Lasagna might seem like a modern dish, yet it actually has a long history. It is even thought to be the first form of pasta ever made. How impressive is that?
Of course, lasagna has undergone many changes over time. There are also plenty of different versions, including lasagna made with spinach and ricotta instead of meat and low-carb versions that use zucchini or another vegetable instead of pasta. While the versions cater to different audiences, they’re all delicious.
We need to think about all these differences when considering what to serve with lasagna. The nature of your meal is important too. In particular, are you serving lasagna as the main with a side or two to complement it? In that case, you’re mostly looking for a palate cleanser and some type of texture contrast.
Or perhaps you’re trying to make a more balanced meal? Here, you might need a larger salad or perhaps a decent serving of vegetables. Some of the most famous sides for lasagna include garlic bread and a fresh salad. You can also experiment with grilled vegetables, cucumber salad, or perhaps even stuffed mushrooms.
What To Serve With Lasagna (13 Sides To Try)
A Light Salad With Vinaigrette
Most conversations about lasagna sides start with a light salad as the side of choice. It’s easy to see why, as lasagna is already rich and heavy. A light side like salad offers an excellent contrast and helps refresh your palate with every bite. The salad also provides fiber, which is important for digestion.
While most types of salad will work, those with a vinaigrette dressing are the most powerful. The vinaigrette gives the salad a fantastic sharpness and makes it refreshing.
Serving a salad with lasagna also allows people to choose how their meals are balanced. Some people might end up with a lot of lasagna and just a small amount of salad. Others might get closer to a 50/50 split.
And, of course, there are infinite ways to change up your salad. You can experiment with different vegetables, dressings, and mix-ins. What about including fresh fruit, croutons, or bacon in your salad? Those additions all make the side even more exciting.
Fall Crunch Salad With Champagne Vinaigrette
This Fall Crunch Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette has some of the features of a regular salad, along with distinct differences. One difference is the ingredients, which include fennel, radishes, and radicchio. This selection offers a peppery flavor with a little sweetness, which is much more interesting than a regular lettuce salad.
Then there’s the dressing, which relies on champagne vinegar. This type of vinegar is made from the same types of grapes as wine and has a more nuanced flavor profile than other types of vinegar. It also has a slight sweetness, making it an excellent addition to salads.
Cucumber Salad
Salads traditionally use leafy greens like lettuce as the base ingredient. That style works well, but it’s not the only way to go. Other vegetables can be an excellent salad base too, including cucumber.
Cucumber is particularly interesting because it has a high water content. The water makes cucumber very refreshing, especially when you pair it with a light vinaigrette and perhaps some sliced red onions.
Cucumber salads can be made with just a few ingredients or you can expand them out. Cherry tomatoes are a fantastic addition, as they provide vibrant bursts of flavor. You could also mix in a little fresh dill, as dill and cucumber always complement each other.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This Creamy Cucumber Salad is light, fresh, and delicious, which makes it perfect alongside a heavy meal like lasagna. It’s also very easy to make, as the recipe just requires a handful of ingredients.
Besides the cucumber, you’re going to need sour cream, lemon juice, dill, and some optional sugar. Surprising as it may seem, this handful of ingredients combines to make a refreshing and delicious salad. You don’t even need any other vegetables.
Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is fascinating as a lasagna side. On one hand, it seems like it shouldn’t work, given that lasagna already contains a decent number of carbs. Adding bread seems like it would make the meal even heavier.
Yet, garlic bread is also one of the most popular sides for garlic bread.
This may be partly because garlic bread and lasagna are both comforting foods. Serving the two together works wonderfully, giving you a meal that’s hard to forget. You can also use the bread to mop up any leftover liquid from your lasagna, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.
Beyond that, garlic bread pairs well with almost any meal imaginable. You’ll find it served with pizza, mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, and countless other meals.
Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
This Garlic Pull-Apart Bread has two big advantages over regular garlic bread. The first is the pull-apart style, which is fantastic fun at parties and somehow seems to make the bread taste even better.
