With what to accompany the beef stew?

Beef stew is a very tasty dish that has been around for a long time. You can adjust the texture and flavor profile with a flick of the wrist to suit any occasion and season.

But because this dish is so hearty and so packed with flavor, sometimes your mouth needs a palette cleanser.

So what should you serve with your beef stew?

You can serve the beef stew with a variety of herbs and garnishes, such as rosemary, parsley, and gremolata. As a side dish, the best choices are starchy foods, such as baked or mashed potatoes, toast, and rice.

In today’s article, we’ll talk about the best garnishes for beef stew, as well as the many garnishes it can be paired with. Throughout the article, we will also see how to combine these flavors and textures.

The Best Garnishes and Sides for Beef Stew

Beef stew has always been close to our hearts as a comforting taste of home. But not many of us have paid real attention to the composition and flavor profile of this hearty stew.

When breaking down a meat stew, the flavor profile is determined by 3 main characteristics: the meat, the vegetables, and the spices. All of these components add some kind of flavor that can serve as a guide when pairing side dishes.

When it comes to herbs and spices, you can make the dish savory, spicy, or sweet. Using different spices can help you create a stew with different flavors from cuisines around the world.

For example, you can create a stew with spicy tones reminiscent of Indian curry or Mexican chili.

This can also help you when choosing garnishes. For example, if you decide to make a Moroccan-style meat stew, you can make a Moroccan couscous salad.

Vegetables also add a ton of flavor in their own way and can serve as a go-to when choosing a garnish or side dish.

The pairing of flavors is something that is achieved with time and experience. You haven’t learned to ride a bike in a minute, have you?

The more you experiment with different flavors and combinations, the more comfortable you will become in choosing the ingredients that make a wonderful combination.

Fittings

This article is not only about what side dishes should be served with beef stew, but also what you can top (or garnish) with.

Beef stew, as delicious as it is, can seem a bit bland and boring. As we all know, you eat with your eyes as much as your mouth, so having some sort of garnish, no matter how basic, is essential.

The best garnish is always a fresh herb. Now, before you go to pick up the sprig of rosemary, answer this question. Would you eat that whole sprig of rosemary? The answer is probably no.

Any form of grass that you add should be easily edible. So if you want to add rosemary, pick the leaves, fry them in flavored oil, and sprinkle them on top. Thus, they are edible and added to the dish.

Thyme leaves go very well with beef, as do coriander or parsley leaves. You can just chop up a handful and sprinkle them on top before serving.

One of my favorite ways to serve herbs as a garnish is to make a gremolata. It is a fresh green sauce made with herbs, oil and other flavoring ingredients such as garlic and lemon or lime.

You can also make a chimichurri, which is very similar but contains chili.

My last side dish suggestion is a quick pickle of vegetables. It is a simple mixture of vinegar and sugar with ribbons of carrot, radish, zucchini or cucumber that have been pickled for only an hour or two.

Pickled vegetables have a lot of flavor and retain their crunch. This will go very well with your beef stew and will also complement the texture.

Starchy foods

Starch is a classic accompaniment to virtually any dish. This is because starchy ingredients or garnishes are often neutral in flavor and serve as the perfect vessel to carry the flavors of the main dish.

As we have said, these garnishes usually have a neutral flavor, but that does not mean that they are tasteless. You can turn many traditional items (such as mashed potatoes) into not-so-boring and flavorful dishes.

It’s important to note that your side dish can be just as tasty as your main dish, as long as the flavors go together well.

Here are some examples of starchy foods that go well with beef stew.

Mashed potatoes

Of course, we start with the classic mashed potatoes. This garrison has been around forever. And let us tell you, it’s not going anywhere if we have anything to say about it.

Mashed potatoes can be made in two ways: very smooth or lumpy. Which you choose is up to you, but both can taste great.

Here are some ways to spice up your mashed potatoes:

• camembert, cheddar and mozzarella
• bacon and chives
• rosemary and garlic
• Sour cream and nutmeg

Making cheesy mashed potatoes is always a good idea when paired with a red meat dish, because the flavors and textures complement each other fantastically. In fact, beef is one of the best meats to serve with fondue.

The reason mashed potatoes have been and always will be one of the best pairings for beef stew is their neutral flavor profile. The starch in the potatoes will also serve to elevate the flavors of your stew.

Rice

We have a love-hate relationship with rice. Although we love some rice dishes, others are just plain boring.

That being said, just like with mashed potatoes, today there are thousands of possibilities to make your rice more interesting. Like another starch, rice also pairs very well with meat stew as it elevates it without taking it down.

Many different types of rice can be used. Our recommendations include any long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati. This is because they have a nice, complementary texture to that of the meat stew.

In addition to making flavored rice, there are several rice dishes that you can serve as a side dish.

When you choose which rice dish you are going to prepare, look at the ingredients that the stew contains. You can then choose a side dish with similar ingredients.

Here are some examples of ways to accompany rice dishes with meat stews:

If your beef stew has a lot of different ingredients or a lot of complex flavors, it’s best to serve it with plain, basic rice.

Bread

The last category of starch we’ll talk about is bread. As we have already said many times, we cannot and do not want to live without bread.

Bread works very well as a garnish for two reasons. Like the other starches, it is neutral, even if it is flavored, but the other amazing thing about bread as a side dish is that it can also be a serving container.

