Last Updated on 18th August 2021 by
You’ve been thinking of the perfect soup all week and buying your ingredients early so that you can put it together at the right time. Then, when you are stuck at home for a rainy day, you start whipping up your soup. It’s the perfect remedy for a soggy afternoon or evening meal, and you are looking forward to its comforting warmth and the flavourful scent of seasonings.
Then, it hits you- what are you going to have with your soup? It could be a meal on its own, but that may not be very fulfilling. Your stomach could still have some space after a bowl of soup, and rather than go for a second bowl, you want a complementary side dish.
If you are wondering what to serve with soup for dinner, we have just the sides for you. Here are some great soups we all love and the side dishes that pair well with them.
What to Serve with Potato Soup for Dinner
Potato soup can be thick and creamy with plenty of cheese and a dash of green for some colour, or it can be thin and watery, with a variety of other veggies to go with the potatoes. There are a few different ways to make potato soup, depending on your preferences and the ingredients that you have on hand.
For thick, creamy potato soup, a salad makes for a great side dish. Creamy potato soup tends to be light on veggies, so having a salad balances out your meal and doesn’t just give you more of the same. A good side dish is different from the main course but compliments it well.
For veggie potato soup that is thin rather than creamy, Italian bread or garlic bread are great options. These help absorb some of the liquid from the soup and provide a great counterbalance to the thin broth and the taste of vegetables. The rich carbs of the bread will be a welcome change in texture and taste that pairs perfectly with any kind of thin, vegetable soup.
What to Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup for Dinner
This comfort soup that is a great choice for cold weather or when you aren’t feeling very well, you may want to pair it with another comfort food. Cheesy breadsticks, roasted potatoes, burger sliders, and quesadilla wraps are all good choices.
Of course, if you are eating chicken noodle soup because you are not well, you want a healthy side dish instead of something greasy and full of fat. Salad might seem like the logical choice, but when faced with a cold or flu, your sinuses may get blocked up and your senses of smell and taste may suffer. A salad can be kind of bland and may be unpleasant to eat with the soup. A healthy alternative would be saltines or any kind of cracker or crispy bread (like bruschetta). You should still be able to taste the salt or butter these offer.
What to Serve with French Onion Soup for Dinner
French onion soup is usually very light, so it isn’t likely to fill you up. You will probably go right through a bowl of this soup without it having much of an impact on your appetite, so you want something heavy to counter it. That’s why one of the most popular sides for French onion soup is a hearty BLT sandwich. We can’t knock that choice since we love that hearty sandwich. It is a good source of veggies but also indulges our love of bacon.
If you’re not a bacon lover or just not in the mood for too many veggies, then you can opt for a lemon crusted salmon or a strip steak instead. Meat tends to be one of the most popular kinds of sides for people looking for what to serve with French onion soup for dinner.
What to Serve with Tortilla Soup for Dinner
Tortilla soup is a Mexican standard, and we love how hearty this dish is. It pairs well with lots of Mexican and Southwestern dishes like tortilla chips, quesadillas, wraps, and fajitas. If you want to keep the meal from being too overly Southwestern, though, we suggest a dinner bread, like rolls, biscuits, Italian bread, or garlic toast.
What to Serve with Miso Soup for Dinner
Since miso soup is a Japanese dish, we are going to suggest a few different Japanese sides to have it with. You could go for some egg fried rice, cream cheese wontons, sweet and sour fish, or sesame chicken. It also pairs well with a salad, though, and the greens make a nice companion to your miso soup, especially when topped with a light dressing like a vinaigrette.
What to Serve with Split Pea Soup for Dinner
Something tangy and crunchy is a good fit for split pea soup. Bruschetta bread and goat cheese makes for a good pairing, or any kind of cracker and sharp cheese. Split pea soup is already quite a robust with most recipes you will find, so you don’t need to add a lot of hearty, filling sides to go with it and fill out your meal. You can just choose a simple cracker or bread and perhaps a cheese or cheese paste to accompany the carbs.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Soup for Dinner
As you are considering what will go well with your soup, don’t forget to consider the garnishes you might add on your soup. Pumpkin soup benefits from parsley, shredded cheese, bacon bits and other classic soup garnishes. When wondering what to serve with soup for dinner, think about what will work well with the garnishes. Crackers are a good choice to go with all of that, and a buttery, thick cracker makes for tasty dipping with your soup.
If you want something more filling, try sauteed mushrooms and veggies, a chicken salad, a grilled cheese sandwich, or a loaded baked potato.
What to Serve with Tomato Soup for Dinner
Classic tomato soup is another comfort dish, and it is one that can be as simple or as complex as you like. Whether you are just heating it straight out of the can or putting together a gourmet tomato soup for yourself, you want a side dish that counters the acidity of the soup.
A grilled cheese sandwich is the obvious go-to choice for a side, but it pairs well with any kind of cracker, garlic bread, or a salad with thick dressing. Light dressings can be acidic, so topping your salad with some Thousand Island or ranch dressing. Add on some croutons and shredded cheese to make your salad a wonderful companion to the tomato soup.
No matter what kind of soup you’re having for dinner, there is a side dish that goes with it perfectly, and we hope our choices have inspired you to find a partner for yours and to fill out your dinner.
I'm Pauline, a retired patisserie chef, mother of four and now a full time food blogger! When i'm not cooking i love long walks, reading thriller novels and spending time with my grandkids. Head to my about me page to learn more about the woman behind the food! You can find my Facebook here
norm
Saturday 13th of March 2021
very good thank you