Vegetable side dish (not green salad) to complement spaghetti carbonara?

October 8, 2015 6:34 AM

I'm making Marcella Hazan's carbonara for someone tonight who really dislikes green salads (also seafood, just to be thorough), so while I would normally serve something like an arugula-based salad on the side to balance the richness of the dish, that's out.

I'm thinking of just going with a simple tomato/fresh mozzarella/basil combination, which should be fine, but it crossed my mind that you all might have some good suggestions I hadn't thought of. I've googled a bit for ideas and am just looking for personal recommendations from the good cooks here. Salad-y is fine, and greens are fine, just not green salads. Thank you!

posted by tiger tiger to Food & Drink (23 answers total)

it's common here to have "ensalda chilena", which is really just tomato and onions (and dressing), and which tends to cut through rich things. i think it's called other names elsewhere, but can't remember what. if "not green salads" means "not green salads" then i think it would work here.
posted by andrewcooke at 6:37 AM on October 8, 2015

Best answer: My preferred side for spaghetti carbonara is more spaghetti carbonara. But if you have to have a vegetable roasted asparagus or Brussels sprouts might be good. Brush with a little oil and sage or seasoning of your choice. Sprouts should be in season in the UK right now. Radicchio is as well and would contrast nicely with the carbonara, though I don't know if that counts as salad or not for you?
posted by Wretch729 at 6:39 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I was going to suggest roasted asparagus as well. YUM.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:40 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would go with the Caprese salad (tomato, basil, mozzarella ). But maybe a Shirazi salad would work too. You can look for a specific recipe but it's basically tomatoes, onion, and cucumber with whatever fresh herbs you like and balsamic vinaigrette.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 6:41 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]

Oooh. Roasted asparagus does sound good with carbonara. Or maybe artichokes. .. now I'm hungry.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 6:45 AM on October 8, 2015

I'd do flash-fried asparagus or green beans -- heat up some olive oil, add a teaspoon or so of yellow mustard seeds and wait for them to start popping. Add the vegetables, cook for 5-8 minutes. Toss with fresh lemon juice, fresh cracked pepper, and sea salt just before serving.
posted by divined by radio at 6:46 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

Thinly sliced fennel with a vinegrette made of vinegar, good olive oil, salt, pepper and a healthy squeeze of yellow mustard. It's delicious and fresh!
posted by lydhre at 7:05 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]

Salad-y: Diced tomatoes + Diced cucumbers + Sour Cream + Salt
Not Salad-y: Take some feta, garlic and dill, throw in food processor (or mix some other way) . Put on round slices of tomato.
posted by pyro979 at 7:06 AM on October 8, 2015

Grilled zucchini/courgettes. Simple.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:08 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was here to say fennel salad as well. Basic vinaigrette, some nuts (toasted walnuts or pine nuts, for example).
posted by Gilbert at 7:09 AM on October 8, 2015

I would do sauteed baby spinach with garlic and lemon.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:12 AM on October 8, 2015

Fennel, with oil cured olives and orange segments, doused in red wine vinegar and just a little oil so its plenty crunchy and tart for contrast.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:25 AM on October 8, 2015 [5 favorites]

'tis the season for wonderful tomatoes. Get some fresh local heirlooms from a market, sliced with some sea salt and olive oil. Topped if you feel like it, with some chiffonade basil.

Roasted asparagus is good too, though. Might have to roast them a little longer, because fall asparagus is tougher than spring asparagus.
posted by General Malaise at 8:11 AM on October 8, 2015

You can steam asparagus in about 5 minutes (snap off the cut ends, rinse, put in steamer), then serve it with lemon wedges.
posted by amtho at 8:25 AM on October 8, 2015

Roasted broccoli florets with red onions. One of my favorite light-tasting sides.

Mix the florets with slivers of red onion, add salt and pepper and mix bowl with olive oil to coat everything. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 375, then turn it all over and grate some Parmesan over it all and bake for another 10-20 minutes or until the broccoli starts to to brown on the edges. Delicious!

(One problem: no matter how much I make of this, I always want a bigger portion!)
posted by The Deej at 8:33 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]

Roasted beets.
posted by jeffamaphone at 8:35 AM on October 8, 2015

Response by poster: Oh my god, you all are awesome and have exceeded my expectations. I'm headed out right now to get asparagus for roasted asparagus because YUM, but all of these suggestions are amazing, and I'm going to use the rest for other times when I need a light not-salad salad-y side and my inspiration is broken. THANK YOU!
posted by tiger tiger at 9:40 AM on October 8, 2015

We do lots of roasted asparagus: Just snip off the ends of one bunch of asparagus, mix spears to coat well with olive oil, and toss with salt and pepper, then spread the spears in one layer on a non stick cookie sheet, and roast in a 450 F oven for 5-6 minutes till crisp/tender (max. 10 minutes). You can serve these hot or room temperature/cold.
posted by gudrun at 9:43 AM on October 8, 2015

With this, I'd love blanched broccoli raab sauteed with a little garlic and oil and finished with a sprig of lemon.
posted by Miko at 10:15 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was just coming here to say broccoli rabe. The slight bitterness is a great counterpoint to creamy pasta.
posted by GrammarMoses at 10:18 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

A sprig?! I meant a squirt.
posted by Miko at 11:26 AM on October 8, 2015

Response by poster: I am totally unfamiliar with broccoli rabe,--I mean, I know what it is, but I've never cooked with it. It sounds like something I should acquaint myself with. Thank you! (Also, thank you to the person above who gave me the name that absolutely would not come to me, Caprese salad.) Even though I've solved tonight's dilemma and marked this as resolved, I'm happy to hear additional suggestions in this vein for the future.
posted by tiger tiger at 11:57 AM on October 8, 2015

Broccoli raab is one of my favorite veggies. I would recommend it if you enjoy stuff with a bitter tinge, like Brussels sprouts, kale, or Swiss chard. But it has a wonderful rich deep green flavor. I like to cut off the woody stem ends about an inch or so above the base, then blanch it in salted water for a few minutes, until the stems and greens are softer and pliable. Then I pop it in a separate pan where I've heated some oil with chopped garlic, and sautee it around until it's toothsomely soft (people differ on this - a classic Italian method cooks it until it's almost melted and disintegrating. I like it with a little more structural integrity than that). Once you have it cooked, you can serve it as a side (with some crushed red pepper, yum), or mix it into dishes: like, it's great if you add to your saute pan diced tomatoes in juice and white beans and serve that over pasta or polenta. Getting hungry just thinking about it!
posted by Miko at 4:28 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]