From a guest perspective, you never know what you’re going to get when it comes to wedding food or whether there will be options you’ll like. From the couple’s perspective, when you’re spending a ton of money, time, and energy curating the perfect wedding menu, you don’t want any of the food to go to waste.

Planning the wedding menu is a delicate balancing act of helping to create a fun and interesting dining experience for guests, while also including some of your favorite or desired meals because, after all, it’s your wedding!

Pasta is one of the most common dishes that gets served at wedding receptions because it’s a common entree found throughout many cultures and cuisines. Today, I’m sharing a round up on the best pasta sides that you should consider for your wedding, especially if you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck and present a memorable food experience on your big day for everyone to enjoy.

5 Pasta Side Dishes for Wedding

If you’re planning to add pasta to your menu, you’re probably wondering, what are the best pasta side dishes? It’s a wedding so you’ll likely be interested in thinking bigger and beyond a basic spaghetti or pasta salad. Regardless of the type of pasta you choose, here are some of the best pasta side dishes around for your wedding to help you take some of the guesswork out of the menu planning process.

Is Pasta A Side Dish

First thing’s first. You’re probably wondering if pasta is even a side dish? It certainly can be! Yes, for the most part, pasta is the main course. However, pasta in America can traditionally be viewed as a starchy side dish, especially if it’s meat free and served alongside a protein like fish or chicken for example.

To balance out your meals, serve any of the side dish recipes listed below with your choice of healthy vegetable side dishes and an entree’ and you’ve got yourself a complete menu of flavor and satisfaction.

What Are The Best Pasta Sides

Creamy Lemon Pasta

The fresh ingredients in this side dish offer the perfect notes of citrus to brighten up any meal. This works great to take a break from heavier entrees or you can keep it light and serve this side with fish.

Ingredients

2 cups Zoodles (zucchini noodles), raw or frozen - 42 calories

⅓ Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) - 0 calories

4 slice Lemon, slice - 0 calories

0 cup Heavy Cream (cups) - 50 calories

2 oz Cheese, Parmesan, shaved (oz) - 222 calories

¼ tsp Pepper, ground - 0 calories

¼ tsp Basil, dried - 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1

Note: we’re using the lemon peel of 1/2 a lemon, not 4 lemon slices here.

Step 2

Spray a pan with an oil spray. Add in garlic. Cook zoodles on stovetop – if cooking from frozen, drain away any excess liquid once cooked through.

Step 3

Once cooked through, add lemon peel and cream to the pan, heat for 3-4 minutes.

Step 4

Remove lemon peel.

Step 5

Transfer to a bowl, top with basil, shaved parm, and pepper.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Hearts of Palm Noodles

This creamy alfredo is so rich and flavorful, perfect solo or alongside steak or chicken entrees’.

Ingredients

9 oz Hearts of palm pasta (spaghetti shape) - 60 calories

½ cup Alfredo sauce - 200 calories

6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories

2 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) - 34 calories

⅛ tsp Garlic salt - 0 calories

1 tsp Avocado oil (tsp) - 41 calories

¼ tsp Pepper, ground - 0 calories

1 Tbsp Parsley, fresh - 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1

Slice chicken into bite sized pieces

Step 2

Drain hearts of palm pasta and rinse with water

Step 3

Add oil to an oven-safe pan (like a cast iron pan)

Step 4

Stir fry chicken and noodles on medium heat until chicken has cooked through, about 5-6 minutes

Step 5

Mix in Alfredo sauce, garlic salt, and pepper

Step 6

Top with grated Parmesan

Step 7

Set the oven to Broil and bake for 3-4 minutes, until you see a little golden brown on the top

Step 8

Top with chopped parsley (optional!)

Step 9

No dairy? Swap this meal out for another. No chicken? Use white beans or tofu

Creamy Noodles with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Oooo, imagine taking a bite of this creamy pasta side dish during a summer wedding and following it up with a bite of baked chicken and green beans. De-lish!

Ingredients

½ cup Pasta, spaghetti, whole wheat, cooked - 90 calories

¼ cup Alfredo sauce - 100 calories

1 Tbsp Tomatoes, sun-dried, oil packed - 17 calories

4 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw - 28 calories

6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories

2 cups Zoodles (zucchini noodles), raw or frozen - 42 calories

¼ tsp Pepper, ground - 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1

Cook pasta as instructed on package.

Step 2

Slice raw chicken into strips.

Step 3

Spray pan with an oil spray.

Step 4

If cooking zoodles from frozen: stir fry zoodles for ~8 minutes on medium heat, breaking them up with a wooden or silicone spoon occasionally, until cooked through. Drain away any excess liquid.

Step 5

Add chicken (and fresh or now stir-fried from frozen zoodles) to the pan and stir fry for ~6 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through.

Step 6

Add in rest of ingredients (pasta, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo, seasoning) to the pan, and heat through for ~5 minutes on low heat.

Step 7

Gluten free? Use gluten free pasta. Dairy free? Use dairy free pesto, available at most stores.

Step 8

No chicken? Use beans or tofu.

Light Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 cups Mixed greens - 20 calories

3 Uncured bacon, slice - 132 calories

¼ Onion, red - 11 calories

1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories

1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (Tbsp) - 3 calories

½ cup Pasta, whole wheat, cooked - 80 calories

¼ tsp Salt - 0 calories

¼ tsp Pepper, ground - 0 calories

Instructions

Step 1

Cook pasta as instructed on package

Step 2

Dice onion

Step 3

Cut bacon into small pieces with kitchen shears

Step 4

Add bacon to a pan, cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 8 minutes

Step 5

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, top with seasonings, oil, and vinegar

Step 6

No bacon? Use turkey or soy bacon, or sunflower seeds

Step 7

Gluten free? Use gluten free pasta

Mac and cheese

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? Use your favorite, go-to recipe at your wedding or you can even try this cauliflower mac and cheese dish for an interesting and healthier twist!

Ingredients

½ cup Milk, 2% (cups) - 61 calories

1 cup Pasta, elbows, whole wheat, cooked - 106 calories

¼ cup Cauliflower rice, raw (already riced) - 10 calories

⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, cheddar - 152 calories

Instructions

Step 1

This recipe works best if you multiply the recipe by 4 to make 4 servings. Also, this recipe starts with uncooked noodles (even though it says cooked in the ingredients). Start with 1/4 cup uncooked noodles.

Step 2

Bring 2% milk to boil.

Step 3

Add in uncooked elbows, cook for 7 minutes.

Step 4

Add in riced-cauliflower, cook for add’l 3 minutes.

Step 5

There should be a little extra milk – that is good!

Step 6

Add shredded cheese.

Step 7

Stir for an add’l 3 minutes, and you’re done.

Step 8

Gluten-free? Use gluten free pasta.

How To Choose Side Dishes For Wedding

Entrees matter

Once you have some idea of the protein that’s being served at your wedding, it’ll help make choosing the sides a whole lot easier. For example, chicken is pretty much a universal protein that pairs well with almost any side dish there is… Fish and red meat on the other hand lend themselves to sides with lighter ingredients.

Go fresh

When choosing a side for pasta, give your guests the opportunity to break up heavier meals with lighter bites of fresh ingredients. If there is protein or a heavier starch, you’ll want a side dish recipe that includes fresh vegetables and garnishes that help brighten up the dish.

Got any tips of your own? Let’s talk about it in the comments down below. Curious to know!