Grilled or sauteed vegetables.

How about a pot of beef stew? Perhaps Chicken and dumplings?

If you're thinking about a side rather than another main, how about your own artichokes? I could eat an entire recipe of this all by myself :)

Baked Artichoke Hearts
Posted by cookingrvc (My Page) on Sun, Jun 15, 03 at 21:38

2 cans Artichoke hearts -- drained and squeezed of water
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves -- chopped
1/4 Cup Chicken broth

3 Tablespoons Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 Tablespoons Seasoned bread crumbs
Cooking spray

Drain and squeeze water from artichoke hearts.
Cut each hear in half.
Heat frypan and add olive oil.
Add garlic and saute until golden Add hearts to frypan and toss gently.
Saute, tossing occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, turn heat to med-high, and reduce until all liquid is gone.
Meantime, lightly coat a shallow baking dish with olive oil.
Add contents of frypan into one layer.
Sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs, then lightly spray with cooking spray.
Heat in 400° oven for 25 minutes, or until top is golden.

Note: If you can find the frozen hearts, use those instead. Just cook them with a little water, some olive oil, a bit of salt, and fresh minced garlic. Drain well, then continue with recipe.

I think you are OK with just the Stromboli's and the salad but if you want a third dish I would go with a very light soup like.........

Stracciatelli

Note: I usually leave the egg out

4 oz spinach leaves trimmed , rinsed and dried
1/4 cup Parmiagano freshly grated Black pepper freshly grated
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups chicken broth
salt to taste

Cut the spinach into thin strips and divide between two bowls. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper. In a small bowl beat the egg and lemon juice together. Heat the broth to a boil . Remove from the heat and stir in the egg mixture until the broth is ribbony and slightly thickened. Ladle over spinach, add salt if required.

I would do a pasta salad. I don't see anything wrong with having another starch!

Roasted Vegetable Torte  Ina Garten
Serves 6
"Paula Hodges invented this recipe at Barefoot Contessa, and it was an immediate hit. Make it ahead of time and then cut it into wedges, like a cake. The layers of roasted vegetables look so beautiful."

 2 zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices
 1 red onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
 1 teaspoon minced garlic
 Good olive oil
 Kosher salt
 Freshly ground pepper
 2 red bell peppers, halved, cored, and seeded
 2 yellow bell peppers, halved, cored, and seeded
 1 eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/4 -inch slices (1 ½ pounds)
 ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the zucchini, onions, garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat for 10 minutes until the zucchini is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush the red and yellow peppers and eggplant with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast on a baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes, until soft but not browned.

In a 6-inch round cake pan, place each vegetable in a single, overlapping layer, sprinkling Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste between each of the layers of vegetables. Begin with half of the eggplant, then layer half of the zucchini and onions, then all of the red peppers, then all of the yellow peppers, then the rest of the zucchini and onions, and finally the rest of the eggplant. Cover the top of the vegetables with a 6-inch round of parchment paper or waxed paper. Place a 6-inch flat disk (another cake pan or the bottom of a false-bottom tart pan) on top and weight it with a heavy jar.

Place on a plate or baking sheet (it will leak) and chill completely. Drain the liquids, place on a platter, and serve at room temperature.

**Notes that I took from Chowhound: "Note that the recipe is for a 6" cake pan. I make it in either an 8" or 9" cake pan. Unfortunately, my Barefoot Contessa cookbook, with my notes for increasing amounts, is about 80 miles away right now. But, if memory serves, I use 2 eggplants, instead of the 1 specified. 3 zucchinis instead of 2. I honestly don't remember if I roast another pepper or two or not. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra on hand. It's important to use both yellow and red, because that's a big part of the presentation. As you can tell, it's just basic roasted vegetables (and sauteed, in the case of the zucchini and red onion). But beautifully presented. Also, I've never had enough fridge room to weight these with a jar when I've made them. I just throw on a couple of wrenches.

this looks great! can i make it a day in advance?

Absolutely. In fact, you have to. I make it the afternoon or evening before so it gets a good, long, overnight weighting. That's what lets all the veggies glom together (there's a good chef's term for you : ) ) so you have this nice torte that you can slice."

How about a simple cream soup that is pureed so it won't hurt anyone's stomach. Cream of carrot or broccoli would be good or even a hot pureed cream of potato!
Joann

A butternut squash soup would be warming if it is cold where you are. I've got a good recipe I can post later if you want.

Teresa

Rachael Ray's Italian Wedding Soup would be a good, quick soup, served with some fresh bread.

Ok so I caved and did a Orchietta pasta salad with sauteed mushrooms, tender crisp asparagus, olive oil, and fresh-grated Parmesan cheese. i figured since I often serve a pasta salad with grilled panini, it would work with the pizza.

We all had a great time and me, the cook, was able to relax and enjoy my friends who arrived at around 3:30 and didn't leave until after midnight.

In addition to knoshings which I made and folks brought, the main menu was great and rolling the pizza really makes it fool proof (and different).

I just used a regular pizza dough and layered it with my toppings, then rolled it up, brushed it with an egg wash, and made some shallow cuts so it wouldn't explode. Loaded it into a 500 oven and waited until it was browned and crisp.

Finished off with a green salad, it was more than enough and everyone loved it. I guess you can't go wrong with good friends, good wine (and DH's fabulous cosmos) and good food.

Thanks!
Sue