Whether you’re crowning it with tomato sauce or drizzling it with olive oil, there’s one thing we can all agree on: Pasta is extremely delicious. But sometimes you want a little something else to go with that bowl of carbs. So, what goes with spaghetti? Here are 38 side dishes that will make tonight’s dinner even better, from exciting vegetables to satiating classics, like chicken cutlets.
What Goes with Spaghetti? 38 Side Dishes to Have with Your Favorite Pasta
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Published Mar 12, 2022
1. Spinach And Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Is there anything as comforting? Didn't think so. This version is baked instead of fried and stuffed with mozzarella, Parmesan and sautéed spinach. It all gets topped with homemade tomato sauce before going in the oven.
2. Spring Panzanella Salad
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, dairy free, crowd-pleaser
Panzanella is an Italian salad made with hunks of bread (not croutons!). Start dinner with a crisp mix of asparagus, peas, watercress, scallions and mushrooms. Toast the bread in the oven before topping it all off with tangy mint-mustard dressing.
3. Cacio E Pepe Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
Pepper + cheese = magic. These green gems are roasted in butter, olive oil and Pecorino Romano. Have your sprouts on the side or live a little and mix it right into the spaghetti. Extra pepper, please.
4. Zucchini And Tomato Ragù
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
Think of this dish as a deconstructed ratatouille. Start by sautéing zucchini and summer squash until golden, then add hunks of mozzarella. (The recipe calls for four ounces, but it'll be our little secret if you double it.)
5. Kale Salad With Persimmons, Crispy Chickpeas And Shallots
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free
This salad's got it all: crunch from roasted chickpeas and shallots, sweetness from dried apricots and persimmons, acid from the lemon-Dijon dressing and freshness from raw kale.
6. 20-minute Burrata Salad With Stone Fruit And Asparagus
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
We've been known to demolish a cushy ball (or two) of burrata in our day. Now, it's your turn. Tons of crispy veggies serve as a fresh base for juicy peaches and plums. Pair with spaghetti dressed in garlic and olive oil.
7. Rainbow Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Set this vibrant platter on the patio table to wow guests and kids alike. As pretty as these multicolored tomatoes look, they're most definitely worth devouring. Wait until you try them on a bed of creamy seasoned ricotta.
8. Chopped Italian Salad Pizza
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Salad on pizza is a compromise we can get behind. Store-bought dough makes it a cinch to prepare, but no one would guess after biting into warm ricotta, crisp microgreens and sweet-and-spicy pepperoncini.
9. Perfect Meatballs With Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy
While there are tons of sides that go with spaghetti, meatballs are without a doubt the OG. These are assembled from beef and pork before going for a swim in from-scratch tomato sauce.
10. Italian Bruschetta Bar
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
If cheeseboards are your happy place, this one's for you. Round up some friends, grill up slices of crusty bread and go to town on everything from prosciutto to sun-dried tomatoes to olive tapenade.
11. Gluten-free Cheese And Cauliflower Breadsticks
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, vegetarian, kid-friendly
Breadsticks can do no wrong, even when they're made of cauliflower. Yup, these are totally gluten-free and teeming with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. If you don't dunk them in marinara sauce, you're doing it wrong.
12. Eggplant Pizza
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, gluten free
Low-carb, yet seriously addictive. The kids will love assembling their own mini pies, and you'll love saving precious chill time by substituting pizza dough for eggplant (slicing > kneading, right?).
13. Tomato Salad With Grilled Halloumi And Herbs
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
Tomatoes are truly spaghetti's best friend. Finish it off with torn basil and your favorite summer playlist.
14. Caprese Salad With Grilled Zucchini
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free, vegetarian
What is it about caprese salad that never gets old? The trifecta of tomatoes, basil and mozz probably has something to do with it, but we’ll give you two more reasons by adding grilled zucchini and a drizzle of balsamic.
15. Asparagus Caesar Salad
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, low sugar
So. Much. Crunch. While our recipe for homemade Caesar dressing is pretty darn authentic (right down to the mashed anchovies), this inventive salad doesn't call for a single leaf of lettuce. Instead, we substitute blanched asparagus.
16. Stuffed Eggplant
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: Mediterranean diet-friendly, vegetarian, gluten free
All this veggie wants is to live its best life, but that can be kind of hard when it's always drowned in tomato sauce and mozz. These are hollowed out before being stuffed and roasted with quinoa, kale and garlicky mushrooms. (It's a dreamy pair for pasta limone.)
17. Whole Roasted Carrots
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
What's with our compulsion to cut carrots into teeny-tiny piece? They're gorgeous whole, especially roasted until smoky-brown in red wine vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. A squirt of lemon and a few mint leaves give it a note of brightness.
18. Cucumber Salad
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, vegetarian, gluten free
Tzatziki is super jealous of this dish. The citrusy yogurt vinaigrette, complete with garlic, lemon, olive oil and za'atar, offers cool relief between bites of sharp red onion and grassy fresh dill.
19. Family-style Chicken Caesar Salad
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Melissa Coleman swaps anchovies for olives and Worcestershire to make a jaw-dropping creamy dressing with lots of Parmesan. Just wait until you try the homemade lemon-pepper croutons.
20. Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
These were invented for all of us who can't help but drip pizza grease on our shirts every time we have a slice. You don't have to sweat the mess or the time with these rolls: They'll be ready in less than an hour.
21. Mediterranean Roasted Artichokes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, Mediterranean diet-friendly
These are bound to impress at both backyard parties and family dinners. And since you'll be roasting the artichokes in foil pouches, that means you'll have a few less dishes to clean. It's the little things.
22. Eggplant Parm Casserole
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
One layer of breaded eggplant just doesn't cut it for us. So, we pile up fried eggplant slices, marinara sauce and mozzarella in a casserole dish until it's full, then bake. Enter bubbly, melty heaven. Pair it with spaghetti and garlic bread.
23. Herb-crusted Pork Cutlets
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, crowd-pleaser
Getting tired of chicken? This is a job for the other white meat. Breadcrumbs and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano do all the heavy lifting in the breading, which turns golden brown after a few minutes in hot olive oil.
24. Cherry Tomato Galette With Garlic And Herbs
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
We see a garden party in your future. And in that vision, your guests are speechless over this crispy galette packed with blistered tomatoes, garlic, herbs and Parmesan. Roast the tomatoes the night before and snag some store-bought puff pastry to save time.
25. Coconut Creamed Spinach
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, dairy free, vegan
How do we love thee, coconut milk? Let us count the ways. Add-ins like curry powder and smoked paprika give it a warm heat you'll never get tired of. Try it alongside spicy shrimp over spaghetti or with teriyaki salmon.
26. Garlic Bread
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
Boy, are the kids going to be psyched to see this on the table. They'll be even more ecstatic when they take their first bite, bursting with garlic-infused olive oil and buttery-cheesy goodness. We're warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.
27. Vegan Arancini
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes (plus chilling)
- Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, kid-friendly
If you've never had arancini before (aka cheesy Italian rice balls), you've been missing out big time. These are made with risotto, panko breadcrumbs and, surprise, plant-based mozzarella. The little ones won't know the difference, we promise.
28. Chrissy Teigen's Cheesy Chicken Milanese
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy
One thing we love about chicken cutlets is that there are a million ways to tackle them. One of our favorite ways is Milanese-style, meaning the chicken is pounded thin, dredged in eggs and seasoned breadcrumbs and fried.
29. Cheesy Pesto Chips
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Sometimes all pasta really needs is an amazing sauce. And other times, that sauce needs to be served in zucchini chip-form. This stars macadamia nut pesto, which comes together in the food processor. Then, it's spread over the chips and baked until golden.
30. Sheet Pan Lemon Pepper Shrimp
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, pescatarian, dairy free, high protein
Calling all scampi fans. There are a million ways to have shrimp (you saw Forrest Gump), and a million more ways to have shrimp with spaghetti. Tonight, try one of the easiest: doused in lemon, olive oil and freshly cracked pepper.
31. Crispy Mushrooms
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
When mushrooms are this crunchy, it's a game changer. Cremini mushrooms are first tossed in sherry vinegar and EVOO before roasting until brown and crisp, then topped with salt and parsley. Crumble them over pasta on the deck or pop them like pretzels on the sofa.
32. Cauliflower, Olive, Pepper And Caper Salad
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: pescatarian, crowd-pleaser
In Italy, this salad is called insalata di rinforzo. Capers, olives and anchovies give it vinegary, funky umami that you'll be craving again before you know it. It's usually served on Christmas Eve in Naples, so flick on the twinkle lights and get festive.
33. Potato-chip Crusted Chicken With Arugula Pesto
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
You had us at potato chip. The hazelnut-arugula pesto is equal parts peppery and nutty. The chicken is super golden and crunchy, aside from its gooey mozzarella topper. All that's missing is pasta and a nightcap.
34. Brussels Sprouts Skillet With Crispy Pancetta-garlic Bread Crumbs
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
We love crispy sprouts just as much as the next guy, but it's just no fun waiting for them to brown. Enter the handy-dandy skillet. It'll only take about eight minutes to wrap this up in the pan.
35. Cauliflower With Roasted Tomatoes, Parsley And Breadcrumbs
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free
Roasted tomatoes give this dish an extra dose of sweet moisture, while pitted olives work wonders in the acid department. But our fave part of this side is the garlic breadcrumbs, which are toasted until oh-so-fragrant and golden brown.
36. Pizza With Butternut Squash Sauce
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Tell marinara to sit this one out. Half a butternut squash carries this pie, roasted with herbs and garlic before being blended into a sauce. Did we mention there are *two* types of cheese under all that black pepper and sage? Yeah, we'll preheat the oven.
37. Kale And Brussels Sprout Caesar Slaw
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, low sugar, Mediterranean diet-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Skip the blue cheese on top and this beauty is totally vegan, thanks to the egg-free, nut-based dressing. Save the leftovers for burgers, sandwiches and barbecue.
38. Garlic “nots”
- Time Commitment: 12 hours
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, kid-friendly
Don't let the long prep time scare you. You can easily pull these little balls of deliciousness off in an hour if you start with store-bought pizza dough.
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
