10 Real Italian BBQ Side Dishes For Summer

If you truly love grilling, chances are you never stopped. But for most people, BBQ season is finally beginning!

Even if you’ve been making your favorite BBQ ribs and grilled chicken recipes all year long, I’m pretty sure you’re always looking for new side dishes to try. Right?

Hello and welcome. I’m Alessia, the writer and founder behind Italy with an Italian.

While I’m definitely no grilling expert, today I’d love to share some of the best Italian BBQ side dishes you can bring to your next cookout. These recipes are fresh, flavorful, and authentic — perfect if you want to switch things up or impress your guests this summer.

This collection includes easy, quick recipes you can make all season long and keep coming back to throughout the year.

You’ll also find a simple recipe for every dish, along with real photos of the ones I recently prepared in my own kitchen.

Authentic Italian BBQ Side Dishes To Try This Summer

Before I start sharing the recipes, I want to clarify what “authentic” really means here.

These are everyday Italian dishes that we don’t just make for grilling nights, but enjoy throughout the Summer — for light lunches, simple picky dinners, and and even packed meals for the beach or a day in the mountains.

In some cases, we’ll even assemble them on the spot to keep everything as fresh as possible. You know how simplicity, freshness and high-quality ingredients are at the heart of all Italian cooking.

With that in mind, these recipes are truly easy to recreate, so don’t let the Italian names intimidate you!

1. Italian Green Beans Salad (Insalata di Fagiolino, Patate, e Pomodorini)

I am starting with one of the most popular Italian salads, so you might have already heard about it, but this variation is even tastier.

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes
• 300 gr green beans, preferably fresh but you could also use frozen.
• 1 or 2 red onions, depending on how strong you like it.
• 15 cherry tomatoes, or more.
• 10 black olives, or more.
• salt and pepper
• Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (this is my favorite)
• Italian Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (I love this one)
• fresh basil leaves

How to make it:

1. Boil the potatoes and the green beans. You want to cut them into medium size and length (green beans can be 6 to 10 cm long).
2. Peel and slice the onions thinly.
3. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
4. Remove the put from the olives, if you’re not using pitted.
5. Once the vegetables have cooked, drain them and add them to a large bowl.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients.
7. Season with the salt and pepper.
8. Add the fresh basil leaves, as many as you like.
9. Drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
10. If you prefer, you can also replace the basil with dried or fresh oregano.

Serve this with:
Grilled ribeye steak
BBQ lamb chops
Grilled BBQ chicken thighs
Smoked pork ribs

2. Grilled Eggplant Sicilian-Style (Melanzane Grigliate alla Siciliana)

If you love keeping things easy and cooking most of your bbq food on your grill, this is the recipe for you.

I grew up with both my Sicilian grandma and mom making these either on the big barbecue or on a smaller grill pan. Just, make sure the flames are not too strong, so you don’t end up burning them.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggplants or more (the more the better, as these store in the fridge for days)
• 3 garlic cloves or more
• half a glass Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• two tablespoon red wine vinegar
• a mix of your favorite Italian herbs with parsley and mint being essential, provided you like them (you can also add thyme, oregano, and basil)
• salt and pepper
• optional chilli flakes or fresh peperoncino

How to make them:

1. You can use your favorite eggplant variety, but the lighter purple ones are usually the nicest and tender.
2. Wash them and slice them (about half centimetre tick, that is 0.2 inches).
3. To remove their bitterness, we use a simple method: layer the eggplant slices in a large bowl with plenty of sprinkled salt on each slice, then cover them with water. Place a plate on top and weigh it down to keep the eggplant fully submerged. This helps draw out the bitterness into the water. After 30 minutes to an hour, we rinse the eggplant well and drain it before grilling.
4. You can now grill all your eggplant slices; it takes an average of 4 minutes per slice, but you can, of course, grill multiple slices at once.
5. As the first batch is done, layer them into a large casserole, and top them with the dressing you’ve made.
6. Here’s how to make it: mix the extra virgin olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the salt and pepper, the herbs mix, and the optional chilli into a bowl.
7. When your second batch is ready, layer the new grilled eggplant slices on top of your first layer, and drizzle them with more dressing. Be generous!
8. Any leftovers can last in the fridge for several days.

I remember my mum also grating some Sicilian salted ricotta cheese on top, and that was delicious. You could try with feta cheese, if you can’t find cured ricotta cheese.

