When making lasagna dinner, one question that often comes up is, “What should I serve with it?” Here we have included some suggestions for Italian side dishes that go well with lasagna and other pasta dishes.
With this meal, you can serve it buffet-style where you let your guests choose what they want, or restaurant-style with salad, soup, and bread.
Leftover lasagna can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated along with the vegetable dishes and bread.
Try these 11 side dishes that go great with lasagna. Links to the recipes are included if you want the exact measurements.
Best Side Dishes To Serve With Lasagna
1. Greek Salad
If you love the flavors of the Mediterranean, you’ll love this traditional Greek salad with sliced peppers, cucumbers, cubes of feta cheese, tomato, sweet red onion, and kalamata olives.
This salad is a little different from the rest as it contains no lettuce, so it will stay fresh and crisp.
The dressing is a classic red wine vinegar and olive oil with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and oregano to finish the dish.
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2. Caesar Salad
While it is normal to assume that Caesar Salad is an Italian dish, you might be surprised to discover it is actually from Mexico.
A restaurant owner running short on ingredients threw this salad together on the spur of the moment and created the classic lasagna side dish we have today with romaine lettuce, shredded parmesan cheese, and garlic croutons.
The dressing is made with Dijon mustard, anchovies, olive oil, black pepper, and egg yolks.
3. Burrata Salad With Stone Fruit And Asparagus
What is special about this salad is that there is no lettuce, and it can be served in any weather without worry about wilting.
The base of this dish is asparagus and sugar snap peas. The second layer is sliced peaches, plumbs, and cherries topped with mint leaves, sliced almonds, and two 8 oz balls of burrata (sliced).
For the dressing, you will need olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice blend.
Get the recipe for burrata salad here.
4. Brussels Sprouts Skillet with Crispy Pancetta-Garlic Bread Crumbs
Brussels sprouts and crispy bacon, who wouldn’t love that combination? This recipe uses Brussels sprouts, 4 oz. of pancetta, panko bread crumbs, lemon juice, butter, and garlic.
The panko breadcrumbs are toasted in a skillet with the garlic and butter and then added to the pan-fried Brussels sprouts and pancetta for a taste that even picky kids would love. Squeeze a little more lemon over the completed dish for a finishing touch.
5. Grilled Zucchini
Zucchini is a vegetable that is perfect for summer or winter meals. In the summer, grill it outdoors with corn on the cob and burgers, and in fall and winter, grill it inside on the cooktop or a grill pan.
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The secret is to choose small zucchini and sliced it into thick strips.
Brush the strips with a combination of olive oil, lemon juice, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes. They cook fast, and cleanup is quick and easy.
6. Roasted Vegetables
Roasted vegetables are a good side dish for lasagna any time of the year.
This recipe incorporates Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, butternut squash, and herbs like rosemary and thyme to create a mouth-watering side that will leave your guests wanting more.
The dish itself is easy to assemble. Just combine the vegetables, herbs, and olive oil on a baking dish and roast in the oven for ½ an hour or until tender.
7. Zoodles
“Zoodles” are noodles made from zucchini with a spiralizer. They make the perfect side dish for lasagna and are gluten-free for those sensitive to it. There are two ways that you can make these noodles.
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One is with a spiralizer, the second way is to use a vegetable peeler to cut thin strips and then julienne them, and the third way is with a mandoline. The basic technique is to slice them thin and cut them into noodle-like strips.
You can serve them with tomato-based sauces or with creamy garlic and parmesan alfredo sauces. These noodles cook quickly and can be boiled or sauteed for 1 to 2 minutes and then tossed with the sauce.
8. Baked Spaghetti Squash And Cheese
This recipe for a winter squash makes a great side dish with lasagna or pasta dishes, or as a main dish by itself. You can add a little sausage for added protein and try out different kinds of cheese for different flavors.
This casserole of squash, baby spinach, olive oil, butter, and cheese is delicious and hearty for chilly nights. Any type of cheese will work for this recipe, such as Swiss, Havarti, cheddar, or any combination of the three.
9. Easy Garlic Parmesan Knots
These savory little bread bites make a great accompaniment to any pasta dish. These knots are easy to make and so delicious.
All you need to make these are refrigerated biscuit dough, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, herbs, butter, and parsley flakes.
A roll of 8 biscuits will make 16 garlic knots. Cut each biscuit in half and make 16 knots. Brush the rolls with butter, herbs, and cheese and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes.
10. Cheesy Garlic Bread
Buttery, cheesy garlic bread will be a hit as a side dish with your fabulous lasagna dish.
Again, this is another easy recipe that only requires a few ingredients. You will need a loaf of Italian or French bread, garlic butter, olive oil, parmesan, mozzarella, and parsley flakes.
This dish goes in the oven 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve the meal. Split the loaf in half and coat each half with the butter/oil mixture, cheeses, and parsley, and pop it in the oven until the cheese is melted and the edges of the bread are toasty.
11. Focaccia Bread
Focaccia is a type of flat Italian bread with herbs that is baked in the oven. If you’ve never had it before, it’s similar to a baked pizza crust.
Focaccia is a great side for other meals or used as bread in sandwiches. This herbed bread is kneaded and patted into an oven pan and baked in the oven until browned.
Related | How To Keep Bread Fresh
Garlic bread and the leftovers can be used up the following day or wrapped and put in the freezer.
Side Dishes That Go With Lasagna: Final Thoughts
Lasagna is a delicious layered pasta casserole that originated in Ancient Greece.
It features layers of noodles, meat, tomato sauce, and cheese. It’s assembled in a baking dish and baked in a hot oven until the cheese melts and turns golden brown.
The filling consists of ricotta cheese, and the sauce can be tomato-based or a white bechamel sauce topped with mozzarella cheese.
All of these side-dish suggestions are great with many types of pasta dishes. Green salad should be eaten within a day or two, and bread can be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage.
Related | How To Reheat Lasagna
No matter which side you choose to go with lasagna, your meal is guaranteed to be great.
