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 an easy air fryer dish. Maybe you’re looking for an irresistible veggie side dish, like green beans, to win everyone over. Or perhaps you need simplicity, for which our easy roasted vegetables are 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.
Credit: 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.
Credit: 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. You can keep it simple with salt and pepper, or jazz it up like we did with everything bagel seasoning and crumbled goat cheese.
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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.
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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.
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Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
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. Cook time is just six minutes, leaving a little crispness to the veggies.
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Caitlin Bensel
Bacon and Parmesan deliver a double dose of savory flavor to roasted green beans in this recipe. Look for bright, crisp green beans for the freshest flavor.
Credit: 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. You also want to cut the broccoli florets into uniform sizes so they crisp up evenly.
Credit: 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.
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Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith
Even though these don’t take long to prepare, they are big on flavor. Tangy balsamic vinegar coats and caramelizes the green beans in this recipe, while pearl onions add a touch of sweetness.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
It’s hard to beat a sheet pan of extra crispy Brussels sprouts and these are the perfect hearty vegetable to accompany any pasta dinner. Aside from the veggie itself, the ingredient list is all common pantry items.
Credit: 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. Squeeze charred lemons, which roast with the Broccolini, over the top before serving.
If you’re struggling to find broccolini, you can also use broccoli with the stem for this recipe. Cut it into quarters lengthwise and cook for the same time.
Credit: 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. Top with fresh basil to tie the spaghetti dinner together.
Credit: Photo: Alison Miksch
The buttermilk and Parmesan dressing on this BLT-inspired salad combines a Southern classic with an Italian staple. You can bake the bacon and croutons on the same baking sheet for speedier cook time.
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.
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Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser
Get an extra dose of veggie to serve with your pasta thanks to this beet salad. Using pre-cooked beets makes whipping up this easy salad a breeze.
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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.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
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.
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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.
Credit: 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.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Steaming the Brussels sprouts in the microwave first shortens the cooking time. Lightly smashed and crisped up in a skillet, we finish these Brussels sprouts with tons of salty grated cheese for extra flavor.
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray
Heirloom tomatoes and sweet roasted peppers combine for a fabulous fresh side dish. Roasted black-eyed peas replace croutons to bring the crunch you want.
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Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Traditionally served with marinara sauce, these Garlic Knots can be dipped into your spaghetti sauce so you can savor every last drop. These need time to rise so get an early head start.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
These asparagus spears don’t take long to prepare or to cook. Coat the spears with garlic and oil, wrap with prosciutto, and broil. They’re ready in minutes.
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Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wenddorf; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Crunchy sliced almonds, fresh lemon juice and zest, and brown butter make ordinary green beans feel all dressed up. This pretty dish is simple to make.
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Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Salad and spaghetti go hand in hand. Toss this pretty salad with radishes, herbs, and spring onions. The vinaigrette is made with a blend of more fresh herbs, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice for tang, and a touch of honey for sweetness.
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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. Pop this in the oven just before you drain your pasta.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cesar salad might be the typical side for spaghetti, but this spinach-based one is a great way to get a healthy dose of greens. And if you’re not a blue cheese fan, just swap it for feta.
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Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
For those who aren’t the biggest broccoli lovers—try this salad version that’s packed with bacon, cheese, onion, cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, and tossed with a mayonnaise-based dressing to make it creamy.
Dining and Cooking