Cold soups like the Spanish gazpachos become widely significant during summer.
And if you’re making one with watermelons, you’re responsible for creating a good meal menu that best complements the sweet and savory dish.
Now, we all know how challenging it is to develop suitable side dishes.
So, we’re here to help you.
This article discusses what to serve with watermelon gazpacho and features ten dishes that best fit the entree.
Why Consider Serving Side Dishes for Watermelon Gazpacho?
Like any regular gazpacho dish, a watermelon gazpacho contains tomatoes, bell peppers, and various other veggies and seasonings.
So, it is packed with sweet, savory, and tangy flavors.
The taste profile becomes more complex the more ingredients you add.
So, this chilled soup isn’t too friendly on your palate when consumed without side dishes.
The best way to enjoy this complex dish is to include sides that will provide complementary flavors and nutrition.
That way, you can enjoy your meal better.
What to Serve with Watermelon Gazpacho? 10 BEST Side Dishes
You can serve many meaty and plant-based dishes with watermelon gazpacho, so here are our ten favorites.
1 – Shrimp Pasta Salad
No one can say no to a combo of soups and pasta dishes.
And a refreshing pasta salad garnished with crunchy and salty shrimp is one exciting way to enhance watermelon gazpacho’s sweet and savory flavors.
This salad is filling and nutritious, with protein and a bright seaside aroma.
It is delicious and makes your meal nutritionally balanced.
Best of all, shrimp pasta is pretty simple to make and comes together in under 20 minutes.
Whatever pasta you use, always keep it al dente so that you don’t disappoint your guests with soggy or rubbery pasta.
2 – Cucumber Coleslaw
One simple and easy way to add more texture and flavor to your meal is by serving coleslaw.
Because a watermelon gazpacho is a summer dish, consider using the season’s most celebrated veggie– cucumbers.
They are crunchy and hydrating and refresh your palate when the days are warm.
As regards other ingredients, you can use any fruit or vegetable that will add complementary flavors and colors.
Red and green cabbage are a must because they make the base of the slaw.
You can substitute the traditional mayonnaise dressing with Greek yogurt to make the dish healthier.
Fresh lemon juice will also bring a tangy finish to the coleslaw by combining all the ingredients.
3 – Grilled Cauliflower Chicken Kabobs
Vegetable kabobs with a protein like chicken breasts make exciting side dishes for a gazpacho.
And these grilled cauliflower chicken kabobs have meaty elements combined with the crispy and crumbly textures of cauliflower florets.
Because cauliflowers aren’t a favorite among many, pairing them with chicken allows your guests to enjoy this nutritious veggie.
These kabobs turn out crispy on the outside and are tenderly moist inside; you’ll have a great time munching them between each spoonful of the watermelon gazpacho.
You might want to marinate the chicken breasts before grilling, as this makes them more flavorful.
4 – Pretzels
These fun-shaped baked pastries aren’t just a treat for the eyes.
They’re meant to be served with flavorful dishes like a watermelon gazpacho; you can dip them into the flavorful cold soup for a delightful serving option.
You can serve anything from freshly baked, fluffy pretzels to crunchy ones, and they’ll taste delicious each time.
Their mild sweetness complements the rich taste of the watermelon gazpacho while the bread absorbs the soup.
If you’re making pretzels from scratch, consider including warm seasonings like cinnamon and crushed nuts to make the meal more enjoyable.
5 – Chickpea Quinoa Salad
A filling salad always makes a suitable side dish for something light, like a watermelon gazpacho; you can customize it with as many or as few ingredients to suit your preferences.
Colorful chopped vegetables and shredded cheese are some options that you can always rely on.
This chickpea quinoa salad is packed with plant protein and contains essential nutrients that the gazpacho lacks.
Besides, it is also a great way to use any leftover ingredients and make them healthy and delicious again.
It tastes even more delicious when chilled, so you can make it ahead if you want to enjoy a refreshing meal.
6 – Herby Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is a simple and effective food that can elevate any boring meal into a delectable one.
This herby garlic bread, for instance, has a fragrant aroma that beautifully combines with the rich flavors of watermelon.
The mellow flavor of garlic is very prominent, so the fresh herbs prevent it from overpowering the rich gazpacho.
You can dip the fragrant bread slices into the soup for an exciting serving option.
Or, you could also spread some gazpacho onto the bread.
Best of all, this yeast-free bread requires less than 15 minutes of active work time.
So, there isn’t much work for you to do.
7 – Breaded Tuna Patties
You can never have too many protein dishes to go with a gazpacho.
And if you love deep-fried breaded food, you’ll enjoy this tuna dish.
While fresh tuna may give the best flavor, you can also use canned ones for this dish.
You don’t have to worry about the fishy smell in most seafood because the potatoes and garlic-butter mixture will tone it down into an aromatic treat.
The breading gives the fried patties a crispy exterior and keeps the mixture inside moist and tender.
You can dip them into the watermelon gazpacho or eat them separately– anything works because the flavors ultimately combine into a sweet and savory result.
8 – Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers
If you have too many bell peppers that are almost past their fresh state, you can use them as cups to hold savory meat fillings to serve alongside a watermelon gazpacho.
While choosing a cheese, you want to ensure that they melt quickly and aren’t too bitter to overpower the other ingredients.
The ground beef and cheese combine to give a juicy and savory treat that rests on your palate for a while.
Meanwhile, the bell peppers add a mild heat that makes the dish well-rounded.
This dish is an excellent option to repurpose any leftovers that don’t fit in any other meal.
After all, they’ll eventually be ground and baked again.
So, choose the largest peppers and use them to hold all the cheesy goodness of meat and veggies.
9 – Zucchini Chips
It may be too tempting to serve potato fries with watermelon gazpacho, seeing how it works as a sweet and savory dip.
While regular fries and gazpacho aren’t bad, you can make it more exciting by substituting the potatoes with zucchini.
Baking thin slices of zucchini into crispy chips is a fun way to eat the summer squash that most people know to be juicy and hydrating.
Besides its simple preparation, zucchini chips do not require many seasonings to enhance their taste.
Something simple like a mixture of salt, olive oil, and herbs is enough to make it taste its best.
10 – Avocado Cauliflower Rice Salad
This salad is another summer favorite.
It combines the nutty flavors of avocadoes and mild cauliflower rice to deliver a salad with buttery and crumbly textures.
You can add more veggies like bell peppers and red onions to add more dimension to the salad.
This side dish contains many essential nutrients, including healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids.
It provides contrasting flavors and textures to the gazpacho yet combines beautifully to create a flavorful and nutritionally balanced meal.
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