45 Best Sides to Serve with Lasagna That Go Beyond Garlic Bread

updated Jan 17, 2024

Page URL

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Slice of lasagna being lifted out of pan of lasagna — Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Barrett Washburne

We love a classic lasagna, although we’ve never met a lasagna we didn’t like! Whether it’s an extra-cheesy white lasagna, a gnocchi lasagna, or a skillet ravioli lasagna, it’s the ultimate family dinner because it feeds everyone and it feeds everyone well.

What to serve with lasagna, though? It’s usually packed with enough good things like cheese, meat, and even veggies to make it totally satisfying all on its own. But it’s always nice to pair it with a simple side dish, like a green salad or garlic bread, to round out your dinner. We have 45 side dish recipes to serve with lasagna that are easy to pull off any night of the week.

Vegetable Side Dishes to Serve with Lasagna

A simple veggie side, be it sautéed greens or a tray of roasted broccoli, as a light touch and makes an easy way to round out dinner.

1 / 20

Green Beans Almondine

Snappy blanched green beans served with sautéed shallots and buttery sliced almonds.

2 / 20

Parmesan Crusted Carrots

Sweet, jammy roasted carrots get a salty, crispy Parmesan crust.

3 / 20

Easy 10-Minute Garlic Broccolini

Broccolini requires almost no prep, which means it's an obvious choice when you're looking for a simple cooked vegetable side.

4 / 20

Easy Sautéed Spinach

Got five minutes? This is the easiest, most foolproof way to cook spinach on the stovetop.

5 / 20

Roasted Broccoli

Perfectly seasoned broccoli florets roasted until crisp and caramelized.

6 / 20

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

Roasted asparagus is a quick and easy side dish for any night of the week. We add a little Parmesan and garlic for some serious crave-worthy veggies.

7 / 20

Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts

This vegetable side is a mash-up of cacio e pepe and crispy roasted Brussels sprouts.

8 / 20

Garlic Green Beans

This quick and simple way to cook green beans will become an instant favorite.

9 / 20

Easy Skillet Kale with Lemon & Garlic

If sautéed kale always seems like a good idea for a side dish but it never comes out the way you hoped, get to know this foolproof recipe ASAP.

10 / 20

This classic side comes together in minutes.

11 / 20

Cacio e Pepe Broccoli

Here's a dead simple way to dress up tried and true roasted broccoli.

12 / 20

Italian Green Beans

Cheesy toasted bread crumbs and a splash of balsamic vinegar ensure these green beans are anything but boring.

13 / 20

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

Take advantage of the hot oven and double down on Parm with this easy Brussels sprout side.

14 / 20

Steamed Asparagus

Simple steamed asparagus with or without a steamer basket.

15 / 20

A simple how-to for sautéed savoy cabbage.

16 / 20

Garlicky Roasted Broccoli

Since the oven is already fired up for the lasagna, a side of garlicky broccoli feels like a natural fit to get something green on the plate.

17 / 20

Roasted Cauliflower

The hot oven renders the cauliflower golden-brown, giving it both a caramel color and sweet, nutty flavor.

18 / 20

When cooked, escarole is meltingly tender and almost juicy, with a pleasant bitterness that counters the garlicky oil it’s sautéed in.

19 / 20

Grilled Zucchini

Grilling gives this mild-mannered squash a spunky, smoky attitude. It's a fresh, easy addition to lasagna night.

20 / 20

A step-by-step recipe for easy sautéed broccoli rabe, which involves quickly blanching to reduce bitterness.

Salads to Serve with Lasagna

You can never go wrong partnering lasagna with a simple salad.

1 / 15

Caesar Salad with Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs

Move over croutons — garlicky, buttery toasted breadcrumbs make for a Caesar salad that's better than all the rest.

2 / 15

Easy Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

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

3 / 15

Simple Arugula Salad

Let this be proof that you don't need a crisper full of produce to pull off an amazing salad. This simple number is dressed with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil, and partners with any dinner you're serving up.

4 / 15

5-Ingredient Kale Caesar Salad

An easy, anchovy-free version of classic Caesar salad, made with kale instead of romaine so it keeps for days in the fridge.

5 / 15

Crisp and snappy endive leaves with a light orange vinaigrette, toasted walnuts, and Parmesan cheese.

6 / 15

This simple salad, made with thinly-sliced red onions, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of oil and vinegar, lets ripe tomatoes shine.

7 / 15

Watercress Salad

A simple vinaigrette works to mellow the natural bite of watercress.

8 / 15

Every Pizza Place Salad

This crunchy salad is a pizza night favorite, and partners just as nicely with cheesy lasagna. The best part, in my opinion, is the tangy lemon caper dressing. You might even want to whisk together a double batch and use the rest with lunch the next day.

9 / 15

Cucumber Caprese Salad

A simple twist on classic Italian Caprese salad that adds cool, crisp cucumbers to the equation.

10 / 15

Veggie-Packed Chopped Salad

This extra-crunchy salad is packed with good things like fennel, celery, and cucumber and dressed lightly in lemon juice.

11 / 15

Drizzled with red wine vinaigrette, this is just the sort of simple salad I love partnering with baked pastas.

12 / 15

Arugula & Fennel Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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

13 / 15

Arugula Beet Salad

Start with steamed, vacuumed-packed beets from the prodce section and this fancy-looking salad comes together in mere minutes.

14 / 15

Chilled Zucchini Noodle Salad

Pistachios add the perfect amount of crunch to this refreshing salad. Opt for store-bought zucchini noodles and it comes together in minutes.

15 / 15

Tomato Salad with Red Onion, Dill and Feta

Prep this colorful salad as soon as you put the lasagna in the oven, so all the flavors have plenty of time to meld.

Bread to Serve with Lasagna

Bread is always a great idea to serve with lasagna, and it’s perfect for mopping up all that extra sauce on your plate.

1 / 10

Use both fresh and powdered garlic for the ultimate homemade garlic bread.

2 / 10

Cheese Breadsticks

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.

3 / 10

Easy Cheesy Garlic Knots

These weeknight garlic knots take just one hour and have a cheesy surprise inside!

4 / 10

Olive Garden-Style Garlic Breadsticks

These famous breadsticks have a white, fluffy center and a tender, delicate crust.

5 / 10

Cheesy Garlic Bread

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

6 / 10

Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread

This is by far the most fun way to share bread at the table.

7 / 10

Parker House Rolls

These buttery, tender Parker House rolls are perfect for your dinner bread basket.

8 / 10

How to make Little Caesar's famous garlicky, buttery, and cheesy breadsticks at home.

9 / 10

Soft & Tender Dinner Rolls

A step-by-step guide to foolproof dinner rolls.

10 / 10

Cheesy Garlic Butter Bubble Bread

The easy, cheesy bread you need for every potluck plate.

Filed in: