What to Serve with Moussaka? 7 BEST Side dishes

Ever find yourself staring at a plate of moussaka, wondering what on earth goes well with it? You’re not alone.

Moussaka’s rich flavor is a dance of savory delights, a love affair between eggplant and meat sauce, crowned with creamy béchamel. It’s a meal that’s already got a lot going on.

What side dishes can keep up? We’ve all been at that dinner party. The one where the sides were more like a sad backup singer than a harmonizing duo.

We vowed, never our guests. We went on a quest.

Turns out, simplicity is key. Fresh, light, and not fighting for the spotlight.

Ready to make your moussaka the star it was born to be? Let’s dig into these 7 best side dishes that will make your meal a hit, without stealing the show.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Moussaka?

As we mentioned, you can serve moussaka by itself and have a complete meal.

Why limit yourself, though?

We enjoy any dish more when another one contrasts and complements the main dish.

Moussaka is a rich and flavorful, so a light side dish would be an excellent partner.

It is easy to cook up a light side dish while your moussaka is in the oven, so not much extra time is needed.

While moussaka does contain vegetables, fresh greens will always add more nutrients to your diet.

Adding nutrients to your meals will mean less worry and more fun eating all the delicious foods out there.

What to Serve with Moussaka? 7 BEST Side dishes

When choosing a side dish to serve with moussaka, you want to choose something light and won’t steal time and attention away from your main dish.

A (slight) acidic flavor will also help cut through the richness of all those baked layers.

1 – Fresh Bread and Butter

This is the most straightforward side dish on our list, but it is effective.

Freshly baked bread can fit in with any main dish and not get in the way.

If you don’t have much time for preparing a side dish, you can bake a loaf earlier in the day.

When it comes time for the meal, slice the bread and serve with butter or a slice of light cheese.

You can also buy bread from a bakery for a minimum of work.

Choose a crunchy loaf that will offset moussaka’s soft and rich layers.

Bread and butter have a light and simple taste, making it the perfect side dish for moussaka.

2 – Jerusalem Salad

Salads make the perfect side dish for any meal.

Once you start putting the extra needed effort into making salads delicious, you won’t stop making them.

Jerusalem salad is a simple salad with simple ingredients but a complete taste.

The tart taste of green onions and lemon juice flavor the vegetables, and that’s why we chose it.

This salad will contrast with your main dish, like yin to yang.

If you’re watching your weight or want to be healthier, this salad is ideal.

You can always add more salad greens like lettuce or spinach if you want.

3 – Pan-Fried Garlic Mushrooms

Speaking of diets and weight, this dish is an excellent choice for you if you’re watching your calories.

Mushrooms do not contain many calories and are low on carbs.

They still contain good nutrients like antioxidants, though.

Pan-Fried Garlic Mushrooms is a fantastic way to serve mushrooms with extra flavor.

If you want to make them super simple, only garlic and butter are needed with salt.

However, if you want to add extra flavor to your mushrooms, consider adding onions and frying them with a bit of dry white wine.

An herb garnish will add freshness to the dish; thyme or rosemary are great options.

4 – Vegetable Fritters

An appetizer before the main dish is served may be just the thing for your meal.

Light finger food like fritters is precisely what we need for our starters.

Vegetable fritters are an easy, healthy side dish that everybody will love, even vegetable haters.

Tomato fritters are a classic Greek dish if you want to stay on theme.

Try carrots and zucchini in your vegetable fritters if you want something with a bit more zing.

5 – Roasted Peppers and Onions

This vegan dish is the best option for a spicy side dish.

If you love spicy dishes, you will adore this dish.

Roasted peppers and onions are also extremely simple to make.

You only need bell peppers, onions, and the seasonings.

Slice the vegetables and toss with spices like paprika and oregano.

Olive oil greases the dish for the oven.

6 – Garlic Bread

Here is a bread side dish with more flavor than plain bread but is still simple to make.

If you’ve never tried making garlic bread at home, give it a try.

Making garlic bread could not be simpler, yet the result is fantastic.

Spread a mixture of garlic and butter on sliced bread, then garnish with parsley.

You can bake or grill the garlic bread until it is golden.

Add cheese and sea salt to the garnishing mixture for a richer taste.

7 – Red Wine

For the most simple yet elegant way to complete your meal of moussaka, simply serve a good bottle of wine.

The best wine to serve with moussaka is a savory red wine like tempranillo.

Wine is perfect for a romantic date by candlelight.

You can also make this work for an intimate family meal with the proper table settings.

Even if you are serving another side dish, wine can always complete the meal.

Conclusion

Moussaka is a complete dish in every way.

It has vegetables, meat, and a delightful béchamel sauce to top it off.

Still, a side dish or two will help you fill the table and make the meal more presentable for guests.

A vegetable dish like roasted peppers and onions adds color and nutrition to your meal and won’t take the highlight away from your moussaka.

Bread is a great way to stretch the meal for more guests, and you can feel safe using this option.

Most people love bread and freshly baked bread even more.

We wish you the best meal with your moussaka and side dishes.