SaurabhWho doesn’t like Italian cuisine? Italians make meals from scratch and use fresh ingredients like herbs and vegetables in most of their dishes.
Most of their dishes have no artificial flavor and also have no processed food. Further, they have a crusty outside with a soft and fluffy interior!
Focaccia is one of the most iconic Italian bread. It is one of those bread that’s versatile and will taste good no matter how you eat it. Consuming it plainly is rare because there are so many varieties of side dishes and soups you can eat your focaccia with.
Read ahead to know more about these soups and side dishes.
What Is Focaccia?
Focaccia, pronounced fo-Kah-cha, is an Italian flatbread that looks similar to pizza dough. It can be either sweet or savory. Because of its similarity to pizza dough in style and structure, some places also call focaccia pizza Bianca or white pizza.
Focaccia can be eaten as a snack or as a sandwich. The dough for focaccia is seasoned with olive oil and is occasionally covered with herbs and other vegetables.
The typical focaccia has many variations. Toppings are one approach to introducing new flavors. Olives, mushrooms, green onions, and tomatoes are common focaccia toppings which makes it super versatile.
AFocaccia bread is delicious on its own. It may be cut into squares, long skinny rectangles, and triangles, among many other shapes but it can also be split in half and used to make sandwiches because it is quite thick.
It can also become a delicious addition to a bread basket or as a side dish with soup or salad. A sweet variant of focaccia can be served as a dessert or as a breakfast substitute for bread.
What To Eat With Focaccia?
Focaccia is a versatile bread. It can adapt to most dishes that it’s being served with such as side dishes or soups. Some places call it pizza Bianca or white pizza because many people eat it with something or the other sorts of toppings.
Without further ado, let’s get into some of the side dishes and soups that you can eat with your focaccia bread.
1. Mashed potatoes
Mashed potato is a classic side dish that will never fail. It goes with almost anything. Mashed potatoes have a creamy and smooth texture and they also have a good consistency.
Like focaccia bread, they’re also versatile. You can add any spice or herb and this will only enhance the taste of the mashed potato along with the focaccia bread. They easily absorb the flavors of other ingredients and sauce as well.
Mashed potatoes are also an excellent vessel for gravy. And because of the delicate texture, you may scoop up as much gravy as you like without fear of breaking the dish underneath.
The versatility of mashed potatoes and focaccia bread makes them the ideal dish for each other. They compliment each other.
2. Sauteed broccoli
Broccoli is a vegetable that is all about balance. It has a soft but crunchy consistency and will go perfectly with a focaccia bread that is topped with a subtly sweet white sauce.
Although there are many ways to cook broccoli, to eat with focaccia, it’s better to saute it in butter with some seasoning. This way you can take advantage of that natural crispiness of the broccoli.
Broccoli has a subtle flavor so it can be seasoned in many ways and will work wonderfully with your focaccia if it’s also seasoned with garlic, some herbs, or some spices.
You can either mix your mashed potato with the sauteed broccoli. Or you can use it as toppings on your focaccia bread. Either way, it will taste wonderful.
3. Steamed shellfish
Shellfish can be served both hot or cold, so it is a perfect complement to focaccia. Apart from complimenting your focaccia, it also has so many health benefits.
Shellfish have a very low calorie and fat content. It’s strong in protein but low in sodium, making it an ideal choice for those limiting their salt consumption, as is most seafood.
Shellfish is also a great meal to consume for dinner or lunch if you’re trying to stay fit. It can be a part of any meal because it is low in calories and carbs but high in protein.
If you top your focaccia with garlic, steamed shellfish will taste really good with the bread. Garlic enhances the flavor of the dish so wonderfully that it is always worth including in your dinner.
4. Braised greens
Braised greens is a side dish that is ideal for people who want a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes but don’t want to overindulge on carbohydrates with their dinner.
For braised greens, you can do it 2 ways. You can either make it entirely from greens like kale, lettuce, or spinach. Or you can make one that also includes a little bit of meat along with the greens.
Choose the second option if you’re serving focaccia with a dish that doesn’t include any veggies. It’s better to include some vegetables in your dinner than none at all.
Braised greens are delicious and simple to prepare. They can also be eaten on their own.
5. Vegetable salads & vinaigrette dressing
Vegetable salads with vinaigrette dressing are a terrific side dish to match any dinner.
And you can experiment with a variety of vegetables when creating it. The best part? You can create it earlier and it is easy to make.
If you prefer your salad to be drier, use less vinaigrette; conversely, if you prefer it moist or juicy, use more vinaigrette.
6. Fried eggs
Fried eggs are a traditional American side dish that goes well with focaccia.
If you serve fried egg with focaccia bread that has herbs and spices added to it or garlic butter smeared on top, you can easily turn it into a delightful meal.
If you serve the dish with some vegetables, rice, or quinoa, it will compliment your entire meal. You can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
7. Dried fruits and nuts
As a healthy alternative to after-dinner chocolates, dried fruits, and nuts can be consumed as a dessert or in between meals. This side dish pairs well with focaccia, but it can also be used in salads.
8. Hummus dip
Hummus is an excellent accompaniment to any bread. It would taste good with any bread.
Furthermore, it is simple to prepare at home. Chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini paste are the only ingredients required.
If you don’t want to make hummus at home you can buy a jar of hummus from the shop. But it’s better to prepare it at home because you will know what ingredients are going into your meal. It will also taste better.
This recipe can also be served as an appetizer or snack before the main meal. It’s ideal for those who prefer to avoid the heaviness of bread and focaccia.
9. Cheese
Mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, gorgonzola, or any other Italian cheese you can find will go perfectly with your focaccia bread. You can use it as a topping or spread for sandwiches with vegetables, meat, or any other condiments you prefer.
10. Radish soup
When cooked, radish will lose its strong flavor. So, make a radish soup and serve it with focaccia, but also add sweet onions and salty canned capers to the mix. For a salad on the side, bite into cooked veggies.
11. Avocado mint soup
Guacamole goes well with focaccia bread which is why you should make an avocado mint soup. Soups are overall great to have with focaccia.
So the two things that make focaccia great bought together will make the meal delicious. It goes well with herbed focaccia and a salad of crunchy garlic toasted beans.
12. Charcuterie board
The Charcuterie board has all of the assortments that a focaccia bread will go with. It will have cheese, meat, nuts, and so on. It is the ultimate board you can have with focaccia and it’s also fancy.
Related Questions
What dip goes with Focaccia?
You can dip your focaccia with any popular sauce. Be it cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, caramel sauce, hummus dip, tahini sauce, garlic sauce, avocado sauce, marinara sauce, white sauce, and so on. You can even dip your focaccia in different soups.
What cheese goes with Focaccia?
The cheeses that go well with focaccia are mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, asiago, or any other Italian cheese of your choice. You can use this cheese to spread inside your bread when you make a sandwich or you can use them to top your focaccia bread.
Final Thoughts
Focaccia bread is best served with simple dishes. However,they go well with almost anything. They’re very versatile and adaptable. It is wonderful as an appetizer and it can adapt into a side dish or main dish depending on what you serve it with.
