17 Dishes to Serve With Lasagna

By
Cathy Jacobs
Cathy Jacobs
Cathy Jacobs
A freelance journalist and avid home cook, Cathy Jacobs has more than 10 years of food writing experience, with a focus on curating approachable menus and recipe collections.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/5/21
Lasagna and Sides

The Spruce / Victoria Heydt

Need ideas for what to serve with lasagna? While lasagna is usually loaded with comforting ingredients such as cheese, meat, and sometimes veggies, it's nice to round out the dinner plates with a simple side or offer an appetizer before the pasta entrée to make it more of a complete meal. Browse our best ideas for yummy side dishes to pair with lasagna, from salads to soups to bread.

  • 01 of 17

    Authentic Bruschetta

    Authentic bruschetta on bread

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

    Bruschetta is an Italian restaurant mainstay and so easy to replicate at home. Nothing gets your mouth watering for an Italian meal quite like these crusty little garlic-infused toasts, topped with juicy, ripe tomatoes and fresh, spicy basil. To avoid soggy bruschetta, allow the salted tomatoes to sit for a few minutes while you toast the bread slices.

  • 02 of 17

    Roasted Broccoli Rabe

    Roasted broccoli rabe

    The Spruce / Molly Watson

    Roasting leafy broccoli rabe is a fantastic way to balance its bitter flavor, transforming it into a tasty vegetable side for meat or vegetarian pasta bakes. Serve it hot or warm, topped for the table with a few shavings of Parmesan cheese or a squirt of lemon juice for a little extra brightness.

  • 03 of 17

    Spinach Salad With Apple Vinaigrette

    Spinach salad with apple vinaigrette

    kirin_photo/E+/Getty Images

    Fresh spinach, chopped apples, and sweet onion mingle in this bright-tasting salad. The inviting flavor comes from an easy apple cider vinaigrette that includes simple seasonings. Feel free to glam up the salad with crumbled cooked bacon, feta cheese, or toasted walnut halves for a more substantial side dish.

  • 04 of 17

    15-Minute Buttery Garlic Bread

    Garlic bread with spaghetti

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Crisp, fragrant, buttery garlic bread is a classic accompaniment to bubbling, saucy lasagna. Make this easy recipe on a sheet pan in the oven using a soft loaf of French or Italian bread, some butter, and fresh crushed garlic. You can top slices with chopped parsley for a restaurant-worthy presentation.

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  • 05 of 17

    Vegan Roasted Garlic and Lemon Soup

    Vegan roasted garlic and lemon soup

    whitewish / Getty Images

    Creamy, rich-tasting roasted garlic soup without dairy products is possible with this elegant vegan recipe that swaps in soy milk for the usual dairy products. The sweet and savory roasted garlic flavor is further lifted by the addition of lemon juice, plus yellow onion, and fresh chopped herbs.

  • 06 of 17

    Giardiniera (Italian-Style Pickled Vegetables)

    Giardiniera (Italian-style pickled vegetables)

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    Giardiniera is the medley of tangy, briny, colorful mixed vegetable pickles that shows up on Italian restaurant tables as part of the antipasto (appetizer) plate before the main meal. It's a cinch to make these quick pickles at home as a palate-cleansing appetizer before a hearty pasta dinner. Allow them to pickle in the fridge for a week before bringing them to room temperature before serving.

  • 07 of 17

    Classic Wedge Salad

    Classic wedge salad

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    A classic iceberg wedge loaded with salty crumbled bacon, ripe chopped tomatoes, and sharp pickled onions all generously drizzled over with tangy blue cheese dressing is a fabulous start to an Italian-American feast. The decadent, creamy dressing is easy to whip up in the food processor and so delicious, you'll want to use it for all your future salads.

  • 08 of 17

    Perfect Grilled Eggplant

    Perfect grilled eggplant

    The Spruce

    Perfectly grilled eggplant is creamy in the middle and crispy around the edges with a meaty umami flavor that gorgeously complements vegetarian lasagna bakes. This easy recipe uses the power of brining (and only 30 minutes of extra time) to guarantee great grilled eggplant every time.

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  • 09 of 17

    Instant Pot Minestrone

    Instant Pot minestrone

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    Hearty, warming minestrone soup is a popular Italian-American comfort food and could not be easier to whip up in the Instant Pot. You need only 10 minutes of prep and common pantry and fridge ingredients to make this tomato-based vegetable and noodle soup that goes great with just about any pasta dish.

  • 10 of 17

    Garlic Knots

    Garlic knots

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    Start with refrigerated or frozen pizza dough to make these cute little bread knots that go amazingly well with any pasta dish and will make your whole house smell delicious as they bake. Any leftovers can be stored in the freezer for up to two months and reheated straight from frozen.

  • 11 of 17

    Baked Cauliflower With Parmesan Cheese

    Baked cauliflower with Parmesan cheese

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    With only five ingredients (plus salt and pepper), this easy, cheesy vegetable bake is a cinch to prepare. It's also an ultra-tasty way to enjoy tender cauliflower florets, topped with Parmesan cheese and a buttery breadcrumb coating. Serve it as a kid-pleasing vegetable side dish.

  • 12 of 17

    Caesar Salad

    Classic Caesar Salad

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

    The ever-popular Caesar salad goes magically well with hearty Italian-American pasta dishes such as lasagna. Learn the classic way to prepare this iconic salad, including tips for making from-scratch croutons from a baguette and layering the dressing ingredients so it comes out perfectly every time.

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  • 13 of 17

    Sautéed, Steakhouse-Style Mushrooms

    Steakhouse sautéed mushrooms

    The Spruce / Chosen Posture

    Butter, garlic, onion, and red wine bring out a fabulous savory flavor in these sautéed mushrooms. Serve them as a rich-tasting side dish for vegetarian lasagna. They make an impossibly delicious topping for veggie burgers, too.

  • 14 of 17

    Fig and Kale Salad

    Fig and kale salad

    The Spruce / Emily Hawkes

    This elegant first-course salad is a lovely blend of full fig flavor, crunchy nutritious kale, and other chopped raw veggies. The creamy lemon-avocado dressing is so good. All that freshness offers a nice balance to sweeter lasagna recipes, such as those made with butternut squash.

  • 15 of 17

    Prosciutto Bread

    Prosciutto bread

    The Spruce / Joff Lee

    Fill your kitchen with heavenly Italian aromas when you bake up this aromatic, soft, and savory prosciutto loaf. It smells like a combination of bacon cooking and bread baking and tastes even better. A few ice cubes added to the baking tray create an ultra-tender dough, providing contrast for the chewy bits of cured ham inside.

  • 16 of 17

    Easy Green Bean Sauté With Garlic

    Easy green bean sauté with garlic

    The Spruce

    Crisp-tender green beans sautéed in a garlicky butter sauce make a light, bright accompaniment for meat lasagna. Toss them with a spoonful of Parmesan cheese if you like to make them more Italian. Or drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle on red pepper flakes for a sharper, spicier side that pairs well with creamy pasta.

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  • 17 of 17

    Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

    Balsamic roasted vegetables

    Diana Miller / Getty Images

    The tangy, deep flavor of aged balsamic vinegar is a wonderful way to enhance roasted root vegetables and provides a tasty counterpoint to richer entrées. Once you learn this easy recipe, you'll find yourself making it often to go with family favorite meals from beef lasagna to roast chicken.