25 Easy & Delicious Italian Side Dishes

Our easy caprese salad recipe features in-season tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fragrant basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a spoonful of balsamic glaze.

While escarole isn’t as inherently bitter as broccoli rabe or sharp as radicchio, it does have a mild bitterness to it. It’s easy to tame, however, by cooking it in garlicky olive oil and offsetting the bitter with a splash of tangy lemon juice at the end.

A filling summer salad with crusty bread, juicy tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese — ready in under 30 minutes.

Sautéed Swiss chard and chickpeas, flavored with crispy pancetta, shallots, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

This quick and easy, unfussy arugula salad tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and finished with shaved Parmesan is perfect with a bowl of cacio e pepe pasta.

A slice of garlic bread makes every meal so much better. It’s a natural partner to classic Italian pasta dishes like spaghetti with meat sauce and cheesy lasagna. Use both fresh and powdered garlic for the ultimate homemade garlic bread.

This saucy mix of ultra tender bell peppers, garlic, and herbs is an Italian classic. Spoon it over cooked farro, orzo, or creamy polenta.

This satisfying salad is packed with all good things from an Italian antipasto spread like salami, marinated vegetables, fresh mozzarella, and olives.

Broccoli rabe is common in Italian cuisine where it’s often paired with sausage and pasta. It is a member of the brassica family — you may also know it as rapini— so it has those same nutty and slightly bitter flavors that Brussels sprouts and kale share.

The secret to better garlic bread? Lots of cheese, a little bit of mayo (yes, really), and scallions.

Packed with juicy tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, and hearty chickpeas, this salad is the perfect side for grilled or roasted meats.

Cheesy toasted breadcrumbs, or pangratto, and a splash of balsamic vinegar ensure these green beans are anything but boring.

This make-ahead friendly salad is packed with crunchy veggies and tossed in a garlicky oregano vinaigrette. It's delicious with homemade garlic bread!

This no-knead focaccia is a simple Italian flatbread topped garlic, rosemary, and flaky salt. It's perfect with a bowl of minestrone soup.

This is the ultimate polenta party salad: you can prep it in advance, it's a guaranteed crowdpleaser, and it's wildly impressive.

Craving pasta salad? Make this any-season fregola recipe with hearty kale and herb pesto.

Just 15 minutes and a handful of ingredients, like cremini mushrooms, white wine, thyme, and Parmesan cheese, are all you need to bring this hearty side to the table.

This mayo-free potato salad is made extra colorful thanks to green beans, cherry tomatoes, and lots of fresh herbs.

The ingredients for these cheese breadsticks are easy to keep on hand, and there’s no need for a fancy technique to form or stuff the dough. For pizza vibes, dip breadsticks into a simple marinara or pizza sauce. Love garlic? Pair them with a creamy garlic sauce.

A pizza place-inspired salad of iceburg lettuce, sharp radicchio, cherry tomatoes, olives, and ricotta salata cheese that's tossed in a bright and tangy lemon caper dressing.

When you need a simple salad to make the meal complete, this tumble of arugula and shaved fennel is all you need.

To tuck in more seasonality in between the red, white, and green layers of a caprese salad, look towards grilled eggplant.

If you like Caesar salad, like real Caesar salad with plenty of anchovies and garlic, then this is the salad for you! The dressing can be made ahead of time, and it flavors the bitter chicories and hearty radishes quite nicely.

This garlic and herb no-knead bread tastes far better than store-bought garlic bread — especially when you slather the still-warm slices with a little garlic butter.

An easy pasta salad with cheese tortellini, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach tossed in a balsamic dressing.