The 25 Best Sides To Serve With Pot Roast

There are few dishes that are as homey as pot roast. It's best enjoyed on a cold winter day, when the weather is frightful, and all you want to do is cuddle up under a blanket. That said, it's also grandiose (and requires enough forward thinking and planning) to make it worth preparing for a weekend meal or an upscale dinner party. Pot roast itself is a versatile dish; it's technically defined as anything roasted in a pot for a long time, but it often takes the form of beef that's cooked in its own juices alongside carrots, onions, and potatoes. As such, there are many ways to pair it — and just as many side dishes that go well with it.

Sure, you might have potatoes and root vegetables cooked with the meat, but there are occasions that call for more substantial sides or ones that can cleanse the palate, introduce new flavors, and perhaps most importantly, soak up all that delicious jus. As such, we created a list of some of our favorite sides that can complement an array of pot roast recipes and enhance your entire meal. 

Slow-cooking a piece of meat will bring out its sweetness, which helps it pair so well with a side dish like this simple sweet potato mash. We love that it's a side dish that you can dress up or down, and you can always add an extra pat of butter or a glug of heavy cream if you're craving something ultra-rich. The addition of lemon and herbs elevates its flavor and can add levity to the palate when paired with a hearty, meaty pot roast. 

Recipe: Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Herb Drizzle

Flaky, buttermilk biscuits are within your reach with this recipe. It takes comparatively less time than other breaded sides on this list — around 30 minutes total — making it an ideal side to prepare with pot roast leftovers on a weeknight. The key is to keep the butter cold, as it will result in perfectly flaky layers that you'll be dying to dip into your pot roast au jus and eat with the succulent, slow-cooked meat.

Recipe: Fluffy Southern Biscuits

These potatoes might have been primed for tapas, but that doesn't mean you can't repurpose the creamy Yukon golds for a tasty accompaniment to your pot roast. The seasoning, which includes dried thyme and pepper, might be similar to what you're using in your roast recipe, too. And if your oven is already housing your meat, why not slide a sheet pan of these potatoes in with it?

Recipe: Roasted Spanish Potatoes

Sometimes, it makes a whole lot of sense to pair like with like when it comes to pot roast. But if you're after a side that contrasts the colors and flavors of most pot roast recipes, you'll want to look to this recipe. Nutty pistachios join forces with plump pomegranate seeds and a sweet pomegranate molasses glaze for a bold, texturally diverse side dish you surely won't forget.

Recipe: Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Glaze

The word "side" doesn't always have to mean potatoes or roasted veggies. A palate-cleansing salad, like this bleu cheese wedge variation, can be served at the beginning or during your meal and offers relief from the heavy flavors of your pot roast. It's simple to bring together but has stage presence, making it perfect for a dinner party spread. Plus, bleu cheese and steak are in good company, so pairing this salad with a meaty, slow-cooked beef recipe is the way to go.

Recipe: Old-School Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad

Potatoes and meat are a great pairing, but for the days where you're not craving something heavy to serve with your pot roast, try out this simple yet oh-so-delicious cauliflower mash. This nutrient-dense side is packed with flavor, and it doesn't skimp on the decadence, thanks to ingredients like white miso paste, butter, sour cream, and Parmesan. There are few pot roast recipes it wouldn't pair well with.

Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Mash

Pot roasts are common during the winter months, and this hearty autumnal wild rice and acorn squash recipe will fit right in. It would be best paired with a stand-alone pot roast meat (like chuck), as it's bursting with wholesome flavors that are bound to fill you up. This recipe is beautiful, thanks in large part to the zesty pomegranate relish, and can be made in advance if you need to — making it suitable for dinner parties and pot roast-fueled gatherings. 

Recipe: Wild Rice and Walnut-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Well, how else are you going to soak up all that au jus? These rolls are inspired by the casual-dining favorite and are enjoyable not only with the accompanying cinnamon-honey butter but also as a sponge for juicy pot roast. Their subtle sweetness, in particular, plays well with the flavors of a beef pot roast, and you can even construct a "sandwich" with your pot roast components if you prefer.

Recipe: Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

When it comes to accompanying a pot roast, it's always potatoes. It's about time rice gets some love.

Plain white rice will soak up all of that delicious au jus from the meat, while turning a roasted meat into a well-balanced meal. It's not the most flavorful of sides, sure, but when your meat is the star of the plate, you need a side to be its backup dancer.

Recipe: Basic Stovetop Steamed White Rice

Candied yams are sweet, rife with nutrients, and usually reserved for holidays like Thanksgiving. But this candied yam recipe will give you a reason to make it for a weekend pot roast, too. It combines sweet elements like the yams themselves and coconut sugar. It makes an excellent pairing for a Mississippi pot roast because the umami flavor of the chuck and the piquancy of the pepperoncini benefit from a touch of sweet foil.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Candied Yams

Just because this recipe has "basic" in the title doesn't mean it lacks flavor or depth. When steamed, these veggies take on a sweet, nutty flavor, compounded by the subtle bitterness of the edges. They're wildly complex, which makes them the perfect pairing for an equally complex pot roast recipe. Pair them with a Mediterranean-style pot roast, complete with herbs and savory seasonings, to really bring out their boldness and help them mesh perfectly with your pot roast night. 

