Porchetta is a traditional Italian dish, sometimes called Italian roast pork, and despite its heritage, it contains no pasta! It’s a crispy, fatty, boneless pork dish stuffed with fat, skin, liver, fennel, rosemary, and plenty of other herbs and seasonings. It has a rich, bold flavor and is usually pretty salty. Good side dishes are ones that are light, simple, or that complement the porchetta’s herby taste. You won’t want anything too weighty or intricate that’ll take away from the crispy deliciousness of the main course. With that in mind, here are my 15 favorite sides to serve with porchetta.
1. Italian Roasted Potatoes
Italian roasted potatoes are an excellent dish with a fresh, herby flavor. Crispy on the outside and soft and tender inside, these potatoes pair perfectly with the meat-heavy porchetta. Steak and potatoes are a simple American favorite. Porchetta and roasted potatoes are pretty much the Italian equivalents.
2. Italian Green Beans
When I’m eating a main dish that’s mostly or entirely made up of meat, I need something green and light to go with it. These green beans are ideal. They take less than half an hour to make, and they include three of my favorite ingredients – garlic, tomatoes, and cheese. Aside from the garlic on them, the beans have a mild flavor. The tomatoes add a burst of tart, acidic juiciness, and the parmesan adds another layer of complexity to the overall dish.
3. Caprese Salad
It doesn’t get much better than these balls of creamy mozzarella and plump, juicy cherry tomatoes interspersed with a few fresh, minty basil leaves. The dressing is a unique blend of garlic, white wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and a diverse herb mixture. Together, the whole salad is a cool, refreshing contrast to the warm, meaty porchetta. Pro Tip: If you enjoy bread with your meat, slice and toast a baguette. Then top each baguette slice with the Caprese salad. It just gives it that little extra something.
4. Italian Potato Salad
Italian potato salad is unlike any potato salad you’ve ever seen. It’s much more colorful, for one thing! To make it, you’ll combine potatoes, mozzarella balls, tomatoes, arugula, basil leaves, olives, red onions, and artichoke hearts. Then you’ll top the whole thing with grated parmesan cheese. You can also add Italian salami, but I find it unnecessary when pairing it with porchetta. Instead of the traditional potato salad dressing of mayo and Dijon mustard, you’ll make an Italian vinaigrette dressing that’s light and zesty. It’s a lovely zinger of a side dish, and I’m convinced you’ll love it.
5. Italian Roasted Cauliflower
If you’re looking for something truly mild, roasted cauliflower is perfect. It’s tender but retains a bit of crunch. The flavor is gentle, but there’s just enough garlic, tomato paste, and Dijon mustard to give it a slight kick. Plus, it only takes about 30 minutes to cook, which is always a great thing.
6. Radicchio Salad
Porchetta isn’t a quick main course. It takes some time to prepare and cook correctly. By the time you get it done, you might not have much time and energy left over for sides. In that case, this 5-minute radicchio salad is ideal. Plus, it tastes and looks fantastic. With apple slices, pomegranate arils, and of course, the radicchio, there’ll be a lot of red on your plate. Also, if you’re not a huge radicchio fan, you may still enjoy this salad. The sweetness and tartness from the apples and pomegranate arils and the richness from the gorgonzola and hazelnuts completely offset the radicchio’s natural bitterness.
7. Italian Tomatoes
So, what exactly makes an Italian tomato different from any other tomato? Flavor! Italian tomatoes are sliced tomatoes with some wonderful, flavorful ingredients added to them. Once you’ve sliced the tomatoes into wedges, you’ll toss them with olive oil, scallions, vinegar (I prefer red wine vinegar), garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dried oregano, parsley, and tarragon. Stick them in the fridge for 30 minutes. Doing so gives them time to chill and time for the flavor to seep into the tomatoes and juice. Aside from chill time, the whole thing takes 10 minutes to make.