Then there’s the inclusion of shredded mozzarella cheese (not the fresh stuff, while fresh mozzarella is wonderful, it melts differently). The mozzarella cheese melts and sticks the bread together, so that every piece of bread comes with cheese as well as garlic.
While the original recipe just calls for mozzarella cheese, the recipe creator mentions that you can easily include other types of cheese as well. She often uses a shredded cheese mix plus parmesan for more flavor. Pepper jack is a good addition too, while herbs can be used to boost the flavor profile further.
Bruschetta
Bruschetta is a classic and popular appetizer. At its simplest, bruschetta involves grilled bread that has been rubbed with garlic and then topped with salt and olive oil.
However, most versions of bruschetta are more complex than that. You’ll often see extra toppings, like chopped tomatoes, salami, cheese, or balsamic vinegar.
When pairing bruschetta with lasagna, you’re looking for a complementary topping on the bruschetta. Roasted vegetables work well, especially when they are topped with fresh herbs. You could also experiment with refreshing ingredients, like making a mini caprese salad on top of the bread slices.
Golden Fig Bruschetta
This Golden Fig Bruschetta steps away from the traditional bruschetta topping ingredients to provide a stunning flavor. Fig spread and soft burrata cheese are the star ingredients of the recipe. They’re complemented by crispy pieces of prosciutto, which make the little appetizers even more exciting.
Don’t worry if you can’t find any burrata cheese. Other soft cheeses will taste delicious on these bruschetta pieces as well.
Grilled Vegetables
Lasagna typically relies on plenty of meat and pasta, plus rich tomato sauce and béchamel sauce. This means you’re not getting many vegetables with the meal itself, so why not serve some vegetables on the side?
Grilled vegetables are a fantastic way to go here, as they have a slight smokiness from the grill that works excellently with the meat in your lasagna. There are also plenty of options at your fingertips, given that many types of vegetables taste amazing after being grilled.
You could still serve grilled vegetables with a vegetable-based lasagna if you wanted to. If so, make sure the vegetables in your lasagna work well with the ones in your side.
Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese, Basil, And Honey
I love how this Grilled Zucchini with Goat Cheese, Basil, and Honey is a little different than normal. The use of goat cheese, basil, and honey provides more engaging and vibrant flavors than you normally get with grilled vegetables.
Zucchini is an especially good vegetable choice, as it works very well with lasagna. Zucchini even features heavily in some lasagna recipes, particularly keto lasagna.
Stuffed Mushrooms
No conversation of sides is complete without at least mentioning mushrooms. They have an earthy and almost meaty flavor of their own, so they’re an obvious choice with a meat heavy main.
But, that’s not all. Mushrooms also work with vegetarian lasagna, providing an earthiness that you don’t get with the meal otherwise.
Any type of mushroom side will work with lasagna, so you can easily pick your favorites (you can also experiment with the specific mushrooms). That said, stuffed mushrooms are particularly amazing. They provide much more flavor and texture than mushrooms on their own, and you can stuff them with whatever fillings you like.
Garlic Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
These Garlic Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms provide plenty of flavor, while also being completely free from meat. As such, they could easily be part of a vegetarian or vegan dinner.
The stuffing for the mushrooms is made from breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, and parmesan, plus herbs for seasoning. It’s a fantastic combination of ingredients, especially as garlic and parmesan complement each other so well.
Also, because this recipe doesn’t rely on meat, it’s easier than many other stuffed mushroom recipes. You should have no problems, even if you’ve never made stuffed mushrooms before.
Mint Lemonade
Because lasagna is so heavy, you might not want a food-based side at all. If that’s the case, why not serve mint lemonade instead? The mint makes the drink even more refreshing than regular lemonade and even helps to cleanse your palate.
You could even experiment with other types of lemonade, like strawberry lemonade or watermelon lemonade. Most versions would be excellent with lasagna, especially if you use sparkling water.
