Food and Recipes Pasta Types Spaghetti 25 Side Dishes To Serve With Spaghetti By Phoebe Evans Phoebe Evans Phoebe Evans is a Southern Living summer intern who covers food and digital production. She is from Birmingham, Alabama, and has a strong passion for writing. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 14, 2023 Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox You've spent all day simmering a beautiful sauce, but you still haven't figured out what to serve with your spaghetti dinner. You could take inspiration from Italian restaurants and serve the pasta with a classic Caesar salad and garlic bread, or take a different approach with our Tomato-Herb Panzanella, which combines the salad and bread into one dish. Maybe you're looking for an irresistible veggie side dish that will convince even picky eaters to partake, like our Garlic Parmesan Green Beans that will win everyone over. Perhaps simplicity is what you really need, and our easy Roasted Broccoli is a great option. We're sure you'll find dinner inspiration in one of the following 25 side dishes that go perfectly with spaghetti, or any pasta dinner you have on the menu. 01 of 25 Chopped Kale Salad With Toasted Breadcrumbs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis "Though it requires a few steps beforehand like hard-boiling eggs and toasting breadcrumbs, this recipe isn't any more difficult than tossing together a bag 'o salad, and it's so much more delicious," says Associate Digital Editor Mary Shannon Wells. 02 of 25 Garlic Bread Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox The garlic-Parmesan butter on this Garlic Bread is so good, you'll want to double the recipe to use in other dishes. 03 of 25 Caesar Salad With Garlicky Croutons Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer A simple Caesar salad done right is a thing of beauty. With homemade garlic croutons, a tangy from scratch dressing, and plenty of high quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, you'll never use salad kits again. 04 of 25 Buttery Yeast Rolls Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall A delicious pasta sauce deserves to be savored, and so a good roll is crucial for mopping up every last bit off the plate. Trust us, it's worth three hours to make these light and fluffy homemade rolls perfect for enjoying with spaghetti. 05 of 25 Caesar Salad Bites Photo: Jennifer Davick/Prop Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell/Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns This might not be a traditional Caesar salad, but loaded with tomatoes and cucumbers, you get added crunch and veggies too. 06 of 25 Chicken- Parmesan Meatballs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely We don't have to explain why we would suggest serving meatballs with spaghetti, but this recipe puts a fun twist on the classic by using ground chicken and prosciutto instead of beef. 07 of 25 Tomato-Herb Panzanella Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely We added assorted heirloom tomatoes to brighten up this classic Italian bread salad. 08 of 25 Sautéed Squash And Zucchini Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro This side dish only requires 20 minutes to make, and if you utilize a mandoline to do the slicing, it can come together even faster. 09 of 25 Garlic Parmesan Green Beans Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living Bacon and Parmesan deliver a double dose of savory flavor to roasted green beans in this recipe. 10 of 25 Grilled Baby Zucchini-and-Tomato Salad GREG DUPREE; PROP STYLING: GINNY BRANCH; FOOD STYLING: ANNA HAMPTON Made with juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs, and hunks of toasted garlic bread, this salad will make eating your veggies easy and delicious. 11 of 25 Green Beans With Garlic JIM FRANCO; STYLING: LESLIE SIEGEL This recipe calls for three cloves of garlic, but garlic-lovers can certainly up that to four or more. 12 of 25 Roasted Broccoli Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox The key to getting perfectly crispy and tender florets is to not overcrowd the pan when making this recipe. 13 of 25 Lemony White Bean Salad with Broccoli Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis This salad is loaded with texture to keep things interesting. Warm roasted broccoli gets combined with salty Parmesan, spicy baby arugula leaves, and creamy white beans. 14 of 25 Balsamic Green Beans with Pearl Onions Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith Tangy balsamic vinegar coats and caramelizes the green beans in this recipe, while pearl onions add a touch of sweetness. 15 of 25 Roasted Broccolini Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas The thin stems on this cousin of broccoli cook quicker and char beautifully in the oven for a beautifully crispy veggie side dish. 16 of 25 Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan We use multicolored cherry tomatoes and small fresh mozzarella balls (also called "bocconcini") for a fun twist on Caprese salad. 17 of 25 BLT Salad with Buttermilk-Parmesan Dressing and Buttery Croutons Photo: Alison Miksch The buttermilk and Parmesan dressing on this BLT-inspired salad combines a Southern classic with an Italian staple. 18 of 25 Oven-Roasted Asparagus When asparagus is in season you don't need to do much to turn it into a delicious side dish. Simply trim the ends of the asparagus, season, and pop the crispy green veggie in the oven. 19 of 25 Tomato-Mozzarella Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox We made two Southern changes to a classic tomato and mozzarella salad: We folded crispy bacon into the mix and used cane syrup to help balance the apple cider vinaigrette. 20 of 25 Heirloom-Tomato Salad Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely In-season tomatoes are a non-negotiable in this side salad. If you can’t find heirlooms, cherry tomatoes tend to work well year-round. 21 of 25 Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb Breadcrumbs Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall A cheese sauce makes any vegetable taste better, including asparagus. If you have picky little ones (or adults) to feed, try this foolproof side. 22 of 25 Sautéed Mustard Greens with Garlic and Lemon Laurey W. Glenn; Food Styling: William Smith; Prop Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham We call for mustard greens in this recipe, but spinach, kale, or Swiss chard can be used as well. 23 of 25 Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts photographs by ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; RECIPE: ANNA THEOKTISTO; FOOD STYLING: RUTH BLACKBURN; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINA DALEY Lightly smashed and crisped up in a skillet, we finish these Brussels sprouts with tons of salty grated cheese for extra flavor. 24 of 25 Cucumber Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke This Cucumber Salad recipe comes from the Southern Living Party Cookbook, which was originally published in 1972, but we think it's a pretty timeless side dish for spaghetti and more. 25 of 25 Grilled Sweet Pepper Salad With Ricotta And Summer Herbs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Creamy ricotta cuts through the smoky char of grilled sweet peppers, while fresh summer herbs add freshness to this side dish. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! 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