Mac and cheese is a classic comfort food that is well-loved all over the world. With its creamy sauce and rich taste, mac and cheese is the perfect side dish for any occasion.
If you're not sure what to serve with mac and cheese, this list will provide tasty side dishes and main dish ideas that pair well with it.
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Sloppy Joes
What better way to have mac n cheese than with a homemade sloppy joe? Both dishes are messy, saucy, and full of savory flavors. This may be an easy recipe to make, but that doesn't mean it is not a flavor explosion. This recipe is made with lamb, but feel free to substitute with ground beef.
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet and salty is a classic combination, and that is true with this combo. The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes brings out the savory flavors of the cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese in the pasta's sauce. It is foodie heaven!
Roasted Green Beans
If you are looking for something healthy to serve alongside the macaroni cheese, these roasted green beans are your best bet. They're healthy but don't skip out on flavor by any means. With this side dish, you won't feel so guilty after the meal.
Garlic Bread
What better side dish for a creamy cheese sauce-covered pasta than garlic bread? The bread soaks up the cheesy goodness while imparting a bold garlic flavor. This recipe takes it up a notch by adding lots of melted butter, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. But, the extra cheese can be skipped.
Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Macaroni cheese is the perfect side dish for meat, especially BBQ-style meat main dishes. This brisket sandwich is filled with meaty goodness that balances out the creamy macaroni. It is a textural delight for your taste buds!
Caramelized Onions
There are many side dishes and main dishes that pair well with mac and cheese, but what about toppings? Top it off with these sweet, cooked-down onions! Cooking onions for a long time helps bring out their natural sweetness that mixes wonderfully with the pasta's sharp notes. Use sweet onions as opposed to red onions for the best results.
Shredded Chicken Sliders
These tangy and smoky sliders pair perfectly with creamy mac and cheese. The tangy notes of the BBQ sauce help to balance out the richness of the cheese sauce, making for a delicious dinner.
Zucchini and Tomato Soup
Just like grilled cheese, macaroni cheese tastes incredible with a side dish of zucchini and tomato soup. The acidity of the tomato cuts through the sharp cheddar notes of the pasta, refreshing the palate for another bite!
Hot Dogs
If you are wondering what to serve with mac and cheese at your next grill-out, why not cook a classic hot dog? The sausages add a nice salty protein to the pasta making it feel heartier. Make some cabbage coleslaw or sauerkraut for some guilt-free cookout side dishes!
Simple Green Salad
A mac and cheese recipe will always be a rich and creamy delight. But, sometimes with all that gooey cheese, it can be hard to eat a lot in one sitting. A great way to enjoy mac and cheese is with a simple salad. Make this recipe however you like!
Play around with this green salad recipe. Try adding cheeses like feta cheese, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or add in different vegetables. Sprinkle some poppy seeds on top for that extra crunch.
Pork Medallions with Apricot and Leek Sauce
Pork tenderloin is cooked in a beautiful sauce that blends the sweet and earthy flavors of apricots and leeks. Its array of flavors is only amplified when paired with cheese recipes. This pork tenderloin dish is best served with side dishes like macaroni and cheese, rice, or salad. Something that will soak up all that saucy goodness!
BBQ Sauce Chicken
What's a BBQ without a side of mac and cheese? The sweetness of the brown sugar in the sauce brings out the saltiness of homemade mac, providing a flavorful party for the taste buds! This recipe can be made with bone-in or boneless chicken.
Smoked Chicken Wings
Whether you're cooking mac and cheese in the oven or a slow cooker, it can take a while to make. While you finish cooking the pasta, try making these incredible smoked chicken wings! Their smoky flavor and crispy skin combine wonderfully with the creamy sauce.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
It can be tough to find what to serve with mac and cheese. It's a creamy and delicious comfort food, but sometimes you need a bit of acidity to balance out the richness.
That's where these roasted cherry tomatoes come in! Roasting the tomatoes in olive oil brings out their sweet and acidic taste which cuts through the extravagant cheesiness of the pasta.