Serve this with:
Smoky brisket
Grilled chicken breasts with BBQ rub

3. Parma Ham & Cantaloupe Melon Salad (Insalata con Prosciutto e Melone)

You can tailor this recipe to your preference. Keep it simple with just the ham and the melon and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or balsamic, or both.

You can also add rucola, misticanza, mozzarella, or a fresh sheep’s cheese.

A really nice way to serve it is to layer one or two slices of ham on one slice of melon, and then drizzle the condiments on top. If you want to add any leaves and cheese, you can layer them around the melon slices on a tray. That elevates your presentation, and makes serving also really easy.

Because of how simple this is I don’t think you need the recipe, but I will list the ingredients for you.

Ingredients:

• Melon slices (or cubes)
• Parma ham slices
• Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena
• Optional rucola or misticanza leaves
• Optional mozzarella or sheep’s cheese

Serve this with:
BBQ pork tenderloin
Grilled turkey burgers
Light grilled seafood platters (shrimp or scallops)

4. Grilled Peppers Southern Italian Style (Peperoni Grigliati)

This recipe is not only popular in Sicily but throughout Southern Italy, so in Puglia, Calabria, and many other regions.

While this is probably the one that takes the most effort, it’s all about batching, and then you can enlist the help of someone else to peel the peppers. You could skip that step, but I suggest you don’t. The peppers are tastier and easier to digest without the skin.

Ingredients:

• 3 peppers or more
• salt
• Italian Extra virgin olive oil (at least 6 tbsp, but adjust to your taste)
• 1 lemon
• fresh parsley
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves

How to make them:

1. You can grill the peppers in your oven or directly on your grill. My mom made them both ways and they were equally delicious. Of course, the charcoal flavor from the authentic Sicilian grill does add more taste.
2. Simply rinse them, pat them dry, and put them on a baking dish or on your grill. They will take around 50 minutes to cook. Halfway through, flip them on the other side, being careful not to perforate them, as it’s important the heat remains inside for them to cook really well.
3. Once they are cooked, put them inside a food paper bag, or wrap them with baking paper and foil. Leave them there for an hour. This step helps the skin soften and come off really easily.
4. That takes us to the next step. Once they are ok to handle, not too hot, you can start peeling them.
5. Next, you can use your hands or a knife to cut them into strips. Yes, they are so tender that you can do that with your clean hands!
6. Finally, put them into a bowl and dress them with the dressing you’ve made while they were cooling, ready to be enjoyed for the next few days. Store them in the fridge.
7. To make the dressing simply combine the extra virgin olive, the lemon juice, the minced garlic, and fresh parsley. You can sprinkle the salt directly on the peppers before dressing them.

Serve this with:
Italian sausages (hot links or bratwurst)
Cheeseburgers
BBQ pulled pork
Grilled chicken wings

5. Bacon Wrapped Spring Onions (Cipollate Siciliane)

Ever heard of these? I am not sure whether to classify them as a side dish or a main course, but considering they are mostly vegetables, they can act as a very indulgent side!

In Sicily, these are also called mangia e bevi, and I am pretty sure that’s because they are so flavorful, you’ll need to drink as you eat them, best if it’s a glass of a good local red wine.

Ingredients:

• spring onions
• bacon slices

How to make them:

1. Rince and peel the spring onions, so you keep the more tender part.
2. Wrap them with the bacon, one or two slices, depending on how large.
3. Bake or grill them for 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Sicilian Fennel & Orange Salad (Insalata di Finocchi e Arance)

This next side dish comes combines perfectly with the previous dish, if you’d like something to cut through the fatty and salty taste. And it’s also Sicilian!

Ingredients:

• 2 small fennels (the smaller the more tender they usually are)
• 2 oranges, regular or blood orange (I prefer the latter variety)
• the juice of one orange
• black olives, as many as you like
• half to one red onion
• salt and pepper
• Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How to make it:

1. Clean and slice the fennel and the onion.
2. Peel and slice the two oranges.
3. Add both to a bowl.
4. Add the pitted black olives.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Juice the third orange, and mix it with three tablespoons olive oil. Taste and see if you’d like to add more.
7. Drizzle on top of your salad, and enjoy.

Serve this with:
Grilled salmon
Cedar plank trout
BBQ shrimp skewers
Grilled chicken with citrus marinade

7. Bresaola Salad From Northern Italy (Insalata di Rucola, Bresaola, e Grana Padano o Parmigiano)

Let’s move from Sicily and southern Italy all the way to the north. Here’s another really simple salad that goes beautifully with grilled protein.