Mediterranean-Style Mint Lemonade
This Mediterranean-Style Mint Lemonade is a little different. Notably, it has more froth than regular lemonade and is denser as well.
The texture difference comes from the fact that you’re cutting up lemons and then blending them with crushed ice, water, lemon juice, sugar, and fresh mint. This combination is blended a few times, then you pour the liquid through a strainer.
Even with straining, using the whole lemon like this changes the flavor profile of your drink. Still… many people love this approach. Why not try it for yourself?
Caesar Salad
Like a regular green salad, a Caesar salad offers an excellent texture contrast to your lasagna. However, there are some interesting extra ingredients, such as croutons, parmesan cheese, bacon, and a rich creamy dressing.
These ingredients make the salad much richer and more decadent. This could be a good thing, as lasagna itself is a comfort food, so a similar side makes sense.
In fact, Caesar salad is frequently recommended as a lasagna side on Reddit threads. So, plenty of people take this approach and love it. Just remember that Caesar salad can be high in calories (as is lasagna), so this combination is best kept as a meal for special occasions.
Kale Caesar Salad With Creamy Dressing
This Kale Caesar Salad with Creamy Dressing is an excellent alternative to a traditional Caesar salad. For one thing, switching from lettuce to kale makes the salad much healthier, which is reason enough to try it for yourself.
The dressing has also been changed. It is simpler than a traditional Caesar dressing and has a delicious tanginess to it. This dressing change makes the salad much easier to prepare. You might even prefer the flavor over the traditional approach.
Green Beans Or Asparagus
Green beans and asparagus are both fantastic vegetable sides for protein-heavy meals. With asparagus, you’re getting a distinctive and slightly bitter flavor, while green beans tend to be earthy and a little sweet instead (plus, they can even be cooked from frozen).
Both vegetables can be cooked in a variety of ways, such as poaching, roasting, or grilling asparagus. And, in each case, there are plenty of complementary spices that help the vegetables work even better with your lasagna.
Because green beans and asparagus are simple to cook, you can experiment to your heart’s content. After all, everyone varies in their flavor preferences.
Cold Asparagus Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
This Cold Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is perfect if you want a cold side to contrast your hot lasagna. It’s also a fascinating salad, as it includes asparagus, avocado, potatoes, parmesan, and a lemon-based dressing.
Using lemon is a fantastic idea, as this makes the salad vibrant and exciting.
The only limit of the salad is the potatoes. While these work in the salad, you might not want to serve starchy potatoes alongside lasagna. If this is a problem, simply leave the potatoes out. The salad should taste just as good without them.
Spinach Salad
Now we come to another vegetable-based option – spinach salad. Well… you can really use any type of dark leafy greens if you like, as the effect is much the same.
Spinach salads work well, as they’re more robust and nutritious than a lettuce-based salad, while still being easy to make. You can even use most of the same add-ins and dressing recipes with a spinach salad as with a lettuce one.
Baby spinach works especially well, as it is more tender and sweeter than mature spinach. You’ll often even be able to find it pre-washed and bagged at a local grocery store.
If you’re using another type of green, think a little about the flavor profile. For example, kale can be quite bitter when consumed raw, while arugula has peppery notes.
Spinach Salad With Warm Bacon Dressing
Looking for something comforting? If so, this Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing could do just the trick.
The salad has plenty going for it, including a delicious flavor profile, plenty of bacon, and some interesting texture contrasts. There are even hard boiled eggs included, which makes the salad more filling than normal.
Now, if your lasagna already includes plenty of meat, the eggs mightn’t be needed at all (you could simply leave them out). If you’re serving a vegetable-based lasagna instead, then the eggs are perfect, as the extra protein makes your meal more filling.
Caprese Salad
A caprese salad isn’t a traditional salad at all. Instead, it relies on fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Some versions are also dressed with balsamic vinegar, while others leave the balsamic out and allow the other ingredients to shine. This is a great option if you want something fresh and vibrant, but aren’t too keen on greens.
