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Do you want to know what to serve with ravioli for a date night or family dinner? Look no further.
This newly updated INSANELY GOOD list of sides for ravioli will not only provide you with budget-friendly and easy tips, but a long list of classic and unique sides for ravioli too.
What’s truly special about ravioli is that you can elevate this pasta powerhouse with a wide array of sauces, sides, salads, soups, snacks and more that will suit any taste.
When pairing and plating your ravioli dinner, consider the type of sauce and filling.
White alfredo or red tomato or butter garlic or all new? Cheese-filled, meat, spinach, mushroom, lobster, butternut, or your own homemade creation?
From crisp-tender charred veggies to a variety of warm breads, tasteful charcuterie, simple steamed veggies to sophisticated squash dishes, we’ve dozens of ideas and links to recipes you’re sure to love.
I love green beans!
They’re crispy and bright little veggies that are exceptionally versatile.
Combine them with some freshly grated parmesan and a generous amount of garlic, and you’ll have the ultimate side dish for cheesy ravioli.
The flavor of the beans cuts through the luxurious cheesiness of the pasta for a perfectly balanced meal.
Ingredients include: Green beans, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
If you’re looking for crispy and savory ravioli side dishes, then look no further than asparagus wrapped in prosciutto!
It’s the perfect side dish for the rich and al dente ravioli.
The dish is flavorful with a savory and rich punch and a delectable crunchiness.
Ingredients include: Prosciutto, asparagus, ground black pepper, and olive oil.
These bake right in a pool of melted butter. No rolling, no cutting, four ingredients. Crisp bottoms, soft middles, and made for dragging through leftover sauce.
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Perfectly cooked and seasoned, these green beans are tasty, yet easy to make as a side dish for ravioli.
Keeping it simple, this recipe calls for a blend of garlic, lemon, and just the right amount of salt and pepper to bring out the natural flavor of the beans.
A dash of olive oil adds a touch of richness and ensures the beans cook to a crispy perfection in the air fryer.
Ingredients include: Green beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.
Sometimes, the simplest ingredients make the most elegant dishes, as is the case with this green bean and tomato side dish.
The green beans are steamed to a perfect crisp-tender texture.
The cherry tomatoes are cooked with a bit of sugar and spices until they burst with sweetness and flavor.
Combining the two ingredients in a serving bowl creates a delightful blend of freshness and juiciness that’s both delicious and nutritious.
Ingredients include: Green beans, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, sugar, and kosher salt.
Not only is this dish bursting with flavor, but it’s also incredibly easy to make.
The green beans are tender-crisp and perfectly cooked in chicken stock, which adds a savory depth of flavor.
But the real star of the show is the ginger root – it adds a zingy and refreshing kick to every bite.
The garlic clove and carrots round out the dish with their subtle sweetness and nuttiness, making for a well-balanced and satisfying meal.
Ingredients include: Green beans, chicken stock, garlic clove, ginger root, and carrots.
This dish is simple yet full of personality.
The eggplant is sliced into perfect bite-sized pieces and sauteed until they’re tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Seasoned with just the right amount of salt, and infused with the irresistible aroma of garlic clove, this dish is a flavor explosion that’ll have you coming back for more.
Drizzle some olive oil on top for an extra touch of richness and voila!
Ingredients include: Eggplant, salt, olive oil, and garlic clove.
Roasted butternut squash is the perfect side dish for ravioli.
The slightly sweet and nutty flavor of roasted butternut pairs well with the rich flavor of ravioli.
And it is so easy to make, my hot tip is to look for cubes already cut up in the produce section.
Buying them ready to go will reduce your prep time but if you have the whole squash, the prep will only take a few minutes.
Ingredients include: Butternut squash, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, pepper, and salt.
9. Pasta Sauces
Are you officially ready to check out a new sauce for your ravioli?
I have my favorites, but sometimes it’s good to try something new.
Here’s our list of pasta sauces to help get you started.
Ingredients include: Bolognese, alfredo, asiago cheese, brown butter sage, and more.
10. Caesar Salad
Ah, the Caesar salad – a classic sidekick to ravioli…
Envision this: crisp, fresh romaine lettuce leaves tossed with creamy, slightly tangy Caesar dressing, and topped with crunchy, golden croutons.
