30 Easy Side Dishes For Lasagna

April 30, 2020
Caitlin Bensel
These easy Italian side dishes perfectly complement classic lasagna. Whether you're in the mood for a light option (like this fresh-tasting Arugula Salad with Lemon and Pine Nuts) or something a bit heartier (these Air-Fried Mozzarella Sticks always impress), this collection of lasagna sides has something for everyone at your table. 
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Copycat Olive Garden Salad

Time Inc. Video Studio
Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe

The secret to your favorite soup, salad, and breadsticks combo is yours for the taking—and enjoying at home, anytime you want. 

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Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks

Time Inc. Video Studio
Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe

The secret to your favorite soup, salad, and breadsticks combo is yours for the taking—and enjoying at home, anytime you want. 

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Arugula Salad with Lemon and Pine Nuts

Caitlin Bensel
Arugula Salad with Lemon and Pine Nuts Recipe
Peppery arugula combines with tangy lemon, salty cheese, and sweet toasted pine nuts for a perfectly balanced side salad. Slowly drizzling the olive oil into the lemon juice mixture helps emulsify the dressing. If you add the oil all at once, it’s harder to combine it with the acid, and it ends up looking like the dressing is separated.
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Broccoli-and-Arugula Salad

Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Thom Driver.
Broccoli-and-Arugula Salad Recipe

Packaged broccoli slaw adds instant crunch and color to this salad. You can also toss it into stir-fries, use it to bulk up chili, or add it to quiche or casseroles for a veggie boost.

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Steamed Broccoli with Garlic and Red Onion

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Claire Spollen
Steamed Broccoli with Garlic and Red Onion Recipe

Broccoli is a go-to veggie side for many families yet is often served very plain. Here we offer 4 great ways to dress it up.

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Prosciutto Green Bean Bundles with Crispy Mushrooms

Jennifer Causey
Prosciutto Green Bean Bundles with Crispy Mushrooms Recipe
Though it may look complicated, this recipe is quite easy to prepare. To save prep time, look for bags of prewashed, pretrimmed beans in the produce section. If you can’t find the slender haricots verts, you can use regular green beans—they’ll just need to cook a few minutes longer in step 1.
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Baked Zucchini Chips

Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Baked Zucchini Chips Recipe
Opt for oven-baked zucchini chips as a light to fries. This baked zucchini chip recipe is a fun and easy way to use up summer zucchini, and it’s one your family will request time and time again. The high oven temperature will evaporate moisture from inside the zucchini and crisp the breadcrumb coating to a beautiful golden brown.

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Arancini (Cheesy Italian Rice Balls)

Photo: Thomas J. Story
Arancini (Cheesy Italian Rice Balls) Recipe

For perfectly fried, mozzarella Arancini, dip a rice ball into flour and shake off any excess. Dip floured ball into egg, allowing any excess to drip off. Finish by coating completely in breadcrumbs. Repeat.

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Hasselbaguette with Gorgonzola and Garlic Butter

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Robin Bashinsky
Hasselbaguette with Gorgonzola and Garlic Butter Recipe
There’s no doubt, you know as soon as you tear off a slice of this hasselback beauty that it’s the type of thing you shouldn’t eat more than once in a given calendar year. But that’s exactly why this recipe makes a great appetizer for holiday gatherings.
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Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon and Pecorino

Photographer: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lauren Smith Ford; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos 
Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon and Pecorino Recipe
Some mixed green salads seem like an afterthought. This one definitely does not. Although it may look unassuming, our Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon and Pecorino is bright, tangy, and assertive and just the right thing to serve alongside a hearty main dish like grilled steak, roasted pork, or a rich, cheesy pasta.

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Smoky Brussels Sprouts

Caitlin Bensel
Smoky Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Since there’s a touch of sugar in this recipe, stir the Brussels sprouts often to prevent burning. If you’re feeling extra decadent, top this side with a little grated Manchego cheese.

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Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Caitlin Bensel
Glazed Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Tangy white balsamic vinegar teams up with pomegranate juice to rev up this twist on the classic Thanksgiving side dish.

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Grilled Garlic Bread

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Grilled Garlic Bread Recipe

Homemade garlic bread is a welcome addition to almost any meal, especially when it has a smoky char from the grill. Garlic butter makes the bread extra rich, but you can substitute olive oil if you wish. Sprinkle the cut bread with grated parmesan cheese just before serving if your crowd prefers cheesy garlic bread.

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Baked Italian-Style Cauliflower

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Baked Italian-Style Cauliflower Recipe
If you think eggplant is the only veggie that shines in Italian dishes, you may change your mind after you try this. Cauliflower gets tender in marinara and blends into this Italian dish like a charm. An interesting array of ingredients come together in a magnificent way under a baked topping of crispy bread and pecorino Romano cheese.

