what can you add to macaroni and cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a family favorite–make information technology even more festive with one or two of our delicious side recipes.

Mac and cheese is, without a doubt, in the top ten of everyone's favorite condolement nutrient list.

We tin never say no to its creamy and cheesy sauce melded together with the soft and chewy macaroni. The best part is, you can choose to make information technology from scratch or purchase a boxed version of macaroni and cheese of your choice.

Thinking about what to serve with mac and cheese may be a scrap challenging, since some people already consider mac and cheese by itself as a complete meal.

The truth is, having a side dish (or two!) makes information technology a more delectable meal. Plus, you'll find that our tried-and-true recipes all complement mac and cheese's rich and creamy flavor.

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Click the type of side dish you want to create below, or take a wait at all our side dish recipes to get inspired.

Mac and Cheese Side Dishes: Meats

Mac and Cheese Side Dishes: Salads

Mac and Cheese Side Dishes: Vegetables

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Mac and Cheese Side Dishes: Meats

Some believe that mac and cheese lonely is already heavy and doesn't need a meat complement. But actually, when mac and cheese is paired with the right meat side dish, it becomes an unforgettable meal that'll make y'all want to explore other meat side dish options for this saucy entrée.

This fantastic v-ingredient side dish is a perfect pairing for mac and cheese due to its honey garlic flavored chicken and delectable sauce.

Ingredients:

• half dozen pcs chicken thighs and/or legs, bone-in or out
• Salt and pepper
• two tsp garlic powder
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 loving cup honey
• 1/4 loving cup h2o (or craven broth)
• two tbsp rice vino vinegar (other options include apple cider vinegar or any white vinegar)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

• Employ salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season chicken. Then, set the seasoned chicken bated.
• Prepare the pan to medium to high heat. Cook the chicken until it becomes golden brown on both sides.
• Once cooked, arrange the craven in a way that the chicken skin is facing upwards. Add garlic and fry until it becomes fragrant for about 30 seconds. Then, add the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and h2o.
• Increment the estrus and cook until the sauce thickens for near 3 to 4 minutes.
• Place parsley on elevation. Then, serve with mac and cheese.

Honey glazed ham has the perfect slightly sweet and salty taste that complements the savory mac and cheese. Not to mention, this recipe yields the best-tasting sauce ever.

Ingredients:

• one pc fully-cooked, ten-pound bone-in ham
• 1 ¼ cups brown saccharide
• ⅓ cup pineapple juice
• ⅓ cup dear
• ⅓ large orange (juiced and zested)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp ground cloves

Directions:

• To set, preheat the oven starting time to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, place the ham in a pan.
• In a pan or skillet, mix pineapple juice, dear, brown sugar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, orange zest, and ground cloves. Boil, and so reduce heat to simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, set bated the glaze.
• Put the ham inside the oven and bake for 2 hours uncovered. Later, remove the ham and castor with glaze.
• Bake the ham again for 30 to 45 minutes, while you lot brush the ham with glaze every 10 minutes.

You may think what we did–pasta and potatoes together? Trust us. The smoky, cheesy bacon flavour of this white potato recipe makes it a perfect side dish for mac and cheese. All you demand is extra roasting time and the drizzle of salary grease.

Ingredients:

• ane/2 pound bacon
• 3 extra-large potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/ii″-3/4″ pieces
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• iii/4 tsp freshly ground blackness pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
• 3 pcs thin-sliced green onions

Directions:

• Arrange the bacon on a baking sail pan. Place within the oven and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the timer to 16 minutes until bacon becomes crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the oven. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel while saving the salary grease from the baking sheet pan.
• Skin and chop the potatoes while y'all cook the bacon. And then, identify the potatoes on the pan. Coat them with the bacon grease left. Add salt and pepper.
• Broil the potatoes for xx minutes. Afterwards, stir them and broil them once more. Echo this pace to ensure that the potatoes are not sticking on the tray.
• Break up the salary into smaller pieces. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Mix them with bacon and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Broil for at to the lowest degree ii to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve this dish with sliced light-green onions and sour cream on top.

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Mac and Cheese Side Dishes: Salads

If you desire to opt for a healthier option for what to serve with mac and cheese to your family, then salads are your all-time bet. These three easy-to-make salad recipes help make your macaroni and cheese a hearty and consummate meal.

This apple spinach recipe works perfectly with macaroni and cheese, bringing together both sweet and savory flavors, making it a new favorite for weekday dinners.

