Finding the best side dishes to go with your sausages can make all the difference, whether you’re planning a backyard barbecue, a cozy family dinner, or a casual get-together with friends. Many types of sausages come in a lot of different flavors, and they taste juicy and savory. Many types of sides go well with sausages. This list has something for everyone, from colorful salads full of fresh flavors to hearty grains and vegetable medleys that will make your mouth water. These delicious side dishes will not only go well with the strong flavors of the sausage, but they will also help keep your meals balanced.
Sausage is a versatile protein that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner Its savory, robust flavor pairs well with a variety of dishes. When planning meals featuring sausage, it’s helpful to know what foods complement its taste and texture best
In this article, we’ll explore 10 delicious foods that go great with sausage. Read on to get mouthwatering recipe ideas and serving suggestions to make the most of this favorite meat.
1. Baked Beans
Baked beans are a classic complement to sausage. Their sweet and tangy barbecue flavor provides the perfect contrast to savory smoked or grilled sausage links. Serving sausages with warm, hearty baked beans is a satisfying and filling meal combination.
For an easy weeknight dinner, brown sausage on the stovetop then add canned baked beans. Or slow cook beans from scratch on the weekend and store leftovers to quickly reheat. Top with chopped onions or shredded cheese for extra flavor.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes are another fixture alongside sausage that just seems to work. The starchy, comforting texture of potatoes soaks up meaty sausage juices and flavor.
Roast quartered potatoes in the oven along with sausage for sheet pan meals. Try cheesy scalloped potatoes baked with kielbasa. Or mash potatoes and fold in cooked crumbled sausage for an easy one-dish dinner.
3. Pasta
Who doesn’t love pasta? Tossing sausage with noodle dishes adds hearty protein and makes a satisfying meal. Penne, rigatoni, or ziti hold up especially well to the chunky texture of sausage.
For an easy dinner, sauté Italian sausage with onions and bell peppers. Combine with tomato sauce over cooked pasta shells. Or add kielbasa, cabbage, and onions to macaroni for a Nordic-inspired cabbage and noodle bake.
4. Rice
Like potatoes, rice soaks up flavorful pan juices and fat rendered from sausage as it cooks. This makes it a winning side dish or ingredient to mix with sausage.
Try cooking Spanish-style rice mixed with bite-sized pieces of chorizo. Or serve smoked kielbasa and sauerkraut over buttery, herb-flecked rice pilaf sprinkled with toasted almonds. The options are endless for combining sausage and rice.
5. Cabbage
The slightly sweet, hearty crunch of cabbage balances nicely with savory sausage flavors. Caramelized cabbage wedges pair well with just about any type of grilled or pan-fried sausage.
For an easy one-pan meal, slice cabbage and onions thin and sauté with bratwurst or smoked kielbasa until tender. The cabbage will soak up tons of flavorful sausage juices. Serve with a slotted spoon or drain excess liquid before serving.
6. Onions
There’s good reason why onions are one of the most classic sausage accompaniments. When cooked down, onions turn sweet and sticky, which perfectly complements seasoned meat.
Try serving your favorite sausages with a hot pile of caramelized onions spooned on top. Or skewer sausage links and onion wedges for easy grilled shish kebabs. Sautéed bell peppers can also join the mix for added color.
7. Applesauce
Tart, softly sweet applesauce may seem like an unusual pairing for sausage, but it’s a surprisingly delicious combo. The fruit sauce helps cut through the richness of fatty sausage.
Try spooning cinnamon-spiced applesauce over breakfast sausage links and eggs. Or serve it on the side of mashed potatoes and sausage gravy for a cool contrast. It goes great with any pork sausage.
8. Sauerkraut
Tangy, salty sauerkraut is made for serving with sausage. Traditional German meats like bratwurst and smoked kielbasa pair especially well with sour pickled cabbage.
Pile sauerkraut on brats for an authentic cookout taste. Or try folding sauerkraut into mashed potatoes before mixing in cooked sausage. You can even use sauerkraut juice to cook grains like rye berries or farro for an extra flavor boost.
9. Mac and Cheese
Few side dishes satisfy cravings like macaroni and cheese. The creamy, cheesy pasta combinescomforting carbs and rich dairy – a perfect match for savory sausage.
