10 BEST Side Dishes to Serve with Spanakopita

It’s a slightly tricky name to pronounce but spanakopita simply means “spinach pie” in Greek.

The term may also refer to the versions with cheese in Southern Greece.

It’s a savory dish with spinach, phyllo, eggs, onions/scallions and veggies and can contain cheese like feta or ricotta.

Spanakopita is a flavorsome and versatile item that pairs with various dishes such as roast chicken, chickpea salad, green salad and lamb kebabs.

Besides these delicious items, the spinach pie also pairs well with other items.

So, don’t go anywhere if you’re thinking about what to serve with spanakopita.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Spanakopita?

When you have a delightful and versatile item like spinach pie, it won’t be right to eat only that.

Side dishes can enhance and balance the flavor and you’ll also experience new combinations.

Side dishes also come in handy when you have many guests.

Else, only one dish won’t be sufficient for everyone.

Spanakopita is popular with grownups and kids, so if you serve only that, you’ll have to make several batches, which seems quite impractical.

What to Serve with Spanakopita? 10 BEST Side Dishes

These are the items that you can serve with spinach pie.

1 – Mediterranean Baked Fish

–

Spanakopita is part of Greek cuisine but is also popular in the Mediterranean region.

Hence, it’s only fair to start the list with a dish associated with the area.

Baked fish in Mediterranean style is yummy and complements the spinach pie, so you’ll have a great combo.

Mediterranean baked fish usually contains olives, plum or cherry tomatoes and capers.

These are the three unique ingredients along with herbs like thyme and oregano.

Any white fish works for the dish including cod, bass, halibut, haddock, orange roughy, etc.

But it has to be fresh.

If you buy whole fish, look for reddish and damp gills with close-fitting scales.

Fresh fillets and steaks should be moist and firm.

2 – Chickpea Salad

–

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are a regular feature in Mediterranean cuisine and salad is one of the items that use chickpeas.

Though there are variants, all pair well with spanakopita so you have wide options.

Chickpeas have a nutty taste and grainy texture, and they’re also a powerhouse of nutrients.

You’ll therefore enjoy the flavor and absorb all the goodness the legumes offer via the salad.

It’s an easy dish to make and you can use cooked or canned chickpeas, depending on availability.

The salad also has onion, feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro and avocado.

The simple dressing is made of salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

3 – Roast Chicken

–

You can enjoy spanakopita with both veg and non-veg dishes.

Adding roast chicken to the list can be exciting as it pairs nicely with a spinach pie and it’s awesome.

It’s also a dish that everyone loves.

Roast chicken is a rich dish and it contains many ingredients.

However, all the items are readily available.

It’s easy cooking the dish because you don’t have to undergo too many steps.

While spices, oil and herbs can enhance the chicken’s flavor, you mustn’t cook the dish longer than the recommended time.

Overcooked chicken can become too soft and the dish can get ruined and you won’t want that.

4 – Lemon Potato Salad

–

The list of side dishes will be incomplete without adding a spuds dish.

Potatoes taste good with almost everything, so you’ll see them in most side dishes lists.

They’re also versatile so you can cook them in many ways.

Lemon potato salad is one of the most popular and easy-to-make dishes.

It also matches nicely with spanakopita.

It’s a Greek-style salad so you can expect it to be sweet, sour, crunchy, aromatic and fresh.

Use waxy potatoes such as red potatoes because they retain their shape well when boiled.

Fingerling and new potatoes are other types in this category.

If you can’t find any of the three, go with all-purpose Yukon gold.

5 – Tzatziki

–

It’s one of the most popular dishes in Southeast Europe and the Middle East, but it’s only fair because tzatziki can serve as a sauce, dip or soup, depending on requirements.

It also complements spanakopita nicely.

Tzatziki is a dish that combines Greek yogurt and cucumber with herbs, spices, salt and lemon juice.

There is no cooking involved and it takes about fifteen minutes to make the dish.

You can serve tzatziki right after you make it or chill it later.

Refrigerated tzatziki can stay fresh for around four days so you must use it within that period.

6 – Lamb Kebabs

–

If you want another meat dish in your menu, lamb kebabs can also make a great pairing with spanakopita.

Some like chicken while others love lamb, so the dish will be suitable.

Lamb kebabs usually use boneless lamb leg, shoulder and sirloin meat.

Other ingredients can vary depending on the region, availability and preference.

Onion and bell peppers are also typically used in the dish.

You can include Greek oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, sweet paprika and sumac for a Mediterranean flavor.

7 – Greek Pasta Salad

–

This list has a lot of variety and it’s only getting better.

A pasta salad in Greek style can also make a nice pairing with spanakopita.

It’s flavorful and filling so the combo will fill you up and you’ll enjoy the flavor.

While there are many pasta types available, penne, bow ties, rotini and fusilli are some suitable kinds for Greek salad.

Olives, cucumber, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and feta cheese are the other usual items for pasta salad.

For seasoning, you can use salt pepper, dried oregano, red wine vinegar and garlic.

When combined, you’ll have a lovely salad.

8 – Olive Stuffed Mushrooms

–

It’s another Greek-inspired dish and something that tastes amazing with spanakopita.

If you want some meaty texture but without the actual meat, this dish will be perfect.

Mushrooms stuffed with olives will also complete your meal.

Mushrooms are naturally flavorsome but when you add Greek seasoning, kalamata olives and feta cheese, they become even better.

You can use large portobello mushrooms for the dish as they’re best for grilling and stuffing.

But you can also use the button or baby bella variety.

9 – Falafel

–

You can’t omit falafel when serving spanakopita because it’s wonderfully delicious and matches the spinach pie nicely.

It’s a deep-fried globe-shaped snack made of pounded chickpeas or fava beans, and sometimes with both legumes.

It’s a popular Middle Eastern and European street food.

Besides the main ingredient, falafel usually contains onions, parsley, coriander, garlic, salt and lemon zest.

Olive oil is frequently used for frying ground chickpea ballas.

Falafel is filling and together with spinach pie, you can feel full and stay that way for some time.

It’s also yummy and popular so it can be a suitable item to serve when you have many guests.

10 – Cucumber Feta Salad

–

We’ll complete the list with a crunchy salad with cucumber and feta.

It’s also a Greek-inspired dish, so it will perfectly match spanakopita.

Cucumber and feta salad is fresh and will cleanse your palate if you feel overloaded after eating other foods.

It’s also easy to make the dish though you need only six ingredients.

Cucumber has a high amount of water and the salad can make mushy.

So, you must choose perfectly crunchy cucumbers to make an excellent dish.

Conclusion

With ten dishes to serve with spanakopita, there shouldn’t be any problem.

You can serve the spinach dish any time and select from the ten side dishes.

All complement the spinach so it won’t be hard selecting what to serve.

Sometimes you may have many guests, while there will be few at other times.

So, you can serve more or fewer items depending on the situation.

You should avoid serving the same dish in a row or it can get tedious and your menu may not be as successful as you expect.