For some, this salad might seem like a surprising recommendation, given that you already have tomatoes and cheese in your lasagna itself. Yet, doubling up on flavors often works very well indeed.
To vary things up, you might chop the caprese salad ingredients, rather than serving them as slices. You could also try using freshly made basil pesto as a condiment instead of balsamic vinegar.
Spinach Caprese Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette
This Spinach Caprese Salad has all the ingredients you find in a traditional caprese salad, along with a decent number of extras. First, you have chopped red onion and spinach within the salad itself. The spinach is an excellent choice, as its flavors work well with mozzarella and tomatoes (and with your lasagna).
Then there’s the balsamic vinaigrette that goes over the salad. This relies on balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard. The dressing still gives you the classic balsamic vinegar flavor, just with less intensity than using the vinegar on its own.
Broccoli And Cauliflower
Broccoli and cauliflower are both cruciferous vegetables, which makes them both healthy and delicious. They’re also an excellent choice as a side, as they’re easy to prepare.
Plus, broccoli and cauliflower are similar enough that you can easily cook and serve the two vegetables together (you can even cook broccoli and cauliflower straight from frozen). Or, you can just go with your favorite and ignore the other type.
Be sure to avoid overcooking these vegetables, as they end up mushy and can be a little bitter. It’s much better if the broccoli and cauliflower have some firmness. They taste better this way and you also get an interesting texture contrast between them and your lasagna.
Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
This Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad could be an exciting side for many mains. The salad includes broccoli, cauliflower, celery, green onion, and red onion, plus apple, dried cranberries, feta, and roasted almonds.
Those salad ingredients are complemented by a creamy dressing that brings everything together nicely.
There’s a decent number of ingredients in this salad, which gives it a complex texture. The texture alone makes the salad fantastic as a side. You’re also getting plenty of flavor and nutrients from the featured ingredients.
Quinoa Salad
Finally, we’re up to quinoa salads. These use the pseudograin quinoa as the base ingredient. This is often complemented by salad mix-ins, plus some type of dressing.
While this type of salad is relatively high in carbs, it’s also very nutritious. Quinoa also has a subtle flavor, so it pairs well with plenty of different ingredients. This allows you to make the salad any way you see fit.
Baby Arugula Quinoa Salad
This Baby Arugula Quinoa Salad varies things up by including quinoa and leafy greens in the same salad. The recipe relies on arugula, which offers a somewhat peppery flavor. However, you can use kale or another dark leafy green if you don’t have arugula on hand.
There are some other interesting ingredients too, including sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, and dried cranberries. These all add to the texture and flavor of the salad, creating a stunning dish.
What To Serve With Vegetable Lasagna
For a vegetable lasagna, you’re likely to want some source of protein in the side, otherwise it won’t be filling enough. This will often involve using protein in your salads, such as by adding eggs, quinoa, chickpeas, or even beans.
You could also turn to meat, such as serving a vegetable lasagna alongside meatloaf or steak. Still… if you’re taking that approach, why not just have meat in your lasagna to begin with?
What Dessert To Serve With Lasagna
Gelato is a popular dessert with lasagna, as it’s light, refreshing, and perfect as a palate cleanser. Other refreshing desserts, especially those that use lemon as a key ingredient, can also be considered.
Alternatively, some people go with tiramisu. This isn’t because of the taste or texture, but simply because it is layered in the same way as lasagna. Chocolate lasagna would be a candidate for the same reason.
What To Serve With Lasagna For Christmas Dinner
Most of the sides we’ve discussed here would work well for Christmas dinner, particularly salads, as you’ll often have multiple heavy dishes as part of your dinner.
But, because it’s Christmas, you’ll often want to make the side a little special. Doing so might include using festive ingredients like dried cranberries, paying closer attention to presentation, or choosing a more complex recipe.
Best Breweries In Denver