Stir chopped, pre-cooked sausage into mac and cheese. Or sprinkle breadcrumb-topped sausage mac and cheese casserole with extra shredded cheese before baking. Just about any pasta shape pairs deliciously with sausage.
10. Roasted Vegetables
Fresh veggies roasted to caramelized sweetness excellently complement sausage’s deep, meaty flavors. Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts all pair well with sausage.
Try seasoning sausage and vegetable wedges with the same herbs and oil before roasting together on a sheet pan. The vegetables will soak up flavorful drippings for a one-pan feast. You can also roast vegetables ahead and reheat to serve with sausages.
Serve Up Savory Sausage Meals
With so many options for tasty complementary foods, the possibilities are endless when cooking with sausage. Try pairing it with anything from layered sandwiches to hearty casseroles to fresh leafy salads.
No matter which delicious foods you serve with your sausage, the important thing is choosing high-quality links packed with flavor. Seek out artisanal sausages made with fresh ground meat and spices. This will ensure the best texture and taste.
Now that you know what foods go great with sausage, it’s time to start sizzling those links! Round out your plate with one or more of these mouthwatering sides for satisfying home-cooked meals.
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What to Serve with Sausage
You can find a dish here that everyone in your family will love, from potatoes to salads, vegetables to pasta, bread to baked beans.
Potatoes are a classic comfort food that go well with any protein, even sausages. They can be mashed, roasted, scalloped, boiled, or fried (well, “fried”).
You can bake these air fryer potatoes in the oven or air fryer and then mash them with the garlic you roasted with them for a great side dish that goes with any sausage dinner.
Like peanut butter and jelly, German food goes well with sausage. This savory potato salad is no different. If you’ve never had German potato salad, it’s a tasty side dish that is mostly made of mustard and vinegar instead of mayo.
Sometimes the best side dishes are the simplest. These baby potatoes are cooked in a single pot with classic seasonings. They are very simple to make.
Scalloped, cheesy potatoes might be the perfect compliment to your favorite sausage. Because the sauce is made with cream and Parmesan cheese, it is rich and creamy. The whole family will love these potatoes.
These roasted sweet potato rounds, which have brown sugar on top that caramelizes, go great with spicy Italian sausage for a sweet and spicy main dish.
You will love these sweet potato fries if your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes is as french fries. They get perfectly crisp without all the mess of frying because they are soaked and heated in a baking tray first.
Going to a cookout? These mashed sweets made in the crockpot are the perfect side dish. They cook and mash in the crock pot, so you only have to do a few dishes and can take them with you. All without heating up your kitchen during the summer!.
To upgrade sausages to a truly complete meal, I always try to add a veggie. Luckily there are lots of options to mix it up with!.
Many recipes call for mushrooms to be added to the stuffing of sausage because they go so well with it. These are vegetarian and go well with any kind of sausage.
Sometimes the simplest sides are the best ones, and this is one of those times! The Italian seasoning would go great with either spicy or sweet Italian sausage.
Sausage and peppers are a classic combination, and you can roast your own with no extra ingredients. While the instructions are written for red, you can use green bell peppers if you prefer.
With sausage, mushrooms are a great side dish, and caramelized onions on top of a bed of mushrooms might be the best thing you could serve with sausages.
Cheddar cheese goes well with almost any savory dish. Here, broccoli is served with a cheese sauce made of only two ingredients. You can easily double the sauce to make more for your sausages.
If you garden, you probably have an excess of zucchini or yellow squash on your hands. Air-frying makes the outsides crispy and the insides soft, so it’s a great way to get rid of some vegetables.
When you think of green beans you probably think of green bean casserole. It’s not just for holidays, and you can make it in the slow cooker to give your oven a break.
Roasted vegetables are always a great addition to a meal. This mix features red onions, parsnips, carrots, and sweet potato.
You can make this creamed corn any time of the year because you can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn. When you grill hot sausages outside or fry them up in a big skillet in the winter, this dish goes well with them.
If youre looking for a quick and easy side dish, stir-fried collard greens are the perfect choice. Simply slice them thinly and sauté them quickly!.
Gordon Ramsay’s Sausage Hotpot
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