When I was starting out I was rather intimidated by the Sicilian because it seemed too complex for me to grasp. I tried 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 for a little while but couldn't get positions I felt comfortable with and so I gave it up. For a long time I was doing 2.b4 or some other anti-Sicilian stuff. With black I never played it. These also mostly resulted in dubious positions with white so eventually I decided that I just had to bite the bullet and play the open Sicilian. I mean, it must be a decent opening because it's played so often right? I also started playing it with black. Najdorf for a bit, Taimanov for a bit, now I usually aim for Sveshnikov. It still can be complicated but it's the same for both players. Only by playing it from both sides can you increase your understanding and eventually improve your results. Just have to suffer a little whilst you go through this process.
What to play if your opponent plays the Sicilian Defense
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Play something old. A quiet system.