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Home » Side Dish Recipes

What to Serve with Baked Ziti

Published: Jan 10, 2023 Last Updated: Jan 6, 2023 by Marye 722 words. | About 4 minutes to read this article.

Collage of side dish images with text overlay for Pinterest.

Wondering what to serve with baked ziti?

In this classic dish, yummy meat sauce, al dente ziti pasta, and loads of parmesan cheese combine to make up the perfect comfort food.

However, whether you're enjoying baked ziti as a weeknight family meal or having guests over for a dinner party, what's served alongside the main dish is just as important!

Collage of side dish images with text overlay.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why we love it
  • What to Serve with Baked Ziti
  • 🥦 Vegetables and Sides
  • Breads
  • Desserts
  • 🍷 Wine and cocktails
  • 🍇 Garnish
  • 💭 Things to know
  • These sides also go great with...

❤️ Why we love it

  • A perfect make-ahead meal
  • Great way to use up ground beef or leftover ground meat
  • Beginner friendly—it's one of those pasta dishes that always turns out delicious

Baked ziti is a classic Italian American pasta bake. It's so versatile, both when it comes to the ingredients you can use in it and what you can serve with it.

Overhead view of this recipe.

What to Serve with Baked Ziti

Now that you've decided on an easy baked ziti recipe for dinner, it's time to figure out what to serve with it! Keep reading to learn about the best side dishes, desserts, garnishes, and more to make with your delicious pasta dinner.

Decorative image. Close up of a plate of the salad with a fork in it.
Fresh green beans, cherry tomatoes, and baby potatoes star in this easy recipe.

🥦 Vegetables and Sides

Veggies taste great alongside the heartiness of a rich tomato sauce and cooked pasta. Plus, they're usually pretty quick to make, so serving vegetables is one of the best ways to get dinner done and on the table!

  1. Asparagus casserole with Ritz crackers
  2. Baked zucchini
  3. Broccoli with lemon juice
  4. Caprese salad
  5. Fresh greens salad with cherry tomatoes and bell pepper
  6. Green bean casserole
  7. Haricots verts
  8. Italian green bean salad
  9. Italian salad with leafy greens and balsamic vinaigrette
  10. Maple roasted carrots
  11. Marinated artichokes
  12. Roasted green beans with garlic and red peppers
  13. Roasted sweet potato salad (great for a holiday meal!)
  14. Scalloped tomatoes
  15. Seasoned squash
  16. Spicy roasted cauliflower
  17. Steamed broccoli
  18. Yellow squash with butter and herbs
Homemade Baguette stacked on another.

Breads

Warm, crusty bread goes with just about any type of pasta. Plus, you can use it as a spoon to swipe up every last drop of tangy tomato sauce.

  1. Baguette slices
  2. Cheddar and black pepper rolls
  3. Cheese-stuffed knots
  4. Cheesy garlic bread
  5. Ciabatta rolls
  6. Easy, 30-minute dinner rolls
  7. Frozen rolls sprinkled with Italian seasoning
  8. Garlic breadsticks
  9. Garlic knots
  10. Kalamata olive bread
  11. Multigrain rolls
  12. Potato bread
  13. Potato rolls
  14. Rosemary focaccia
  15. Rustic cloche bread
  16. Savory scones
  17. Sourdough slices
  18. Texas toast with mozzarella cheese
  19. Whole wheat bread slices
A closeup of a slice of pie with a bite removed.

Desserts

When planning what to serve with baked ziti dinner, don't forget dessert! A little something sweet is the perfect way to finish off a hearty meal.

  1. Brownies
  2. Butter pecan toffee cookies
  3. Candy
  4. Chocolate chip cookies
  5. Chocolate-covered cherries
  6. Chocolate layer cake with cookies and cream filling
  7. Classic apple pie
  8. Ice cream sundaes
  9. No-bake Hershey pie with a chocolate graham cracker crust
  10. Orange muffins
  11. Peanut butter pretzel bites
  12. Raisin bread
  13. Red velvet cake
  14. Shortbread cookies
  15. Vintage buttermilk cake
The commodore cocktail is an elegant mixture of bourbon, creme de cacao, and lemon first mixed right around Prohibition. From RestlessChipotle.com

🍷 Wine and cocktails

Properly paired liquid libations can give your meal so much extra flavor! Here are some of my favorite drinks to serve with baked ziti.

  1. Aperol Spritz cocktail
  2. Chianti
  3. Commodore cocktail
  4. Fig Old-Fashioned cocktail
  5. Mulled wine
  6. Negroni cocktail
  7. Pinot Noir (especially if using Italian sausage in the casserole dish)
  8. Red Sangria
  9. Sangria Sunrise cocktail
  10. Sparkling non-alcoholic grape juice
  11. Zinfandel (if you like something sweeter)
  12. Durango cocktail

🍇 Garnish

A little bit of garnish makes your main dish look finished, and allows your family or guests to adjust everything to their taste. After all, even the best baked ziti recipes can use a little extra cheese sprinkled on top!

  1. Chiffonade-cut fresh basil
  2. Chopped parsley
  3. Fried sage
  4. Pecorino Romano grated cheese
  5. Red pepper flakes
  6. Shaved parmesan cheese

💭 Things to know

These tips will help you to have the best ziti casserole meal. After all, dinner is only as good as all of its components put together!

  • Baked ziti gets its name from the smooth, tube-shaped pasta noodles. However, you can use any tubular pasta, like penne or rigatoni.
  • You can make baked ziti ahead of time and cover it with plastic wrap until you're ready to bake.
  • For best results, refrigerate unbaked ziti for up to three days. You can freeze it for longer storage.
  • Don't dress a salad until serving time. Otherwise, the greens get soggy.
  • Consider serving side dishes that balance out the flavorful sauce and creamy textures—not something that overpowers them.
  • Since baked ziti is full of cheese, I generally avoid sides that are too creamy. Cottage cheese or sour cream-based sides are best served with another dish.
  • Remember to rinse leafy herbs like basil and parsley. Dry them easily using a salad spinner.

These sides also go great with...

  • Buffalo Chicken Pasta
  • Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese
  • Cream Cheese Chicken Spaghetti Bake
  • Million-Dollar Spaghetti
  • Angel Chicken Mac and Cheese

What are your favorite sides to pair with baked ziti? Share your ideas in the comments below!

More Legendary Southern Side Dish Recipes

  • Mom's Noodles Romanoff
  • What to Serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
  • Pasta con Broccoli
  • 41 Sides To Serve With Hash Brown Casserole
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About Marye

With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

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Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye.

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies.

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