What side dish to serve with lasagna

Lasagna is one of the most comforting meals in the fall and winter months. Hearty, rich, and truly tasty, it’s a dinner that brings all friends and family together. And if you’ve been wondering what is a good side dish to serve with lasagna, we have a list of our top picks of side dishes below, from classic garlic bread to creamy spinach. 

Garlic bread

If you like your carbs with a side of carbs, then garlic bread has to be the go-to choice for a side dish with lasagna and certainly top of our list for what to serve with lasagna besides salad. You can buy garlic bread at the grocery store that’s ready for baking, but we think it’s worth taking the extra time to make it at home. You’ll need a crusty bread that can be easily sliced horizontally, and ciabatta works exceptionally well for that authentic Italian taste. For a classic garlic bread recipe, rub butter, crushed garlic cloves, and parsley into the bread. Then top with cheese and grill in the oven for around five minutes on a high heat. Savor the aromas of garlic and cheese that’ll fill your kitchen whilst simultaneously summoning everyone to the table for dinner. 

When considering what side dish you should serve with lasagna, it’s tempting to always opt for the indulgent choice. But we think a smashed cucumber salad provides an irresistible, lighter side dish to serve alongside your lasagna. Traditionally found in Asian cuisine, this is a great side dish if you want to bring a touch of fusion cooking to your kitchen. Packed with flavor it’s an unusual, zesty salad that cuts through the rich and creamy layers of the lasagna. Bash the cucumbers to burst them open and let the ginger and sesame dressing seep into the fruit. Tangy, with a hint of umami from the soy sauce, it’s a refreshing pairing with a rich lasagna. 

Whilst you can easily plate up a lasagna alongside a fresh, simple serving of vegetables, we like ours with a twist. Try making maple-glazed carrots, to bring a sweetness to your side dish. These carrots will take around an hour in the oven, so they can cook alongside your lasagna, ready to plate and serve at the same time. Bake the carrots in kitchen foil with a mix of butter, maple syrup, pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar. The result is an incredibly tasty, caramelized side dish of carrots. It’s a quick way to elevate your carrots and make sure everyone’s tucking into their veggies. If maple syrup is hard to source you can also use alternatives like honey for a similar effect. 

Creamy spinach is our favorite recipe to take this iron-rich green and make it undeniably appetizing. It’s the perfect way to enjoy spinach in the colder months, and pairs beautifully with a lasagna. This is the side dish to make if you want to enhance the comfort food factor of your lasagna and introduce a little color to the plate in the meantime. Some chefs will even add a grating of nutmeg to their creamy spinach for an additional festive touch, if you’re enjoying a lasagna with friends and family during the holidays. It’s best to use full-fat milk for this recipe to ensure you reach that desired creamy texture in the end. 

From smashed cucumber salad to smashed Brussels sprouts, we can’t but help notice a theme with our selection of side dishes. Smashing ingredients has become a fun technique of the foodie world in recent years, including recipes like smashed burgers and smashed roast potatoes. At Christmas, smashed Brussels sprouts is a great idea to bring this trend to the table. You’ll want to select sprouts that are all roughly the same size, so that they cook evenly. You’re aiming for a really crispy, smashed sprout at the end of the process, so it’s worth ensuring that they’re fully dried with no excess moisture after par-boiling so they crisp up nicely in the oven. In the recipe shared we’ve suggested seasoning with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and sprinkling with parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon before serving. But you can vary the recipe with different herbs and spices, and of course, remove the red pepper flakes if you’d prefer a less spicy version.