If you’re wondering what to serve with Paella, you’ve come to the right place!
Paella is a delicious and versatile dish that’s sure to please, but it can be difficult to know what other dishes to serve along with it.
Fortunately, there are lots of great options for making the perfect accompaniments that will bring out the best in this traditional Spanish classic and wow your guests!
From traditional Spanish tapas to some great salad and veggie dishes, you’ll find plenty of great options to round out your paella night!
What to Serve with Paella:
1. Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)
Let’s start the this tapas list with one of the most popular and beloved small plates out of Spain. How does a sizzling platter of garlicky, seafoody goodness sound?
Grab some crusty bread for sopping and whip up this famous Spanish tapa, Gambas al Ajillo in your very own kitchen!
2. Spanish Summer Salad (Pipirrana)
Here to celebrate tomato season this summer is a tribute to all those luscious summer tomatoes, ripening on the vines in warm sunshine.
Mixed with just a few more cool crunchies, and you have yet another colorful popular traditional dish, pipirrana, all the way from the south of Spain.
Check out our collection of favorite Salad Recipes!
3. Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spanish Spinach with Chick Peas)
This classic Spanish tapas is a great addition to your appetizer spread. Hearty chick peas and fresh spinach are cooked in a cozy sauce of tomatoes, onions and exotic spices.
One of our very favorite sides for paella!
4. Spanish Meatballs
These meatballs are one of the most popular tapas out of all Spanish tapas bars.
Learn to roll meatballs the Spanish way and make them a center piece of your next tapas party.
5. Pisto
Pisto is a hearty rustic vegetable stew with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes with tons of olive oil.
You can serve it in small individual cazuelas along with some crusty bread or crostini. It’s very popular in Spain!
6. Pan con Jamón
Get ready to meet my new favorite appetizer, all the way from Spain… Pan con Jamón!
This one is as easy as it gets, but it’s so, so addictive. You only need three ingredients. But please don’t cut corners here, Pan con Jamón is all about the quality. We’ll teach you all…
7. Grilled Zucchini
It’s summer, that means it’s time to fire up the grill. And have we found the perfect side dish for the season, Grilled Zucchini!
Your favorite summer squash has never been more delicious. A little bit of seasoning is all it takes, then let your grill work its magic.
Once you try it, we bet you’ll be pairing it with just about everything!
8. Green Beans Almondine
Green Beans Almondine!! Doesn’t it sound fancy?
Vibrant French style green beans tossed with brown butter, toasty almonds (that’s where almondine comes from), shallots, garlic and a squeeze of lemon to brighten it in the end.
It’s one of our favorite sides for paella.
9. Spanish Clams with White Beans and Chorizo
This Spanish clams with white beans and chorizo recipe is delightful. Everything is simmered with fresh herbs and olive oil.
It’s a wonderful accompaniment to paella.
10. Greek Salad
This traditional Greek Salad recipe, known to the locals as Horiatiki, is one of our summertime favorites!
Crisp cucumbers, sweet cherry tomatoes, red onions, briny olives and capers, creamy feta, and a simple herb dressing. That’s all it takes. And the results are top notch.
The next time those fresh salad cravings hit, go the Greek way… the Horiatiki way!
11. Portuguese Mussels
This is as good as it gets. A big bowl of mussels drenched in one amazing, out of this world sauce.
It doesn’t have to happen in a fancy restaurant with this easy recipe!
12. Wedge Salad
This Wedge Salad recipe is a real classic, and for good reason!
Bright, crispy lettuce, homemade blue cheese dressing, sweet cherry tomatoes, and don’t you dare forget the bacon!
It’s the perfect side dish for a huge variety of mains, and it’s one of the easiest salads you’ll ever make.
13. No Knead Bread
Here’s one of our favorites, which is baked often in our home… this No Knead Bread!!
This artisan quality bread can happen very fast and is super duper simple. You end up with a thick crispy crust and a chewy center with big fat holes like sourdough!
It’s very forgiving and only takes 3 minutes of active effort. Now that sounds unbelievable, right? Not so. Try it yourself today.
14. Ratatouille
Ratatouille sounds fancy, but at its core it’s just a simple, hearty and rustic dish out of the South of France.
This classic Provencal dish is a medley of summer vegetables accentuating all the Mediterranean flavors.
Melt in your mouth chunks of beautifully cooked eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash in a tomato sauce spiked with fresh herbs with a good dose of olive oil. That’s Ratatouille for you!!
15. Caesar Salad
No salad can get as simple as Caesar!! You can make homemade croutons and make it tad bit more special. The good dressing is the key for a good Caesar.
One of the all time classic salad recipes!
16. Roasted Asparagus
These easy Roasted Asparagus are an essential veggie side dish you need in your repertoire. They’re the perfect accompaniment to your grilled or roasted meats, and they’re so easy!
While asparagus are great any way, be it steamed, blanched or sautéed, something special happens when you roast them. That caramelization adds a whole extra layer of umami flavor.
17. Tabbouleh
If you’re looking for a new salad recipe, we have just the one… Tabbouleh!
This famous Levantine salad is bursting with herby flavors from plenty of fresh parsley, veggie power from tomatoes and cucumber, and it has a hearty bite from bulgur wheat.
And once you drizzle on that easy homemade dressing… perfection!
18. Cucumber Avocado Tomato Salad with Pesto
Spring and summer demand colorful, light, refreshing salads.
So here it is our Cucumber Avocado Tomato Salad, but with major flavor bender… delicious basil pesto dressing.
19. Roasted Broccoli
This easy oven Roasted Broccoli recipe is going to boost your side dish game big time! It’s tender and perfectly seasoned, and that little bit of caramelization takes it over the top.
Just fresh broccoli, a little olive oil, and some simple seasonings are all you need. And it’s super versatile, and can go with just about anything.
It will be one of your top sides for paella!
20. Balela Salad
Let me present you Balela deliciousness!! So colorful, so easy, so refreshing…
This hearty colorful salad is bursting with flavors and textures. Chickpeas, black beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, parsley, mint… what’s not to like!!
So many sides for paella to choose from. Which one will you try first?
Check out these other great recipe collections!
Tapas Recipes
Sides for Pulled Pork
Sides for Burgers
Sides for Steak
Sides for Barbecue
Sides for Fried Chicken
Side Dishes for Salmon
Sides for Sloppy Joes
Sides for Prime Rib
Sides for Tacos
What to Serve with Paella (20 BEST Sides)
If you're wondering what to serve with Paella, you've come to the right place! This collection of sides will round out your Spanish night perfectly!
Ingredients
- 2 15.5 oz can garbanzos (chick peas)
- 5 cups fresh spinach
- 1 onion
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 strips bacon
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces and fry in skillet over medium high heat. When brown and crisp, remove from skillet and set aside. While bacon is cooking, slice onions and garlic.
- Add onions and sauté in bacon fat. Cook until soft and translucent.
- Stir in garlic, smoked paprika and cumin powder. Sauté one minute.
- Mix in tomato sauce and then garbanzos. Sauté for a minute, then add in raisins.
- Stir in spinach and cook a few minutes until wilted. If your skillet cannot accommodate all raw spinach at once, you can add it in batches.
- Stir in bacon, serve in a dish, drizzle with a generous portion of olive oil and garnish with slivered almonds.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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