What to Serve with Osso Buco: 13 Best Sides

Mashed potatoes are a common accompaniment to osso buco. It’s robust and satisfying, and it’s ideal for a large supper. Roasted asparagus is a more delicate side dish for those who want it.

Osso buco is one of the most popular Italian dishes. And who can blame them? Its mouthwateringly tender veal shanks that are cooked slowly and beautifully to create a rich, savory broth.

One of the most popular Italian recipes is osso buco. Who could blame them? Its mouthwateringly delicate veal shanks are carefully simmered to produce a rich, aromatic broth.

But what do you serve with osso buco? So, I’m delighted to inform that we’re offering you a list of side dishes that will make your visitors swoon today.

These delectable sides are ideal for any occasion, whether you’re cooking for yourself or bringing your family over for a nice supper.

Continue reading to learn about some of the greatest side dishes to pair with osso buco.

Osso Buco Wine Pairing The Best Wines for Osso Buco

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes for Osso Buco?

In addition to being simple to cook, osso buco is quite adaptable and may be served in a variety of ways.

To begin, it may be used in a number of stews.

As a result, side dishes are significant since they provide variation to the taste and texture of the meal.

For a hint of spice, consider serving osso buco with a spicy tomato sauce or a cream of mushroom soup.

While the alternatives for osso buco meals are boundless, the complementing side dishes should be chosen with care.

The idea is to choose side dishes that compliment the main course.

This ensures that the dinner is as delicious as possible.

How to Choose the Right Side Dish to Serve With Osso Buco

When hosting an Italian feast, there is no better way to start or end the dinner than with osso buco. It’s rich, savory, and delicious, but the various layers and ingredients might be overwhelming to cook.

I’ll teach you how to choose the ideal side dish to pair with osso buco so you don’t have to worry about it being flawless.

Consider Your Guests

Think about how you want your guests to perceive your dinner. Is it a formal occasion? Do you wish to impress your visitors? If this is the case, choose a side dish that can stand up to a hefty main course. Asparagus, broccoli, or artichokes are excellent accompaniments to osso buco.

Consider The Flavors

Sometimes a nice side dish is simply a side dish; it doesn’t need anything else. That is just not true for many of our favorite side dishes. Consider what tastes and textures you want to emphasize when selecting sides.

We like a hearty side dish that can stand on its own. Consider your guests’ preferences when selecting a side dish, and consider presenting a range of veggies and cheeses.

Choose Your Vegetables Wisely

Avoid vegetables that are rich in salt. They may be found on the nutrition labels of canned or frozen veggies. Look for fresh veggies with little salt content. Spinach, broccoli, and zucchini are all terrific options.

Get Creative

Instead of conventional steamed or boiled veggies, try a simple salad. To add flavor and texture, add chopped fresh herbs, roasted almonds, or shredded cheese.

What to Serve with Osso Buco: 13 Best Sides

I’m not sure what more to say except that I adore osso buco and have been preparing it for years.

It’s a full, substantial meal that’s excellent for a cold winter night. However, I’ve discovered that many individuals are unaware of what to serve beside it.

So, if you’re having osso buco for dinner, here are some sides to go with it:

1. Grilled Vegetables

It doesn’t get much easier than grilled veggies. A decent variety of veggies, such as peppers, onions, and mushrooms, combined with olive oil, salt, and pepper, will provide a delightful side dish that will be a pleasant break from bread.

3 Tips for Serving Grilled Vegetables with Osso Buco

Season the veggies: Before you start grilling any veggies, be sure you season them well. This is essential to keeping them soft and juicy. A decent seasoning helps extend the life of the veggies on the grill.

Maintain a Moderate Heat: You don’t want your veggies to be too hot, or they’ll lose their texture and taste. Avoid cooking them at too low a temperature as well. This might result in the veggies burning or becoming rough and chewy.

