What are the perfect side dishes for lasagna?
We are an Italian household and that means that lasagna is a serious ingredient in our home. That is why we are in search of what to serve with lasagna.
We can all agree that lasagna is that one dish that can be prepared in a number of ways and there isn’t one right way to cook it.
As long as you’re working with the ingredients you love and layering the pasta sheets with just the right amount of sauce, there isn’t much that can go wrong.
It’s the perfect dish to make on days when you’re feeding a large group of people and you can reheat the leftovers on weeknights when you’re feeling too lazy to cook.
We feel so strongly that it is a perfect leftover that we created a guide about how to reheat lasagna and keep that delicious flavor and texture.
If you’re wondering what to serve with lasagna, look no further. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at 10 side dishes that will pair perfectly with your main course and leave your guests wanting more.
1. Garlic Bread with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Garlic bread has to be the simplest lasagna side dish that takes almost no time to prepare.
It has just the right amount of crunch to it that complements the creamy flavors of almost all kinds of lasagna. It is the perfect bread to serve with lasagna.
All you need to do is combine softened butter and minced garlic in a small bowl and brush it over the bread.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley, salt, and a little bit of cheese on top before popping it in the oven until it’s perfectly warm and crisp.
If you want to kick this recipe up a notch consider sauteeing the garlic or roasting the garlic in advance.
2. Kale Caesar Salad
Kale caesar salad is one of the most common salads to go with lasagna.
It’s incredibly easy to make, especially if you’re opting for store-bought croutons and salad dressing.
Marinate your kale leaves with olive oil before mixing them into the salad to soften them and enrich their flavor.
We always massage kale for about 5 minutes. It doesn’t take long but it really is worth it.
3. Lemony Steamed Green Beans
Steamed green beans are the perfect side dish for lasagna and take no more than 10 minutes to make.
Once the green beans have become crisp-tender, remove them from the water, and season with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest to get that fresh green color.
Ingredients:
• 1 pound fresh green beans
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1 T butter
• Salt and pepper
Get the full lemon green beans recipe. This is one of our favorite Italian sides.
4. Fried Brussels Sprouts
If you’re always looking for ways to sneak in vegetables into your kids’ diet, this recipe for fried Brussels sprouts is just what you need.
At first, I was skeptical that this would be good for a lasagna dinner but it really is. Shocking, I know but that is the point of experimenting.
This is a spicy recipe so if you are like me and a bit sensitive to spicy, you can leave out the Sriracha sauce or use half of what is suggested.
You can add in about 2 tablespoons of sugar as well to soften the flavor.
5. Butter Roasted Cauliflower
Cauliflower is an extremely versatile vegetable that can be added to a number of delicious recipes.
For this recipe of butter roasted cauliflower, you only need three ingredients that you can easily find in your pantry: cauliflower florets, melted butter, and salt and pepper.
Coat all the pieces of cauliflower with melted butter and season them with salt and pepper before roasting them in the oven until they’re perfectly tender and golden.
Bonus suggestion: Consider sauteed cauliflower as an alternative.
6. Antipasto Platter or Salad
Even though antipasto is basically a starter dish, it still makes for a great side dish for lasagna. You can either use pepperoni and provolone, or go for prosciutto, salami, red peppers, and mozzarella.
Don’t forget to toss in some olives, chickpeas, and even artichoke hearts before adding your choice of dressing.
7. Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
You just need a handful of ingredients like tomato, olives, feta cheese, and cucumber to make this Mediterranean cucumber salad.
It’s fresh and crunchy and provides a refreshing twist of flavors that complement the lasagna beautifully.
The best part of a cucumber salad is how versatile it is. Adding in some olives and feta give it that Mediterranean flavor. Yet you can add in some basil and add that extra touch.
Add in your own flair of flavors as you go.
Check out our cucumber tomato salad recipe.
8. Baked Eggplant
If you’re looking for a healthier alternative, you can try making baked eggplant. The recipe is incredibly simple and doesn’t even require any breading.
All you need to do is layer slices of eggplant and tomatoes in a baking dish and season generously with Parmesan cheese and oregano.
Remove them from the oven when the cheese has browned completely.
9. Steamed Asparagus
Asparagus can be prepared in a few different ways. You can roast it, grill it, or steam it, but when you’re pairing it with fresh homemade lasagna, steaming is the way to do it.
You can use a steam basket or an instant pot until the asparagus is steamed to perfection.
Consider adding a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese atop it.
10. Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
These garlic roasted cherry tomatoes are the perfect healthy side dish for lasagna. Let’s just be honestly roasted tomatoes goes good with lasagna.
Spread tomatoes tossed with minced garlic on a large cookie sheet and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top before popping them into the oven.
Season with salt once they’re roasted, and then spread them on toasted slices of ciabatta bread before serving.
11. Marinated tomatoes
These marinated tomatoes are so easy to make but you can keep that your little secret.
This recipe is beautiful on the platter. It only requires a few ingredients and a short bit of time.
All that you need is tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and herbs.
12. Blackened broccoli
Blackened broccoli has those perfect crispy edges with that tiny bit of charring. That adds a bit of crunch and works well against the soft texture of lasagna.
If you are looking for a tad of spice to compliment your lasagna this is a great recipe to fit that in. You can add some red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch.
13. Garlic green beans
Garlic and Italian food pair perfectly. So adding sautéed garlic to green beans is just a grand idea.
This is a simple side dish to make. All that you need to do is steam some green beans and then saute garlic with butter.
14. Caprese salad
Caprese salad is a true Italian side dish.
It is one of those dishes that I call sexy because when it is displayed out on a dish it just look fresh and perfect.
It only requires a few ingredients. You need fresh basil, whole tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and balsamic vinegar.
15. Caprese bruschetta
Caprese on bread is a fantastic twist on a fantastic side dish.
Just imagine tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic, garlic and herbs on a perfectly toasted piece of bread.
That is Caprese bruschetta and it is tasty.
16. Simple green salad
Simple green salads too often get overlooked but they are a side dish worth celebrating.
They can be as simple as you want or as full of bounty as you desire.
One of my favorite Italian restaurants serves a super simple green salad. It has purple onion, pepperoncini and parmesan cheese.
It doesn’t sound like much but I just love it.
17. Arugula salad
When is the last time that you had some arugula? This simple arugula salad only has six ingredients.
It needs olive oil, lemon juice, honey, arugula and salt and pepper.
Yep, that’s it!
It is best made with freshly squeeze lemon juice but if you don’t have any on hand don’t let that stop you. I have made this plenty of times with lemon from a jar.
18. Grilled tomatoes
This grilled tomatoes recipe was an experiment that went insanely well.
My big tip for this as a side dish is to make three times more than you think that you need.
Each time that I serve this as a side it is the first thing to disappear from the table.
Fresh herbs are always best but I have made this many times with dried herbs and it is still absolutely delicious.
19. Green beans with tomatoes
This green beans with tomatoes recipe is so versatile. When pairing it with lasagna I suggest adding in some truffle oil.
When cooking the tomatoes try and get a tiny bit of char on them. This will really add to the rich tomato sauce in your lasagna and bring the meal together nicely.
Bottom Line
Regardless of which side dish you choose, whether you go for the simplest option like garlic bread, or prepare something a little more elaborate like an antipasto platter, you need to make sure you’re taking the preferences of your guests into consideration.
If you are curious what to serve with lasagna at a dinner party, I would recommend that you start with the garlic bread and kale ceasar salad.
Those two side dishes are perfect to serve family style.
Feel free to add your own twist to these recipes to pair your lasagna with an incredibly delicious side dish that no one would want to say no to.
19 Lasagna Sides
19 side dishes you can enjoy with your lasagna. Get to know more about these sides in this recipe guide. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Garlic bread with parmigiano-reggiano
- Kale caesar salad
- Lemony steamed green beans
- Fried brussels sprouts
- Butter roasted cauliflower
- Antipasto platter or salad
- Mediterranean cucumber salad
- Baked eggplant
- Steamed asparagus
- Garlic roasted cherry tomatoes
- Marinated tomatoes
- Blackened broccoli
- Garlic green beans
- Caprese salad
- Caprese bruschetta
- Simple green salad
- Arugula salad
- Grilled tomatoes
- Green beans with tomatoes
Instructions
- Pick some lasagna side dishes to try
- Share with us your favorites
Lesley Meredith
Wednesday 30th of December 2020
sounds great going to try the sides thankyo
Soraya M
Sunday 13th of September 2020
These are some great side dishes ideas. Thanks!
Kim Gilleland
Saturday 5th of September 2020
Great ideas, thank you!
Diana McDonald
Monday 31st of August 2020
I make lasagna once a week.
Michael Coovert
Sunday 30th of August 2020
Green beans are the perfect side.