17 Pasta Side Dishes for Dinner

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Pasta is great for dinner, but it’s even better when served on the side with a main dish to help the carb consumption.

Pasta is a super simple and quick to make to fill up a side dish if you find yourself low on side dishes like potatoes and vegetables.

Great meat dishes like steak and sloppy joes will pair well with these amazing pasta side dishes.

Contents

17 Pasta Side Dishes for Dinner

Here are 17 tasty pasta filled side dishes to have with your dinner.

1. Creamy Garlic Shells

Shells are one of the best pasta types out there, especially when paired with creamy cheese and lots of garlic and butter. With shells, the sauce can soak up all the sauce like a boat – so it’s perfect for sauce lovers.

An amazing recipe chock full of garlic and butter for Creamy Garlic Shells can be found at the website, For The Love of Cooking.

2. Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese is a super simple, and easy recipe that can be used with any type of cheese you prefer, though cheddar is traditional.

To serve an amazing pasta dish with your dinner of Sloppy Joes, an easy recipe to make it from scratch instead of processed from a box can be found at Mom on Timeout.

3. Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Garlic Parmesan Pasta can be made with any type of pasta you prefer, though spaghetti noodles are expected. This recipe is full of garlic, parmesan, and butter and pairs great with parmesan garlic bread.

A tasty pasta recipe for this dish can be found at Damn Delicious, a small cooking site.

4. Cheesy Taco Pasta

Want a taco with none of the crunch? Cheesy taco pasta is the weay to go – full of meat and cheese, and whatever toppings you want to add like lettuce or tomatoes as traditionally found ona taco.

To make this simple, and easy and tasty pasta dish can be found at the cooking site, Dinner, Then Dessert – so maybe check out this website for some great desserts as well!

5. Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera is full of tasty vegetables and is easily the healthiest dish on this list.

You can add any vegetables you want and can be ensured it’ll be a great dish no matter what, but if you prefer to follow a recipe, one can be found at Cooking Classy.

6. 5-Cheese Marinara

This is a recipe that is full of cheese and tasty marinara sauce – 5 cheeses, like mozzarella, cheddar, and more!

To follow a recipe for this simple dish to pair with maybe even a main dish of lasagna or sides of garlic bread, a recipe can be found at Two Peas and Their Pod.

7. Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is an amazing dish made with bacon, eggs, and cheese. It could probably even be mistaken as pasta for breakfast!

To make this tasty, albeit slightly more step-filled dish that requires a proper technique to make it, a recipe can be found at Gimme Some Oven.

8. Tortellini

This cheesy, garlic-y pasta is tasty and traditional It has a yummy ricotta cheese filling.

A recipe for the Cheese Garlic Ricotta Tortellini can be found at Culinary Hill, a small recipe testing site.

9. Pesto Pasta

Pesto is a great sauce with any pasta, although it may not pair as well with garlic bread as other sides might.

A tasty pesto sauce recipe, and additionally the pesto pasta recipe can be found at Love and Lemons, a yummy site with many recipes.

10. Italian Pasta Salad

A nice differentiation from all the plain pasta sauce recipe, this tangy and salty salad recipe is a popular at many potlucks and dinners.

A recipe for this tangy Italian Pasta Salad can be found at the site, Spend with Pennies.

11. Shrimp Pasta

Shrimp pasta is a tasty way to get protein into your diet, especially if you’re a pescatarian who only eats fish. Sautee your shrimp first, then add to pasta for some real nice flavor and crunch.

To find a tasty recipe for shrimp pasta (alfredo sauce optional), a great recipe can be found at The Recipe Critic.

12. Parmesan Orzo Pasta

Parmesan Orzo Pasta is another great recipe also filled with garlic, and butter, and parmesan. Orzo is a small elongated pasta – great with parmesan.

A great recipe for Parmesan Orzo Pasta can be found at the small cooking site, Taste of Home. This recipe is full of parmesan and garlic.

13. Angel Hair Pasta

Angel Hair Pasta is a recipe that can be added to and changed, and modified any way you please. You can marinara sauce, alfredo sauce, or even just butter.

The recipe that is found at Dinner At The Zoo is angel hair pasta, grape tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and parmesan cheese.

14. BLT Pasta Salad

Bacon Lettuce and Tomato as a sandwich is popular and tasty, but combine it with another carb-filled favorite pasta, and turning it into a salad is to sure to entice your guests.

A recipe for this simple pasta salad recipe can be found at Crunchy Creamy Sweet.

15. Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti is an amazing tasty pasta dish full of tomato sauce and yummy sausage and cheese-y goodness.

This version of baked ziti replaces ground beef like is used in lasagna, with Italian sausage. The recipe can be found at Budget Bytes – a recipe that allows tasty meals on a budget.

16. Fettucine Alfredo

Fettucine Alfredo is a popular dish to add plenty of proteins too. To boost your protein or your iron intake, add things like steak, chicken, or shrimp to this dish to make it more filling than just plain pasta.

A simple recipe for fettucine alfredo can be found at Modern Honey.

17. Creamy Beef and Shells

Creamy Beef and Shells is a great addition with baked beans and some sloppy joes or macaroni and cheese. It’s made with cheese and ground beef and shell pasta is perfect for getting perfect bites.

An easy recipe for this dish that also uses tasty cream cheese and beef broth can be found at The Cozy Cook.

Wrap Up

These tasty pasta dishes are good for everyone and can be adapted and changed for everyone of any diet.

Pair these tasty side dishes with sloppy joes, steak, and other yummy side dishes like starches and vegetables.

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