Ingredients:

• rucola
• bresaola ham
• grana padano (this is cheaper but also more delicate because less aged) or parmesan cheese
• salt
• Italian EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• lemon juice

How to make it:

Simply layer all three main ingredients, keeping the bresaola slices intact, and adding the cheese into shavings.

Sprinkle some salt, drizzle some EVOO, and squeeze a little lemon juice. You don’t want to overpowere the ingredients, so less is more here.

Serve this with:
Grilled ribeye steak
New York strip steak
Grilled lamb chops
BBQ beef short ribs

8. Zucchini Side Dish From Puglia (Zucchini alla Poverella)

If you’d like a barbecue side dish that’s cooked, as opposed to a salad, the next two recipes are exactly that.

This first one comes from Puglia, and it’s called poverella or poor-style because it’s really simple (but so delicious). Let me show you.

Ingredients:

• 3 large zucchini
• 3 garlic cloves
• salt
• white wine vinegar
• Italian EVOO
• fresh mint

How to make this:

1. The original method calls for this extra step: wash and slice your zucchini into 0.5 cm circles, or even slightly thinner than that.
2. Layer them on a baking dish, on top of a clean kitchen towel, and cover them with another clean towel. Leave them like that overnight. That will help absorb the extra water and make sure when cooked they don’t release so much liquid, meaning they will result crispier.
3. I have cooked this before without doing this and I can confirm the result was a little too liquid, but still delicious, so you can decide whether to skip it or not.
4. The next day, or right then, you simply cook the zucchini in a large pan with the garlic cloves whole, and the extra virgin olive oil, until they are tender but not too mushy.
5. Serve them with more extra virgin olive oil, the fresh mint, and a small drizzle of white wine vinegar. I also like to dice some garlic, but the original recipe doesn’t do that.

Serve this with:
BBQ chicken drumsticks
Grilled burgers (beef or turkey)
Hot dogs
Grilled sausages

9. Tuscan Pan-Cooked Tomatoes (Pomodori alla Mugellana)

This side dish comes from Tuscany, and precisely from Mugello – a historic valley in Northern Tuscany. There are many other delicious and popular dishes from the area, including my favorite, Tortelli Mugellani.

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• a handful of fresh parsley
• 4 large tomatoes, not too hard but definitely not overdone
• a few tablespoon flour
• a couple ladles vegetable stock

How to make this:

1. Wash and peel the tomatoes, cut them in half, remove the seeds, and roll them into the flour.
2. Set aside, and chop the parsley and the garlic.
3. Add these two to a large pan with a generous drizzle of olive oil (3 to 4 tablespoons). Leave to aromatize over medium heat.
4. After 5 to 7 minutes, add the tomatoes, and the two ladles of vegetable stock.
5. Leave to simmer for 25 minutes without a lid on, and over low to medium heat.
6. Serve once ready making sure to also include the juice.

Serve this with:
Grilled steak (sirloin, ribeye)
BBQ chicken thighs
Grilled fish (especially salmon or cod)
Smash burgers

10. Capricciosa Salad From Piedmont (Insalata Capricciosa)

We’re ending with a salad which sounds the least Italian, but which any mayonnaise lover will surely appreciate.

If this reminds you of the pizza capricciosa, just note that the ham is the only ingredient they have in common. However, I think that peas and boiled eggs could really go well with this side dish!

Ingredients:

• carrots
• pepper
• celery
• cucumber (fresh or pickled, or both)
• leafy salad
• cotto ham
• emmenthal cheese
• 150 gr mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tbsp mustard (depending on how much you like it)
• white wine vinegar (start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to your taste)
• salt

How to make it:

1. You simply slice all the fresh vegetables into a bowl, after washing them, of course. The best is to slice them thinly into medium strips.
2. Add the leafy salad.
3. Add the ham and cheese into strips.
4. Season, and mix in the mayonnaise and the mustard with a little white wine vinegar.
5. Mix well, and preferably refrigerate this before serving. It will taste much nicer.

Serve this with:
BBQ pulled pork sandwiches
Grilled chicken burgers
Fried-style BBQ chicken
Smoked brisket sliders

More Summer Italian Recipe Ideas

If you enjoyed all the delicious inspiration you got in this post, you can keep going with these other ones:

Authentic Italian Summer Foods Worth Trying

Tiramisu With Yogurt & Homemade Lady Fingers

23 Refreshing Summer Dessert Recipes From Italy

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A presto,
Alessia