8 Easy Pasta Side Dishes to Pair With Your Favorite Proteins

Pastina

We cried when one pasta maker chose to stop making the official starry shape of pasta. We loved the celestial shape of pasta. When we found out that Stanley Tucci helped bring back pastina, we were amazed and thrilled.

Macaroni and Cheese with Cashew Cream

Try this grown-up, well-balanced mac and cheese instead of boxed mac and cheese this week as a side dish for pasta. Even though it's made from scratch and can be made meatless,

Herbed Garden Couscous

This pasta side dish only needs to be cooked once. Getting the rice ready. The only things left to do to make this pasta side dish that will help you clean out your fridge are toss the colorful vegetables and herbs together and shake up the balsamic sauce.

Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Pasta

This best pasta side dish could save the day...or at least your dinner plans if you're short on time. Only six items are needed, and you only need to spend 10 minutes making it.

Roasted Tomato and Mushroom Pasta Salad

Why make different pasta side meals and veggie salads when you can put them both together in one fresh package? To make this pasta salad taste even better, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms are added.

Orzo with Butternut Squash, Sage, and Bacon

It was called "easy and delicious" by one five-star reviewer, and one swap gives this cozy pasta side dish a big flavor boost. Orzo that cooks quickly should not be boiled in water.

Cauliflower Gnocchi

When Trader Joe's first put out their version of this popular cauliflower recipe, it sold out so fast that they had to limit how many bags each customer could buy.

Triple-Veggie Pasta

This easy, cheesy, vegetable-packed pasta side dish is a great way to use up what you got at the vegetable stand. What a silly name for it! The dish calls for a lot more than three vegetable picks.