There are many types of bread that work very well with beef stew, and here’s the trick: the best types of bread to use are those that have a lot of flavor and a functional purpose; yes, that means no regular white bread.

The best breads to look for are those with a robust structure, as they won’t fall apart after a second in the stew. Although the bread should be able to absorb some of the juices, it should not fall apart.

The best breads that can be used are

• german beer bread
• naans
• Seed bread
• sourdough
• roti or omelettes
• pitas

The list is endless, but as you can see, there is no shortage of options. Some types of bread (like tortillas and other flatbreads) allow you to create a whole different meal by making wraps.

Other starchy dishes

Did you think we were going to forget about all other types of starchy foods? Of course not!

Polenta is a great option that is very unique and can also be flavored to combine with the stew. You can even make a polenta bun that can be sliced.

Scones are another strange but very suitable pairing. They work exactly like bread would, just with a slight difference in flavor and texture. They will add a bit of sweetness to your food.

Of course, there are other forms of potatoes, but we will talk about them in the vegetable section. The same goes for pasta, which we’ll talk about in the salad section.

We will say, though, that there are plenty of pasta sides (even simple mac and cheese) that can work as a side dish.

Vegetables

Moving on to a healthier garnish option, the vegetables are the most varied.

They can be prepared and seasoned in almost any way. You can tailor them exactly to your liking to match the beef stew.

If you have a stew with very soft textures (almost doughy), simply add crunchy vegetables. For example, crispy sweet potato slices work and can also be used as a container.

The same is true when you have a meat stew with a lot of texture. You can easily make a vegetable puree like cauliflower puree or steam some vegetables.

As for the pairing of flavors, as we have said many times, it is achieved with experience and time. The more you experiment, the better you will do.

The good news is that vegetables are naturally neutral, so you can flavor them with whatever herbs or spices you like.

Roasted vegetables

Roasted vegetables are a great everyday option that is so easy to make. Its texture is a mixture between crunchy and soft, making it a good option for any type of stew.

In addition, the sweet flavors that are released during roasting perfectly accompany the saltiness of the stew.

If your stew has potatoes, you can roast some sweet potatoes. If there is cauliflower in the stew, roast some cauliflower and broccoli.

You don’t have to roast all the vegetables in the stew, just one or two will suffice as a side dish.

If your stew does not contain any vegetables, you can use a mix of roasting vegetables. You can even incorporate them into rice, couscous, or quinoa.

Roasted potatoes are a classic side dish, as is their mashed form. You can roast potatoes in many different ways and use many different spices to make them interesting.

In any case, baked potatoes work for exactly the same reason as the other starches: neutral flavor and pleasant texture.

Salads

Salads can be fresh or cooked. Fresh salads are made with mostly raw (fresh) ingredients and are a great option for spicy or complex casseroles.

Some examples of fresh salad options are

• Apricot salad with ginger dressing
• classic greek salad
• Chicharrones Salad with Balsamic Glaze
• Coleslaw with feta and walnuts
• Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Chives
• Garden vegetable salad with asparagus, cauliflower, peppers and olives

These are all examples of savory options that will add texture and slightly sweet flavors. As with the rest of the garnishes, look at what is in the stew to better match the ingredients that should be used in the salad.

One note: Regardless of the flavor of your stew, choose sweeter or creamier ingredients. Adding a touch of sweetness will only enhance the saltiness of the stew.

Cooked salads are usually eaten hot, but can be served cold, depending on personal preference.

Cooked salads almost always contain a grain or starch base. This can include quinoa, barley, rice, couscous, or pasta . Lots of other ingredients could be used, but you get the idea.

Below are the cooked ingredients. These can include both fruits and vegetables, as long as they match the flavors of the stew.

Cooked salads also have complementary textures and tend to lean towards the sweet side of the flavor spectrum, even though they may have been salty. As we have mentioned before, sweetness goes well with salt.

Some interesting examples of cooked salads are

• Grilled mixed vegetable salad with couscous and bocconcini
• Broccoli and roasted pepper risotto
• Roasted Potato Salad

You can also get salads that are a mix of fresh and cooked, such as

• Grilled Peach Salad with Cranberries, Feta, and Arugula
• Grilled Pineapple Rings with Roasted Almonds and a Four Leaf Salad Mix

Salads can add a hint of light flavor and freshness that can give your taste buds a nice break from the warm, deep flavors of your stew.

Other garnishes

We are very supportive of innovation, which is why we are constantly experimenting with different ways of serving basic dishes.

If you want to wow your guests, serve something basic like cheesy mashed potatoes in the form of fried spring rolls or steamed dumplings. Something so simple can become extremely unique with just a few extra steps.

Here are some ideas on how you can transform a classic dish:

• Roasted Cabbage and Carrot Spring Rolls
• Mashed potato samosa with cheese
• spinach samosa
• Sweet potato and pea dumplings
• Cauliflower and mushroom sticks
• Mini roasted vegetable puff pastry tarts

As an added note, you can make them any size you want to fit the food. If you are a creative home chef, feel free to experiment and season to your liking.

If you’d rather play it safe and follow the recipe so you know without a doubt that your meal will turn out fantastic, it’s just as advisable to stick to the classics.