8. Peperonata
Although some people call this “Italian bell pepper stew,” it’s much more than that. You can use it as a side dish, a pizza topping, pasta sauce, or however you want. Full of red, green, and yellow bell peppers, it’s a gorgeous dish. It’s also quite filling and tasty, with notes of basil, garlic, and even a few sauteed onions. If you want a bit of extra flavor, top it with dried chives or fresh green onions.
9. Tuscan White Bean Salad
This bean salad isn’t my favorite side for porchetta because it’s dense and hearty, almost a meal in itself. However, every member of my family disagrees with me, so I decided to add it, anyway. Plus, it does taste pretty delicious. In addition to a can of white beans, the salad also features sun-dried tomatoes with oil, fresh tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, scallions, parsley, and more. Like the Caprese salad, it tastes even better on top of a thick chunk of toasted, crusty bread.
10. Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts
Cacio e Pepe, or “cheese and pepper,” usually consists of parmesan cheese, black pepper, red pepper flakes, hazelnuts, a few other ingredients, and pasta. However, if you’re looking for something less carby and more green to serve with porchetta, you can make it with Brussels sprouts instead of pasta. The other ingredients remain the same. Whether you love Brussels sprouts or hate them, this is the best way to eat them because they’re pretty tasty, thanks to the cheese and all the seasonings.
11. Burrata Salad
Salads are always a great side dish option. You can whip them up in no time, and fresh leafy greens pair nicely with almost any main course. Burrata salad is a simple salad. All you’ll need to make it is spring mix, baby tomatoes, basil, Burrata cheese, and croutons. You can buy croutons at the store, of course, but if you have the time, I recommend using the provided recipe to make homemade ones. They’re super crunchy and full of garlic flavor. The same goes for the dressing. You can save time by purchasing your favorite bottle of vinaigrette, but again, the homemade version tastes better.
12. Italian Garlic Bread
Italian chefs do a lot of things right, and garlic bread is definitely one of them. The edges of the bread are crispy, and the center is soft and buttery. You’ll also use freshly minced garlic and fresh, chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, a half teaspoon of sea salt, olive oil, and just a dash of lemon zest. Don’t leave out the lemon zest. It may sound like a strange ingredient for garlic bread, but it gives the bread this extra kick of flavor that you won’t get without it. Once you remove it from the oven, add the parsley and sprinkle another dash of lemon zest on each slice.
13. Italian Oven Roasted Vegetables
These roasted veggies are seasoned similarly to the roasted cauliflower and roasted potatoes above, but for these, you’ll add a lot more of the good stuff. The dish includes tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, and a ton of herbs. The whole thing is quite pretty, full of yellows, reds, oranges, and greens. It’s easy to make, taking only 10 minutes to prepare and another 30 to cook, and it’s naturally gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly.
14. Italian Farro Salad
This side salad is another dish I was unsure about adding because despite being a salad, it’s remarkably filling. (That’s because of the farro, which is packed with protein and fiber.) Along with the farro, you’ll also add cherry tomatoes, onions, radishes, basil, and parsley. Season it with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and three tablespoons of olive oil. It tastes incredible, and it only takes 30 minutes to make. If you don’t mind enjoying a denser, heartier salad with your porchetta, then you’ll probably really enjoy this one. The herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil make the dressing for the salad. It’s a bit tart and zesty, though, so you may want to substitute your favorite dressing if tartness isn’t your thing.
15. Italian Garlic Broccoli Rabe
Before you dismiss this recipe, give me one second to explain it. I know many people don’t like broccoli rabe since it’s just too bitter to be enjoyable. However, this recipe features parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and garlic. Each one of those ingredients helps cut down on the rabe’s bitterness. The parmesan adds a touch of cheesy goodness, and the red pepper flakes give it a little spice and heat. The olive oil adds both a smoother texture and a slight sweetness, and garlic is garlic. It makes everything taste better. It’s hard to believe there’s broccoli rabe underneath all that yumminess. Plus, the dish takes only 35 minutes to make. Click on a star to rate it!
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