways to get more protein into your diet.

And don’t forget about how easy it is to prepare.

To give it some extra flavor – add some fresh parsley at the end.

3 – Potato Salad

The good old potato salad is always a favorite.

It’s the perfect side dish to go with your Swedish Meatballs, especially if you’re hosting a summer BBQ.

It’s cool and refreshing, it uses ingredients you probably already have in the fridge or can get at most grocery stores, and it tastes delicious.

Plus, potatoes are healthy too.

This potato salad has several variations depending on what kind of dressing you add at the end, so don’t forget that part of making any great dish as well.

4 – Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob is a side dish that can be eaten as an appetizer or main course.

It’s easy to serve and enjoy.

It goes great with your Swedish Meatballs and is a calm, light side dish.

You can grill it or boil the corn on the cob until tender and then slather butter all over it before eating.

Either way tastes delicious.

5 – Baked Beans

Baked beans are served as a delicious addition to your dinner table.

You can make them yourself or buy from stores already made.

They are full of protein and fiber, so they’re a healthy option for your Swedish Meatballs dinner plate too.

Baked beans don’t take long to make at all, either.

But, again, you can follow the instructions on the package.

You can also add a lot of vegetables to the mix if you want.

Or add more flavor to your beans with one of these delicious additions: brown sugar, molasses, chili sauce, or mustard.

6 – Creamy Mashed Potatoes

A creamy, mashed potato side dish can be served as a staple for any meal.

These are typically made with butter and milk or cream that you combine in this case to make your rich sauce.

You can spice up creamy mashed potatoes by adding garlic or rosemary for more flavor.

You can also serve these with cheese on top if you’re looking to make them a little bit fancier.

You could even add bacon.

7 – Green Beans Almondine

Green beans almondine is a straightforward and satisfying side dish.

It’s perfect for warm weather, but it can also be served with any meal.

This dish is usually made with small butter and almond slivers, which are then cooked until they start to brown slightly.

After the almonds are added, you can add your green beans whole or cut them in half.

Either way will work great.

After adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice for flavor, this dish is ready to be served as an appetizer or side.

8 – Steamed Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce

Asparagus is not only a delicacy during the spring season, but they also provide an array of flavorful dishes such as steamed asparagus with lemon butter sauce.

This dish is easy to make and pairs well with many different dishes such as chicken, steak, or roast turkey.

The ingredients for this side are simple- all you need is fresh asparagus spears, water, salt & pepper, and a touch of butter that will be whisked together in a pan before the asparagus are cooked tender-crisp.

The final step includes adding some freshly squeezed lemon juice for that extra flavor.

And voila. You have a fantastic side dish on your hands.

9 – Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Grilled shrimp is a great dish to serve as an appetizer.

Serve them alongside some fresh vegetables, a dipping sauce, and some crusty bread for an easy meal.

This recipe takes about 20 minutes to cook and makes 12 skewers at once.

They have all the right things, from being easy and quick to prep (read: no cooking) to light on calories but with protein-packed meaty goodness.

You can even take one more step by adding fresh herbs for extra flavor.

10 – Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Dressing

A few easy vegetables like carrots, potatoes, or broccoli can be roasted to perfection and served with a balsamic dressing for an energizing side dish.

Roasting the veggies at 450F ensures they are tender on the inside while crispy outside – not too hard nor mushy.

Then drizzle them with a balsamic dressing.

This side dish is perfect for the meatball recipe because it’s light and healthy and low-calorie with some protein from the vegetables.

You can also add fresh herbs like thyme to give it a better flavor without adding fat or calories.

The best part is that you only need 10 minutes in the oven before eating them without any preparation time.

Conclusion

The Swedish meatballs are a delicious dish on their own, but they can be even better with the proper side dishes.

In this post, we’ve provided ten tasty and complementary sides to serve up alongside your favorite meal of homemade or store-bought Swedish meatballs.

We hope you find these suggestions helpful when planning your following dinner party menu.

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