What Starter Goes With Pizza? 10 BEST Appetisers!
Everyone loves pizza! It can be a quick and easy midweek dinner to enjoy in front of the TV, or it can be the main event at an Italian themed dinner party when you really want to impress.
It’s always a big hit with kids, though you can also make it more sophisticated by preparing a sourdough base and using fancier toppings such as fine cured meats, figs, anchovies, and capers.
As part of your meal prepping, you might be on the hunt for ideas for what starter goes with pizza.
You’re in the right place! From quick appetisers you can grab out the fridge when you have unexpected guests, to options that require a little more planning and consideration, here are the tastiest, most delicious choices for your next pizza party…
What starter goes with pizza?
Sometimes, you really want to serve a starter at pizza night. The best starters for pizza include a meat and cheese board, melon and parma ham, Caprese skewers, stuffed sardines, courgette fries, roasted figs, and smoked salmon pasta.
Read on to find out more about preparing these beautiful dishes…
1. Meat and cheese board
A meat and cheese board is one of those starters that I return to time and time again. It’s so easy to make, so versatile, and you can tailor it according to what ingredients you already have to hand.
Best of all, you can prepare it in advance and it requires no cooking, so it’s ideal for warmer weather or when you just don’t have the time to mess around.
To make it look extra special, add some sprigs of your favourite fresh herbs and some olives or pickled peppers.
2. Melon and parma ham
If you love a retro inspired appetiser, you really can’t go wrong with melon and parma ham!
It’s a wonderful celebration of fresh ingredients, and it requires next to zero kitchen skills. It’s a great way to get the kids involved with the cooking too.
Sweet, juicy melon is a beautiful accompaniment for savoury, salty ham, and it’s light enough to make sure that you don’t fill your guests up too much before a pizza main course.
3. Caprese skewers
Pizza lovers will adore the flavours of tomato, cheese, and basil, so why not incorporate these into your starter by making Caprese skewers?
They’re light and fresh, and it’s simply a case of threading a few ingredients on to skewers. Be sure that you don’t skip making the balsamic drizzle, as it really helps to elevate the flavours to the next level.
The secret to making this starter really special is to source the best tomatoes that are available in your local area. You might want to head to your local farm shop or market and keep your eyes peeled for different varieties that will bring an extra element of interest to the table.
4. Stuffed sardines
Sardines are a woefully underrated ingredient! They’re rich in protein, calcium, and essential fatty acids, and they’re usually extremely good value for money. I like to keep a couple of cans in my pantry at any given time as they’re super handy for making delicious and healthy dishes such as salads and pastas. They’re even good when served simply over a few slices of toast!
More to the point though, they’re fabulous when it comes to what starter goes with pizza. This recipe for Sicilian stuffed sardines uses beautiful sunshine ingredients such as fresh sardines, fennel, parsley, mint, sultanas, and pine nuts, and it’s unusual enough to be a real talking point at your dinner table.
5. Courgette fries
Pizza and fries is a classic and much loved pairing, and this fun twist on the combo makes for an exciting pizza party with the added benefit of offering up another serving of nutritious veggies!
This recipe for crispy courgette fries involves slicing up your veggies, creating a simple batter, and deep frying. Serve on a sharing platter in the middle of the table, with a spicy tomato dip.
6. Arancini (stuffed rice balls)
Arancini are a traditional and authentic Italian starter, and they’re the perfect option for a starter for pizza if you want to make things a little fancy and sophisticated. If you’re planning a dinner party, stuffed rice balls are always a good idea!
If you’re not familiar with this Italian classic, they’re quite simply balls of rice, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried until they’re crispy and delicious. They have roots in Sicilian cuisine, and they’re often considered to be similar to kibbeh which is found in Levantine cuisine.
I love this arancini recipe by Jamie Oliver. It’s suitable for vegetarians so it’s perfect for guests who don’t eat meat, and it’s not too tricky to make. It’s worth noting that it’s best when prepared using leftover risotto. Save yourself some hassle by having risotto one evening, and ensuring you have plenty of leftovers to make the stuffed rice balls the next day.
7. Stuffed olives
Cooking for guests doesn’t have to mean spending hours and hours in the kitchen preparing multiple courses.
If it’s a casual dinner with friends, ditch anything complicated and serve up stuffed olives for a starter. You can pick up high quality offerings in your local Italian deli, or even most supermarkets these days. I like to go for olives stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, chillis, and garlic.
Serve with a glass of your favourite dry white wine, and you’re good to go.
8. Roasted figs
Figs are at their best when they’re in season, which in the UK tends to be around September to October. You have a small window of opportunity to enjoy these fruits when they are deliciously sweet and juicy.
Figs can be made into a starter with the addition of other ingredients, typically goats cheese and salty hams such as prosciutto, but they’re also beautiful when you keep things simple and allow them to shine on their own accord.
This roasted figs recipe is a joy to make. Be sure to prepare more than you strictly need for your starter, as they can be kept in the fridge and used as part of breakfast with yoghurt and granola. They’re also really good when served at room temperature with a drizzle of honey.
9. Smoked salmon pasta
Many of us think of pasta as being a main course dish in its own right, but in Italy, it’s very commonly served as a starter, or primo.
Assuming that you’re going with a tomato sauce for your pizza base, you might decide that you’d like to add some variety to your meal by going for a creamy sauce for your pasta. This smoked salmon pasta is my go-to starter for pizza, as it’s light, bright, and zesty.
Of course, pasta is a filling dish, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re serving fairly small portions so everyone still has the appetite for their pizza main course.
10. Creamy parmesan risotto
Risotto is another dish that you might think of as a main course, but it also works well for what starter goes with pizza when you serve just a small amount, and you select your flavours and ingredients carefully.
A great example of a risotto that works really well here is this creamy parmesan risotto. You’ll need surprisingly few ingredients for this elegant dish, including chicken stock, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.
The best starters to serve before pizza
If you want to make a starter to serve with pizza, there are tons of yummy options. Choose from:
- Meat and cheese board
- Melon and parma ham
- Caprese skewers
- Stuffed sardines
- Courgette fries
- Roasted figs
- Smoked salmon pasta
Before you go, make sure that you take a browse through my guide to what dessert goes with pizza. This will help you to plan your complete pizza party from start to finish!