And let’s not forget the grand finale – Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients include: Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, olive oil, egg-free mayo, and lemon juice.
Introducing a simple to make dish that pairs perfectly with ravioli: Oven Roasted Zucchini & Tomatoes!
It is so easy to make and bakes up in 15 minutes.
The tender zucchini and juicy tomatoes provide a light, fresh contrast to the rich and satisfying ravioli.
Ingredients include: Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and olive oil.
Caprese salad is the perfect side dish for ravioli.
It’s light.
It’s slightly sweet and a bit tangy and it pairs perfectly with a savory pasta dish.
The combination of the sweet tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and tangy balsamic reduction is simply divine.
Ingredients include: Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt.
I used to think mini peppers were boring. I mean, they’re just little peppers, right?
But then I tried roasting them in the air fryer, and my eating life was changed forever.
The peppers get so crispy on the outside, and they’re so juicy and flavorful on the inside.
It’s like a whole new vegetable!
I’ve been serving them with ravioli ever since, and it’s the perfect combination.
Ingredients include: Mini peppers, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cauliflower has become the “it” vegetable for keto lovers and low-carb aficionados, and with good reason.
It’s literally so flexible, it can be roasted, baked, grilled, ground up into “rice” and pounded into pizza crust.
But if you just want to celebrate a lovely head of cauliflower and give it a simple simmer with simple ingredients, this will give you that fresh flavor pretty fast.
Ingredients include: Cauliflower head, olive oil, and salt.
This is a simple foundation for a cucumber and tomato salad with a few fresh (or dried!) herbs.
This adds a bit of acid to cut through your rich cheese ravioli.
And crisp, easy vegetables in case you just aren’t in the mood for a full lettuce salad.
Ingredients include: Cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, and wine vinegar.
I could enjoy mushrooms at every meal—sauteed, always.
Stuffed is fine, and grilled is great, but there is something so velvety and decadent about these sauteed mushrooms.
Make sure to get a spoonful of that luscious butter sauce onto everyone’s plate.
(Or just yours. Cook’s rights.)
Ingredients include: Mushrooms, butter, olive oil, and water.
17. Sauteed Zucchini
Since we are all about zucchini here for Italian cooking, I also have some tips for you.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. When sauteing zucchini, it is important to not overcrowd the pan. If you add too much zucchini to the pan, it will steam instead of saute.
- Don’t overcook the zucchini. Zucchini is a delicate vegetable, so it is important not to overcook it; it could become mushy.
- Add a splash of water or broth. If the zucchini starts to stick to the pan, add a splash of water or broth. This will help to loosen the zucchini and prevent it from sticking.
- Get creative with your seasonings. Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices. Experiment with different seasonings to find your favorite combination.
Ingredients include: Zucchini, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper.
Easy and simple, words that I try to use sparingly because so many side dishes LOOK deceptively simple and just aren’t.
Or they take too long. Or have too many ingredients.
But this one is just some chopped vegetables, ripe tomatoes, red wine vinegar and a little time.
It’s a nice substitute for a salad in many Italian meals.
Spoon into their own tiny bowls because you’ll want to add a little of this marinade to everyone’s portion.
Ingredients include: Tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, and dried rosemary.
Had enough scrolling? Decided against ravioli halfway down?
Keep it generic and pop over to our Italian Side Dishes list.
We’ve got meal inspiration for days, and we love to share what we find.
Ingredients include: Eggplant parmigiana, stuffed artichokes, pesto gnocchi, focaccia, and more.
The garlicky, cheesy biscuits you know from the seafood chain, made at home. Brush the tops with garlic butter and watch the basket empty before the ravioli is gone.
21. Arugula Salad
It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe, truly.
Arugula, also known as rocket or rucola, is an annual plant in the mustard family that is native to Europe and Southwestern Asia.
It has been cultivated for centuries and is now grown in many parts of the world.
Arugula has a peppery, slightly bitter flavor that makes it a popular ingredient in salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. It is also a good source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as iron and calcium.
Arugula was first introduced to the United States in the early 1900s, but it did not become popular until the 1980s.