Use A Metal Grid: When grilling veggies, use a metal grid rather than a grill pan of any type. This will ensure that the veggies cook evenly.

2. Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes with gravy go well with osso buco or any other meal that would benefit from a rich sauce. However, don’t go crazy with the gravy, since it might be overpowering in amount.

3 Tips for Serving Grilled Vegetables with Osso Buco

Don’t overcook the potatoes: Because mashed potatoes are supposed to be soft, the secret to making superb mashed potatoes is to not overcook them. The greatest mashed potatoes are soft and sponge-like in texture. When the potatoes begin to break apart easily and seem dry, they are done.

Serve with sauce: If you’re serving Osso Buco, pair it with a thick sauce, like as mushroom gravy. This is a classic gravy made with onions, butter, and cream.

Serve with Garlic Sauce: Another alternative is to make a garlic sauce by combining garlic, oil, and butter. This lends itself well to a creamy garlic sauce.

We strongly advise our customers to try all of these meal selections at our restaurant in order to enjoy a genuinely memorable dining experience.

3. Risotto

Risotto is just rice with a rich creamy sauce, which is precisely what you get here. It’s a fast and simple alternative, and you may add as much or as little stock as you like (I always add a little extra stock, even in the cold!).

Risotto is an excellent accompaniment to osso buco because it adds a rich, creamy flavor to the dish. It’s a good idea to have a small stock pot on hand so you may add or decrease the stock as you go.

3 Tips for Serving Risotto with Osso Buco

Use a Medium Heat: When cooking risotto, a medium heat is the best choice. This allows your risotto to gently simmer and become rich and creamy. Use neither a very low flame nor a high heat.

Serve with Wine: When serving risotto, incorporate wine for the main course. Adding wine towards the end of the cooking procedure will give the risotto more richness.

Make a Vegetable Risotto: Risotto is a great way to use up any leftover veggies that are in season. It is a creamy and tasty pasta made with just a few basic ingredients.

For instance, you may sauté some onions, then add some garlic, and finally the rice. This is all that is required to make a creamy risotto. It’s a terrific method to season veggies without using any of the more complicated spices or herbs.

4. Fruit Salad

Fruit salad is another fast, simple, and healthful side dish to go with osso buco. Seasonal fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas, pears, and apricots may be added. You may even throw in some nuts or a piece of cheese.

3 Tips for Serving Fruit Salad with Osso Buco

Serve It as a First dish: If you’re serving fruit salad as an addition to your main dish, try making it the first course rather than the dessert. This allows your visitors to taste the fruit salad for a longer amount of time.

Use More Desserts: Desserts are often offered as a treat for visitors after meals. While fruit salads are usually a good choice, try complementing it with a more substantial dessert. Our visitors often want a dish of fruit salad. However, if you serve it as the main dish, it may seem a little light for them. We often recommend eating it with a piece of our baked banana bread.

Add Some Honey or Maple Syrup: When presenting fruit salads, it’s vital to add some honey or maple syrup to make them more appealing. This adds a little of sweetness, which might help to balance out the fresh fruit.

5. Roasted Asparagus

In my view, roasted asparagus is an excellent accompaniment to osso buco. It’s a classic flavor combination that’s also quite simple to produce. Simply cook some asparagus stalks, drain immediately, and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, or until they begin to color. Serve hot, topped with Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil.

3 Tips for Serving Roasted Asparagus with Osso Buco

Keep Asparagus Fresh: You should serve the asparagus straight from the refrigerator. When asparagus is stored in the refrigerator, it rapidly loses its freshness. The more you should purchase, the colder it is.

Trim the Asparagus: Make sure the asparagus bottoms are the same height as the roasting tray. This will prevent the asparagus from burning.

Roast the Asparagus Correctly: Roasting the asparagus brings out more taste in the veggie. Toss it in olive oil and bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. When they’re done, season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Sautéed Spinach

Nothing like a simple sautéed spinach meal to lighten up a cold winter evening. It’s the ideal addition to osso buco, whether you cook it in a skillet with garlic or in a wok.

