Food and Recipes Pasta Types Spaghetti 20 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 Updated on July 17, 2024 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 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, like our Garlic Parmesan Green Beans that will win everyone over. Perhaps you need simplicity; our easy Roasted Broccoli is a great option. We're sure you'll find dinner inspiration in one of the following side dishes that go perfectly with spaghetti, or any pasta dinner you have on the menu. 01 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 02 of 20 Air Fryer Asparagus Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Air fryer asparagus is faster and easier than your typical oven-roasted asparagus and it's just as crisp and tender, Get The Recipe 03 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 04 of 20 Skillet-Roasted Carrots Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley The natural sweetness of carrots rounds out any dinner. This pan-roasted side is easy to pull together next to your spaghetti on the stovetop. Get the Recipe 05 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 06 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 07 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 08 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 09 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 10 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 11 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 12 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 13 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 14 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 15 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 16 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 17 of 20 Roasted Delicata Squash Jessica Furniss When it comes to delicata squash, there's no pesky peeling, which makes this squash side faster than most other roasted vegetable dishes. Get the Recipe 18 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 19 of 20 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. Get The Recipe 20 of 20 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. Get The Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit