The classic comfort food, Mac and Cheese, is a super versatile dish. Equally at home as a side dish as well as a main, it goes well with so many things. Here are our favorites for what to serve with mac and cheese.
Whether you choose to serve a classic main dish like Meatloaf, a simple side like Garlic Green Beans, or an easy topping like this 30-Minute No Bean Chili Recipe, you’re bound to enjoy mac and cheese in lots of ways with these easy recipes.
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Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, whether you cook in on the stove, bake it in the oven, or prep it in the instant pot. Many a night, it can stand alone as a perfect meal.
As good as it is, golden brown, creamy, and cheesy, Mac and Cheese can benefit from the company of other dishes, from Air Fryer Asparagus to Zucchini Fritters.
Why It Matters
Macaroni and Cheese is super versatile. It’s a great recipe to use a lot of milk. It can be a side dish to a hearty meat dish or stand on its own as the star attraction with some supporting sides. It can also be improved by some fun toppings.
There are so many ways that you can serve mac and cheese. It need never be boring.
Main Dishes
I love to make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese for a quick and easy side dish to accompany my main dish recipes. It goes with almost anything, such as Sloppy Joes, baked pork chops, and Grilled Pork Tenderloin.
It’s particularly delicious alongside Crispy Chicken Tenders with a homemade BBQ sauce.
Be sure to try one of these easy main dishes to go with your next batch of mac:
Toppings
If you haven’t dolled up your Stovetop Mac and Cheese with some fun toppings, you don’t know what you’re missing! It’s delicious with simple things, like chopped green or red onion, buttered bread crumbs, and crispy bacon.
But you can do so much more to embellish macaroni and cheese. Serve mac and cheese with some of these fun toppings:
Sides
Next time you’re waiting for your Baked Mac and Cheese to finish up, be sure to take a few minutes to pull together some yummy sides. Asparagus is super quick, as is Garlic Bread. It’s delicious served with a crisp and refreshing salad too!
Serve Mac and Cheese with one of these easy side dishes:
Best Mac and Cheese Recipes
While it’s fine to lean on boxed mac and cheese from time to time, don’t hesitate to try homemade! These are some of our favorite recipes.
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
Kelly Cook
I was surprised by the subject line in the email that brought me here. I’ve never had hot dogs with mac and cheese. Around here, it’s the main dish, with mix ins and toppings. Mexican mac and cheese has taco seasoned ground beef and diced green chilis in it, with sour cream, jalapenos, diced tomatoes chopped green onions, etc for toppings.
Italian mac and cheese has Italian sausage, spinach and tomatoes in it.
Hamburger mac…the list is long of the ways we make and serve it.
Jessica Fisher
Seriously? Maybe it’s a midwest thing. But chopping up hot dogs and stirring it into mac and cheese is a thing. Not a thing I like, but a thing. 😉