I prefer to use young spinach since it becomes a deeper color after cooking. If you want to make it extremely hot, add some chopped red chili. With a glass of extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese on the side.

3 Tips for Serving Sautéed Spinach with Osso Buco

Use a Medium Heat: When cooking your spinach, keep the heat at a medium level. When you boil spinach at high heat, you lose minerals like vitamin K.

Use a Steamer: To guarantee that you don’t lose too much vitamin K, steam your spinach in a steamer basket. This allows you to boil your spinach while retaining its nutrients and vitamin K.

Add Garlic: You may add garlic to your spinach whenever you cook it. Because garlic is quite potent, just a little amount should be used.

7. Panzanella Salad

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/20125529575342277/

Panzanella salad, composed with tomato, basil, and mozzarella, is a popular Italian meal.

It’s an excellent choice if you want something light to go with your osso buco. I know it sounds strange, but it’s actually good!

2 Tips for Serving Panzanella Salad with Osso Buco

Prepare Panzanella Salad Ahead of Time: Panzanella salad is an excellent accompaniment to osso buco. However, panzanella should be made at least 3 days ahead of time to allow the flavors to fully emerge. It is preferable to mix the bread cubes and dressing for the panzanella salad on the day you want to serve it so that the flavors may develop together.

Warm Panzanella Salad: Panzanella is best served warm to avoid sogginess. If you prepare panzanella ahead of time, you can reheat it up after it’s done. Place the whole panzanella in a bowl and microwave for approximately 30 seconds. This should help to warm up the panzanella.

8. Baked Potato

Potatoes have a lot of flavor and absorb a lot of the osso buco sauce. They’re also a fantastic accompaniment to a dinner with a lot of rich and fatty components, like this one.

They may be served on their own, but they also go nicely with vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and asparagus.

3 Tips for Serving Baked Potatoes with Osso Buco

Garnish with Potato Chips: If you’re serving baked potatoes with your Osso Buco, you may top them with potato chips. This will offer some variation to your dinner and make a wonderful appetizer for your visitors. You have the option of using store-bought chips or making your own.

Remove the Skin: While many recipes call for leaving the skin on the baked potato, most of our clients had the skin removed early in the cooking process.

It was removed with a potato peeler after the potato had been poked with a fork to let the steam to escape.

Potatoes should be seasoned with sour cream and salt. When Cool: After removing the baked potato from the oven, it is normally put on a baking sheet or dish.

At this time, the potato is usually seasoned with salt and sour cream.

9. Your Favorite Salad

When I eat osso buco, I prefer to pair it with something basic, like a simple green salad. There’s something really fulfilling about eating a large piece of steak with a bowl of wonderfully fresh salad.

It’s a delicious way to savor the delicate meat while saving space for a side dish, and it’s also surprisingly simple to create.

You may use any salad you like, but I prefer to prepare my own. To make a simple, zingy, and fresh salad, I combine fresh herbs, crisp veggies, and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

2 Tips for Serving a Salad with Osso Buco

use A Warm Dressing: If you want to bulk out your salad dressing, use a warm dressing. As a result, the salad resembles a light dinner.

Do Not Overdress: When creating the salad, try to avoid using too much dressing. Feeling the salad is one method to detect whether it is sufficiently seasoned. If it has the consistency of a thin sauce, it has not been dressed enough.

10. Polenta

Polenta is a savory corn-based pasta that is traditionally served as a side dish. It’s created from cornmeal and water, and polenta served with a creamy cheese sauce goes well with osso buco.

Serve with freshly cooked veggies, Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

3 Tips for Serving Polenta with Osso Buco

Polenta should not be overcooked: Polenta may be a fantastic side dish with osso buco, but it must be prepared correctly. If you cook it for too long, it will become mush. Begin by cooking the polenta at a low temperature. When it comes to serving it as a side dish, try it in a skillet with some butter or oil first.