Pulled Pork
Pulled pork and mac and cheese are the ultimate comfort food. Your taste buds will experience savory, sweet, salty, and acidic notes. This recipe is cooked in a dutch oven, but you can make it in a slow cooker as well.
Lima Beans
Beans are cooked with plenty of seasonings and crispy bacon bits to pack them with flavor and texture. It's a simple side dish, but that doesn't mean it lacks taste!
Chicken Tenders
These pan-fried chicken tenders are perfectly crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. It goes best with creamy and tasty side dishes like mac and cheese! The crunch coating soaks up the sauce and takes on its cheesy flavors. Round out the meal with gravy for an even better experience.
BBQ Lamb Ribs
Tender ribs are covered in a delightful rub blend before marinating in a tangy BBQ sauce. The spice will tingle your tongue, but a small bowl of mac and cheese on the side will surely calm the heat!
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Sweet, savory, crunchy, and slightly acidic - these are just some of the many things you'll experience with this lovely brussels sprouts dish. With its bold taste, it's no wonder that it tastes so good with mac and cheese! It's so yummy though, you might just want to eat it as a savory snack.
Broccoli Florets
A mac and cheese night can feel quite heavy sometimes, so it's good to include other sides that are lighter. Broccoli is a great choice that you can easily cook while the pasta is in the oven or slow cooker. Its light earthy notes can help balance out all the cream cheese in the pasta sauce.
Roasted Vegetables
If you want to make an elegant and healthy dish to pair with your mac and cheese, try these roasted veggies! This recipe uses pumpkin, bell peppers, and onions, but feel free to use other ingredients like asparagus or zucchini.
Maple Syrup Glazed Carrots
Glazed carrots are a classic holiday dish, but this recipe takes it up a notch with maple syrup. It has just the right amount of sweetness that will pair well with all your holiday dishes (mac and cheese included!).
Cornbread
There's nothing more Southern than a side of cornbread and macaroni cheese pasta! Cornbread is moist, but it's dry enough to be the perfect vessel for a cheese sauce. It soaks up all the cheesy goodness from the pasta while imparting a subtle corn flavor. It's the perfect combo!
Creamed Spinach
Creamed spinach is full of decadent and rich flavors that are only enhanced by its velvety texture. It can be served alongside mac and cheese, or used as a filling for pastries!
Corn Succotash
Corn compliments mac and cheese wonderfully. Its sugary taste brings out the sharper cheese notes from the pasta, making all of its flavors much more pronounced. This corn succotash includes lots of corn and other veggies that come together to make for a lovely healthy side. Feel free to use fresh or frozen corn in this recipe.
What goes well with mac and cheese as a side?
Mac and cheese is a rich meal. Depending on who makes it, it can be even richer! Some recipes include ingredients like sour cream, cayenne pepper, mustard, or even tuna.
That's why it's best to pair mac and cheese with dishes that will soak up all their flavor. This can be a protein, a salad, or some type of bread.
What protein to serve with mac and cheese?
This depends on your tastes and preferences. Roasted or BBQ-style meats tend to be popular with mac and cheese, but proteins like lobster and hot dogs are also just as good.
Can you eat mac and cheese as a meal?
Yes! Though it's usually on the side, mac and cheese can easily be enjoyed as a main dish.
What meat goes well with mac and cheese?
Roasted or slow-cooked meats go well with cheesy pasta but feel free to experiment and see what you enjoy best.
Is mac and cheese a side or main dish?
It can be either! If you want to make it the main meal, try adding some more toppings and additions to the pasta to make it heartier.
Is mac and cheese a good side for burgers?
Absolutely! The creamy cheese works well with the meatiness of the burger. Some burger chains even include mac and cheese in their burgers!
What meat goes best with mac and cheese?
This is a personal preference, so see what you like best. As previously mentioned, roasted and BBQ-style meats taste best, but most proteins pair well with the pasta.
What goes with lobster mac and cheese?
Lobster mac and cheese is a delight. Lobster is a sweeter meat, so it tastes lovely with the savory cheese notes. With lobster mac and cheese, it's best to keep things simple and eat as is, or with a nice toasted bread.
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