Recipe: Basic Steamed Artichokes

Caesar salad might come to mind when you think of Italian pasta nights, but the freshness and umami flavors can be just what a heavy and robust pot roast recipe needs. The kale added to our version introduces a bitter undertone that complements both the protein and the other components in your pot roast — like sweet carrots, sharp parsnips, or creamy potatoes. When topped with homemade croutons and Parmesan, it's an immaculate side dish for pot roast.

Recipe: Easy Kale Caesar Salad

Maple and nuts go together with pot roast better than you might think. This carrot dish leans sweet, but the oaky notes in the maple and the earthy undertones of the chopped pecans will offer the perfect sweet juxtaposition to the savory, heavy pot roast. The side dish is great for serving in the winter or during the holidays, but is simple enough to bring together on a weeknight, too.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Maple Pecan Glazed Carrots

Sure, white rice has its merits, but when you want to add a bit more nuttiness and depth to your pot roast plate, along with added nutrients, let this brown rice recipe be your North Star. You only need two ingredients, and it comes together in just under an hour. It's also an excellent set-it-and-forget-it dish, as you won't have to babysit or stir it on the stove while it cooks — meaning you can focus every ounce of attention on your pot roast.

Recipe: Basic Steamed Brown Rice

You may have your reservations about cabbage, but your mindset will totally shift when you try this fried take on it. It combines bacon, garlic, bell pepper, onion, and celery with the cabbage for a flavorful base, and brings the heat with a Creole seasoning blend. If your pot roast is looking a little basic, serving it with this fatty, veggie-packed side is a good way to breathe new life into it.

Recipe: Southern Fried Cabbage

Garlic bread and dinner rolls are emeshed in this bread recipe. If you've never made rolls yourself, fear not; we'll walk you through the simple steps of kneading, proofing, and baking delicious dinner rolls that are perfect for sopping up all that leftover pot roast au jus. Should you have any rolls left over, you can easily reheat them and serve them as pot roast sliders the next day.

Recipe: Cheesy Garlic Dinner Rolls

Your pot roast craves a fresh, light, and easy-to-eat pairing, which is why we present to you this upgraded take on panzanella salad. It boasts the familiar, iconic panzanella component — the bread — but also introduces flavorful additions like sautéed shallots, blistered green beans, tomatoes, and a light dressing. Serve it as a starter course with your pot roast, or use it as a light palate cleanser to conclude the meal. 

Recipe: Green Bean and Tomato Panzanella Salad

We would be doing this list a disservice if we didn't include one classic pot roast pairing: mashed potatoes. This take gets an upgrade from the help of crispy bacon, which adds saltiness, and bacon fat, which is added back into the recipe alongside the butter and milk. We recommend pairing it with a classic French pot roast — especially if it includes bacon or umami ingredients like mushrooms. 

Recipe: Super Bacony Mashed Potatoes

Broccoli is the ol' reliable of side dishes. It pairs well with steak, seafood, and yes, pot roast too. The major flavor in this dish is lemon, which elevates the cruciferous vegetable, though it also has salty, peppery, and garlicky undertones, thanks to the simple seasoning blend it's cooked with. You can get this side on your table from start to finish in under 10 minutes, allowing you to focus your attention on the roast.

Recipe: Simple Sauteed Broccoli

Carrots usually get the short end of the stick when they're added to pot roast. They're too flavorful to be forgotten about, which is why we love this carrot casserole: It puts the root veggie in the hot seat and pairs it with a rich, creamy sauce and garlic breadcrumb topping. Neither too savory nor too sweet, it would be in good company with virtually any beefy pot roast. 

Recipe: Creamy Carrot Casserole

You might be used to coleslaw, but this root veggie twist is much better. Unlike other side dishes included on this list, it's very light and fresh, which will cut through the monotony and heaviness of your pot roast. Add more or less red onion as you see fit, and save the extra dressing for your other salad recipes — it's just that good.

Recipe: Carrot Slaw

How can you not love cornbread? It's sweet, nutty, and yes, can be made from a box mix. This recipe will spruce up a box of Jiffy with little more than creamed canned corn, butter, eggs, and sour cream. The recipe makes 12 pieces, though it's so good — and pairs well with many different types of pot roast — that you may want to double it, just in case the temptation to grab "just another slice" strikes.

Recipe: Cornbread

Turnips are a root vegetable we should all be paying more attention to. This recipe is an approachable way to enjoy turnips, as all you need to do is season, roast, and serve them with your pot roast. The roasting will turn the centers creamy, offering a tasty textural contrast to the juicy protein in your roast and any other veggies you cooked alongside it.

Recipe: Simple Herby Roasted Turnips

Don't let their name fool you: This recipe is no hassle at all (pun intended). Rather, this variation of Hasselback potatoes, which are basted in a herby butter, sprinkled with Parmesan, and wedged with Jarlsberg cheese slices, will make you rethink why you ever settled for boring mashed potatoes.

The cheeses add just the right amount of richness to this dish, while the familiar seasonings will elevate the starchy spuds to levels you may not have even thought possible. Paired with a chuck roast, it's a dinner-party worthy side that will have the whole table talking. 

Recipe: Extra Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes

We can all stand to eat more veggies, and this simple roasted asparagus recipe makes it easy. Bake them on a sheet tray while your pot roast is stewing away in the oven. The seasoning blend — which includes salt, pepper, and lemon juice — is simple, but transforms this humble veggie into a standout side.

Recipe: Simple Roasted Asparagus

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