Add a Little Extra Flavor: Try adding some cheese to your polenta. Add some Parmesan cheese to your polenta if you’re serving it with osso buco. When the polenta is done, add the cheese. This will give your polenta some taste.

Serve Right Away: Make careful to serve your polenta as soon as possible. If you make it ahead of time, don’t leave it out for too long. It will get mushy as a result of this.

11. Gnocchi

Gnocchi are both tasty and flexible. They’re fantastic as an appetizer or as a light dinner, and they’re versatile. You may create your own using a potato, egg, and flour combination, or you can purchase one already prepared.

It’s a bit more difficult to make than potato chips, so give yourself lots of time. Gnocchi are more fragile than potato chips, thus it is essential to fully cook them to prevent them coming apart.

3 Tips for Serving Gnocchi with Osso Buco

Gnocchi is a classic Italian side dish that may be made ahead of time. Preparation, on the other hand, might be time demanding. As a result, make it ahead of time!

Add a Little additional Flavor: Gnocchi is a basic meal, but it can always be improved by adding a little additional flavor. We strongly suggest enhancing the taste with components like as garlic, butter, and white wine.

Gnocchi that is overcooked will not be cooked thoroughly and will turn hard. This is not healthy for your visitors. Cook the gnocchi until they are tender but not overdone.

12. Mashed Sweet Potatoes

There are a million different mash potato recipes online, but this one is my favorite since it is so easy. Bake your sweet potatoes until they are nice and tender.

However, do not overcook them or they may burn. Remove from the oven, let to cool for a few minutes, then cut into bits and mash with a fork. They’re great with chicken or lamb, or on their own with a cup of soup.

3 Tips for Serving Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Osso Buco

Use a hefty Knife: It is essential to use a hefty knife while creating mashed sweet potatoes. This ensures that the potatoes are not overdone and have a smooth texture.

2 inch cubes. Boil the cubes in a large saucepan of salted water until they are fork tender. Drain and lay the potatoes on a baking sheet.Cut and boil the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1 inch cubes.

4 cup of heavy cream and sprinkle with salt to taste. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until they are smooth.Mix in the cream and salt: To complete the potatoes, add 1

13. Bread

When your vegetarian visitors are finishing their osso buco, a little bread as a side dish is a fantastic idea.

If you want to go all out, offer a fresh loaf of bread and a cheese platter, or cut up some pre salted bread rolls and put them on a dish.

You don’t need to provide any extras since you’ll be serving the main dish, so your focus will be solely on the dinner.

3 Tips for Serving Bread with Osso Buco

Depending on the size of your dish, you may want to slice your bread as soon as it comes out of the oven. This will soften the bread and enable it to soak up more sauce.

Toast the Bread: If you’re going to use sandwich bread, it’s always a good idea to toast it beforehand. Toasting the bread will soften it and allow it to absorb more of the gravy.

Place the Bread on a Plate: When serving bread as a side dish, place it on a plate to prevent the gravy from getting on it. This will make it simpler to consume and prevent the bread from becoming soggy.

FAQ

What Wine to Serve with Osso Buco?

Osso buco is a traditional Italian dish prepared with veal shanks. A dry white wine like a pinot grigio or a crisp ros would match nicely with this heavy and rich entrée.

What Vegetables to Serve with Osso Buco?

The finest veggies to offer with osso buco are those that can withstand the meat’s rich taste. Green beans, carrots, broccoli, and potatoes, for example, are all excellent alternatives.

What Salad to Serve with Osso Buco?

A salad is an excellent accompaniment to osso buco. It is critical to choose a salad that matches the rich flavor of the osso buco.

A creamy salad, such as a Caesar or Cobb salad, would be ideal with the osso buco. They are both dressed and creamy in texture.

A fresh garden salad is another option. It’s light, crisp, and delicious.