What to Serve with Short Ribs? 7 BEST Side Dishes

Do you love ribs? If you do, then there is no doubt that you would love Short Ribs.

Short Ribs are, as the name suggests- a shortened version of ribs.

These are just a portion of the long beef ribs and are generally taken from the beef chuck of an animal.

These ribs are not great for making steaks or such, but they are great in terms of the flavor profile.

Also, short ribs are not tender enough like regular steaks.

If you haven’t tried short ribs yet, make sure you get to try them at least once because these exciting flavors are hard to miss.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Short Ribs?

Any meat dish tastes excellent with side dishes- and short ribs are no different.

If you are a meat lover and wish to recreate the perfect short ribs meal, you will need good side dishes to accompany it.

The delicate but tempting flavors of the short ribs work very well with side dishes.

Often, side dishes act as a canvas for you to better understand and enjoy your main dish.

Here is a compilation of 7 of the best side dishes that you can be sure will be excellent pairs to your short ribs.

Read on to find out what they are.

What to Serve with Short Ribs? 7 BEST Side Dishes

1 – Creamy Polenta

Polenta is an Italian dish that you can eat like a porridge or let it solidify until it forms a loaf that you can bake, fry, or grill.

Polenta is made from cornmeal and is equally as delicious as it looks appetizing.

It has a delightful buttery corn flavor and is incredibly healthy as well.

You can have this porridge any time you want, though making it a side with short ribs would definitely make a meal out of it.

Add some flavoring or sauce to make it more delightful.

You can add some veggies to the mix to make it more appealing.

2 – Roasted Carrots

How can anyone not love carrots? Carrots being incredibly nutritious, are excellent for eye health.

You can make carrots in different ways to keep it fun.

For pairing with short ribs, choose to make roasted carrots.

This process helps to bring out the best of the flavors and ensures that you still get a crunch in your carrots.

It is fairly easy to make roasted carrots; all you need to do is toss them in olive oil and season them evenly, then oven-roast them to perfection.

Chop or cube the carrots if you prefer them, and serve them with short ribs for a colorful addition.

3 – Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts are a great company with meat.

They are pretty easy to make as well.

Sauteed well, the aroma alone is enough to make brussels sprouts seem tempting.

The crunch of Brussel sprouts paired with its delicate flavors makes for an excellent side dish with short ribs.

The sweetened caramel-like flavor of the Brussels does a great job balancing out the compact flavors of the short ribs.

4 – Spaghetti

This side dish needs no introduction.

Spaghetti is one of the most loved dishes out there, and it goes well with almost everything.

The best part about having spaghetti as a side dish is that you can make it in your own way.

You can make spaghetti with meat sauce or tomato sauce; and you can also keep it strictly vegetarian or add some meatballs.

With short ribs, this side dish of spaghetti will surely win your heart.

Add generous amounts of garlic and top it off with basil leaves to get that beautiful aroma.

5 – Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes go well with almost everything.

They are like the heroes of the side dish world.

So unless you need to cut down on calories, you can add mashed potatoes to accompany your short ribs.

Add some sour cream and hot milk to the potatoes for a creamier version.

Oh, and butter- generous amounts of butter.

The garlic in the potatoes imparts an amazing aroma; you can top it off with some chopped parsley for added color.

Short ribs being extremely flavorful, the mashed potatoes are like the perfect canvas to explore those flavors.

6 – Macaroni Salad

A form of macaroni different from the usual Mac n’ Cheese, this one can be equally addictive.

You might argue that this salad is yummier than any other kind of salad, and you could be right, too.

Macaroni salad has various flavors all in one bowl.

This dish uses mayonnaise to coat the pasta and is usually served cold.

So if you need to serve it at lunch, you need to make this salad earlier.

You can add in some veggies like red and yellow bell pepper, celery, onions, etc.

This beautiful macaroni salad is sure to win everyone’s heart when paired with short ribs.

7 – Broccolini

Broccolini is slightly different from our regular broccoli.

That being said, it does not lack in flavors in any way.

It is an easy recipe that you can cook in under 20 minutes.

You just need to toss the broccolini in a pan that has olive oil and garlic.

The garlic aroma makes the broccolini extremely tempting.

At the same time, this colorful dish can be a healthy side to your short ribs.

So if you were not sure if broccolini is a good choice for a side dish, here’s your cue to get some broccolini asap.

Conclusion

Short Ribs are extremely juicy and flavorful.

These ribs are the shortened version of ribs that are usually eaten.

Short ribs being a heavy main dish, you need some lighter side dishes to go with it.

Vegetable side dishes can be a great option you can go with.

Do give a try to the dishes mentioned above, as they are excellent choices for side dishes.

Apart from that, there is always space for experimentation in cooking.