This is due in part to the growing interest in healthful eating and the increasing availability of arugula in supermarkets.
If you are looking for a healthy and delicious green vegetable to add to your diet, arugula is a great option.
Ingredients include: Arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper.
22. Red Cabbage Slaw
If you’re looking for an easy, crisp side dish but not fully committed to lettuce, slaw is always a great option.
We prefer our slaw as a no-mayo option, so if you need just a skosh more moisture in this recipe, add a T of plain Greek yogurt or double the dressing recipe as is.
Ingredients include: Red cabbage, carrot, olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, and onion.
Creamed spinach tastes better than it sounds, and I have yet to actually eat any and not think it was pretty decadent.
This one is our version—cheesy with parm and cooked to thicken it up.
Add to serving bowls alongside your ravioli so it doesn’t mix with your rav sauce.
You’ll want to enjoy this creamed cheesy spinach unadulterated.
Ingredients include: Milk, spinach, garlic, onion, and butter.
From garlic knots to goat cheese and beyond, this list of Italian appetizers will give you a feel for so many delicious apps that you’ll be down this rabbit hole forever.
(You know you want to.)
Ingredients include: Goat cheese, Italian nachos, antipasto platter, taralli, and more.
25. Roasted Garlic
Pull out your air fryer if it’s not already on your countertop.
(We use ours so often that the one time I put it away, it lasted for four hours before I needed it again.)
The aroma is going to make you so hungry that you will definitely be ready to eat when the soft, tender heads of garlic come out of the foil.
Great as a topper over the sauced ravs, alongside in a ramekin, or crushed and spread over some of your Italian bread.
Ingredients include: Garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Do you love cooked carrots?
If you’ve never had them oven (dry) roasted before, I guarantee this recipe will change you.
I usually don’t have fresh thyme on hand, and let’s be honest, a tiny pack of them is kind of pricey for what they are.
I used dried or ground thyme and I got the same flavor, albeit without that “freshly plucked” appeal.
Try this recipe and see what you think.
Spoon these oven-roasted carrots into their own ramekins or monkey bowls so that you can keep them out of your ravioli sauce.
Ingredients include: Carrots, olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
Cheddar, bacon, and ranch baked into a soft drop biscuit. They pull their weight next to anything saucy.
Who says fresh food has to be complicated?
With this recipe for steamed green beans in the microwave, you can have a delicious side in no time!
Simply trim your fresh green beans, put them in a microwave-safe bowl with a few spoons of water, and let the microwave do the work.
In just a couple of minutes, you’ll have perfectly steamed green beans that are tender and packed with flavor.
This dish is the perfect complement to any pasta dish, especially ravioli.
Ingredients include: Green beans.
If you’re making your own ravioli at home, you know that the world is your oyster when it comes to the fillings.
Here we have some helpful ideas and links to recipes if you need some inspiration for your next homemade ravioli.
Ingredients include: Smoked salmon, lobster, crabmeat, bacon ricotta, and more.
If your dinner is Ravioli Theme Night, then you’ll want to make one or two of these appetizers that use those delicious little pocket dumplings into fun and yummy creations.
Click through to see our quick read of choice ravioli appetizers for starter ideas.
They will be great with your ravioli meal, naturally.
It’s ravioli all the way down.
Ingredients include: Ravioli pops, peach toasted ravioli pops, fried mac & cheese ravioli, ravioli skewers, and more.
If you’re looking for some scrumptious Italian flair a la protein, this list is going to offer up meal inspiration.
Meat always goes great with ravioli.
And Italian pork? Even better.
Ingredients include: Porchetta, cassoeula, pampanella, rosticciana, and more.
32. Sauteed Onions
I know what you’re thinking, why straight cooked onions?
These sauteed onions might be just what you need to stir into your sauce or to top the plated raviolis.
Serve them on the side, curled up and golden brown in their own dishes to be enjoyed with every bite of pasta.
A sauteed onion isn’t cooked as long as caramelized onions; this recipe is just enough to soften them until opaque and bring out their natural sweetness.
Ingredients include: Onion, olive oil, and salt.
Your cheese-filled raviolis could probably use a bit of protein, so consider this list.