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Italian-Style Antipasti Platter

Italian-Style Antipasti Platter Recipe
An antipasti platter is probably the most iconic Italian appetizer (which doubles as a side dish), and for good reason: This classic dish is extremely easy to throw together and is always an all-around crowdpleaser.
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Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan
Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad Recipe
A Caprese salad—tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese—is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to show off peak-season Southern-grown tomatoes. Give this salad a fun new look by using a mix of multicolored cherry tomatoes and small fresh mozzarella balls (also called “bocconcini”) tossed in a simple vinaigrette.

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Spice-Crusted Carrots

Photo: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Spice-Crusted Carrots Recipe
Looking for a side that’ll stand out this Thanksgiving? Look no further than these charred, super tender carrots cooked in a spiced harissa oil. Smoky sweet carrots are balanced by brightness from the lemon zest, and the harissa paste mixture helps the carrots achieve a nice spice crust and char in the oven.

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Caprese Tomato Salad

Caprese Tomato Salad Recipe
Make this crisp, fresh tomato salad for your next summer cookout. If you can't find smaller basil leaves, you can gently tear the larger leaves in half.
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Roasted Asparagus with Walnuts, Parmesan, and Cherry Tomatoes

Photo: Jennifer Causey
Roasted Asparagus with Walnuts, Parmesan, and Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

Serve with grilled flank steak or chicken breasts, and you'll have a fantastic weeknight dinner. Use asparagus that are medium-thick for this recipe--not pencil-thin spears.

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Black Pepper-Parmesan Wedge Salad

Black Pepper-Parmesan Wedge Salad Recipe

We change up the classic wedge with a Caesar-inspired version that pairs well with pasta.

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Air-Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Time Inc. Video Studio
Air-Fried Mozzarella Sticks Recipe

These homemade mozzarella sticks offer all of the crispy-coated, cheesy goodness you want without the deep-fried mess on your stovetop. We like to call that a “win-win.”  

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Grilled Caesar Salad With Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Greg DuPree
Grilled Caesar Salad With Sourdough Breadcrumbs Recipe

Greek yogurt and sourdough bread lend a natural dose of probiotics to our riff on Caesar salad. Alliums such as garlic offer prebiotic fuel to help the good bugs thrive. (This is the difference between pre- and probiotic foods.)  Keep the sourdough croutons whole if you don’t want to dirty the food processor, or you can lightly crush them in a ziplock bag.

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Caesar Brussels Sprouts Salad with Almonds

Photo: Jennifer Causey
Caesar Brussels Sprouts Salad with Almonds Recipe

Sturdy shaved Brussels sprouts hold the crunchy almonds and a garlicky Parmesan vinaigrette without wilting. Serve with roast chicken or lamb.

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Shaved Carrot, Asparagus, and Apple Salad

Antonis Achilleo; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke, Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos
Shaved Carrot, Asparagus, and Apple Salad Recipe
Add sweetness and color to your usual cabbage slaw with this creative side dish that includes green apple, asparagus, basil, and carrots. A vegetable peeler is the best tool to get super thin slices of asparagus. (Buy thicker spears to make this job easier.)
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Asparagus with Avocado-Herb Dressing

Jennifer Causey
Asparagus with Avocado-Herb Dressing Recipe
This dish is a beautiful celebration of the season. If you can find white asparagus, try using half white and half green. You'll need to boil the white asparagus (which gets its lack of color from being grown in a covered or underground environment so that it doesn’t achieve photosynthesis) for a couple minutes longer.

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Raw Artichoke Salad with Herbs, Almonds, and Parmigiano

Photo: Laura Dart  
Raw Artichoke Salad with Herbs, Almonds, and Parmigiano Recipe
"Don't even try this salad unless you have very early artichokes, the first ones to show up in the spring markets," says chef Joshua McFadden of Ava Gene's in Portland. "As with all spring vegetables, the still-cold nights help the artichoke's sugars develop for the best flavor."

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Instant Pot Ratatouille

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners
Instant Pot Ratatouille Recipe
Our Instant Pot Ratatouille certainly looks like it requires a lot of hard work to make, but the real beauty of this recipe is that it couldn’t be easier. Plus, this speedy take on the classic French dish just happens to be one of the most perfect ways we can imagine to enjoy late summer produce.
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Spicy Eggplant With Plums

Caitlin Bensel
Spicy Eggplant With Plums Recipe

This combo of spicy char, sweet fruit, and creamy yogurt is a surefire hit. For a tasty swap, try halved pitted cherries in place of plums.

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Easy Tomato Salad with Basil Chimichurri and Ricotta

Sara Tane
Easy Tomato Salad with Basil Chimichurri and Ricotta Recipe

For a simple and elegant way to serve your summer farmers' market tomatoes, this speedy salad is perfect. Dressed in a basil chimichurri and speckled with creamy dollops of ricotta cheese, this show-stopping side is perfect for effortless entertaining.

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Spicy Zucchini Salad

Caitlin Bensel
Spicy Zucchini Salad Recipe

Fiber- and protein-packed chickpeas bulk up this late-summer salad.

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