With Italian-inspired flavors, these chicken recipes might be just what you need if you are staring down that bag of fresh ravs and would like some bigger meal ideas.
Ingredients include: Chicken milanese, chicken francaise, scaloppine al limone, chicken spiedini, and more.
I can’t quite call the eggplant “humble” as it can sometimes be a high-maintenance vegetable.
But it’s sturdy and has served its share of recipe foundations: breaded, sauteed, and stir fried.
Take a look at our list of Italian eggplant recipes for even more ideas if you have some eggplant and could really use some easy ideas.
Or even more sophisticated ones.
Ingredients include: Eggplant caponata, eggplant involtini, baked eggplant parmesan, lasagna stuffed eggplant, and more.
Chunked, sliced, or crumbled, sausage has a flavor profile that just pairs perfectly with Italian foods.
And if you’ve had sausage-stuffed raviolis, you know what I mean.
But if your raviolis are all cheese or mushroom, add on an Italian-inspired sausage dish to accompany.
Ingredients include: Zuppa Toscana, baked mostaccioli, sausage manicotti, minestra maritata, and more.
Well, you won’t always find a dessert list in our pairing recommendations, but I’m Italian and since I’m writing this, you get what you get.
I’m not what you call a cake pusher, but I am a cake aficionado.
I can’t say that any of these are super EASY or QUICK, but delicious and definitively Italian?
Yes, yes they are.
Ingredients include: Zuccotto, castagnaccio, torta caprese, ciambella, and more.
I love soup. I never seem to make it often when I’m in a hurry, but they really can be made fast.
Do you eat soup year round or only when it’s cold out?
Use a starter like Better Than Bouillon, fresh or frozen vegetables, a small pasta, and you’ve got a great warm and soothing meal fast.
And if you want a list of just Italian soups, this list is for you.
Ingredients include: Cioppino, pasta e ceci, Sicilian chicken soup, pasta e fagioli, and more.
We had a lot of fun making these.
The recipe actually makes a LOT of these, so cut it in half if you only have three people to feed as an appetizer.
Italian seasoning works great too, and while the feta seems like it would be better alongside a Greek or Lebanese dinner, the feta tastes great here.
It’s rich, though, so don’t fill up if you’re expecting just to take the edge off before the ravs come out.
Ingredients include: Cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, black olives, Greek seasoning, and block feta cheese.
This is an excellent resource for pulling out a couple of cans of green beans and transforming them into something new and delicious.
But fast and easy, which are two things I can get behind.
Check out #5: Can it get easier than adding crisp bacon??
Ingredients include: Bacon green beans, Greek green beans, green bean casserole, Italian green beans, and more.
Lemon pepper sauce is a delicious and easy-to-make sauce that can be used with a variety of dishes.
This sauce is made with butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and black pepper.
It is simple to make and can be customized to your liking.
For example, you can add more or less lemon juice, or you can use different types of pepper.
Lemon pepper sauce is a great way to add flavor to chicken, fish, or vegetables.
It can also be used as a dipping sauce or a marinade.
Lemon pepper sauce is delicious and simple to make and can be customized to your liking.
So next time you are looking for a way to add flavor to your food, give our lemon pepper sauce a try.
You won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients include: Lemon juice, garlic, thyme, butter, and pepper.
41. Burrata Recipes
Have you ever had burrata before? I’ll never forget the first time I had it, and I got it completely by mistake, thinking it was “regular” mozz.
Burrata is mozzarella, yes, but it has a creamy, mildly sweet center that is part cheese, part cream.
It’s fragile and kind of expensive and absolutely incredible.
We put together this list out of sheer love for our readers but also because we were hungry.
Ingredients include: Burrata crostini, burrata caprese salad, burrata cheesecake, baked burrata, and more.
The bottom line
Did you know that ravioli is actually a pretty old dish?
The earliest known mention of it is in a French document from 1228.
The word “raviole” actually comes from the French word “rave,” which means turnip.
Our “little turnips,” the ravioli. Too cute.
So whether you make your own ravioli or buy them frozen or get them fresh, what to serve with ravioli is the question of the day, and I hope that this epic list has helped you find meal inspiration!