Salad Ingredients:

• 10 oz babe spinach
• ii pcs thin-sliced large apples
• one pc thin-sliced small red onion
• 1 cup walnut halves (toasted)
• two/3 cup dried cranberries
• five ounces crumbled cheese (options include caprine animal cheese, feta cheese, or blueish cheese)
• 1 batch apple cider vinaigrette (come across below for ingredients)

Vinaigrette* Ingredients:

• one/3 loving cup actress virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (another option: apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ane minced garlic cloves
• Pinch of salt and paper
• one tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)

*Mix all these ingredients in a mason jar. Then, shake to combine.

Directions:

• Put together in a bowl all ingredients for apple spinach salad.
• Add together the apple cider vinaigrette. And so, mix.
• Serve immediately with crumbled cheese of your selection on height.

If mixed dark-green salads are a not-negotiable particular on your carte, then y'all need to know that this recipe is also suitable for your other not-negotiable main dish –macaroni and cheese. The crisp, slightly bitter arugula mixed with the sweetness of the cranberries and fruit complement the cheesiness of the main dish.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/ii cup stale cranberries
• iv cups fresh arugula (other option: baby spinach)
• four cups mixed salad greens
• 1/2 cup crumbled bluish cheese
• half dozen pcs thick-sliced brindled and cooked bacon strips

Vinaigrette* Ingredients:

• ii tbsp balsamic vinegar
• ii tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• ane-1/two tsp orange juice
• 1-1/two tsp Dijon mustard
• one tsp orange zest (grated)
• 1/8 tsp salt and pepper

* Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl.

Directions:

• Boil orange juice in a minor pan. Remove from heat. Add the cranberries and permit them sit for 5 minutes. Afterward, drain the juice to save for another apply.
• Combine arugula and salad greens in a large bowl. Add bacon, cheese, and cranberries. Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad, then toss. Serve this salad immediately with macaroni and cheese.

Three-bean salad is a classic, salubrious dish that is super easy to brand. Information technology takes only 15 minutes, at near, to set this beloved salad to pair with macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• one/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 and 1/ii tsp cumin
• 1/iv cup red vino vinegar
• three tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• two pcs medium limes (juiced)
• four cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 agglomeration parsley (chopped)
• ane/two medium crimson onion (diced)
• fifteen oz can pinto beans (drained)
• 15 oz can cherry kidney beans (drained)
• fifteen oz can chickpeas (drained)

Directions:

• Mix the three types of beans, onion, and parsley in one large bowl.
• In another bowl, mix the garlic, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, table salt, cerise wine vinegar, and salt. Accept a modest taste and add together a scrap of carbohydrate if it is also bitter and acidic.
• Add the dressing and stir to mix the ingredients.
• Chill starting time earlier serving to ensure that the flavors blend.

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Mac and Cheese Side Dishes: Vegetables

Since macaroni and cheese is known as somewhat of a decadent dish, adding vegetables to your "what to serve with mac and cheese" list is definitely a great idea to sneak some healthier foods onto your kids' plates. Veggies aid cutting downwardly the richness of mac and cheese, really making it a more appetizing chief dish.

These sautéed Brussels sprouts are crispy, caramelized, and crazily adept. Preparing this addicting side dish is quick and easy, too. No need to worry much almost the process–this recipe is a snap.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts (trimmed)
• 2 tbsp actress-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (other choice: lemon juice)
• 1 to 2 tbsp raw pine nuts (other options include: chopped raw walnuts, almonds, or pecans)
• Fresh parsley (chopped) *optional
• one loving cup of parmesan cheese (other options include: feta or goat cheese) *optional

Directions:

• Heat the pan over medium to high heat for iv minutes, then add the oil. Once the oil becomes hot, add the Brussels sprouts. Milk shake the pan and permit it stay on the heat for about 5 to 8 minutes undisturbed until you come across a caramelized sear on the sprouts.
• Add salt and pepper to the pan and stir the vegetables. Continue cooking until your Brussels sprouts become brown and tender within, for an boosted 6 to eight minutes.
• Once washed, increase oestrus from medium to loftier. Mix the vinegar, pine basics, or almonds. When the nuts are toasted, transfer the sprouts and add fresh herbs. Serve this while it is pipe hot.

It's an oldie only a goodie. Dark-green beans mixed with garlic and butter volition never get out of style. This special dish will definitely make your mac and cheese a flavorful and complete meal.

Ingredients:

• i pound fresh greenish beans (trimmed and halved)
• three tbsp butter
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 pinches lemon pepper
• Salt

Directions:

• Put light-green beans into a pan and cover them with water. Bring to boiling, so reduce the oestrus. Simmer until the beans begin to soften. Bleed the h2o and add the butter. Cook until the butter has melted, nigh 2 to iii minutes.
• Add together the garlic and stir into the dark-green beans until the garlic is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Flavor the dish with lemon pepper and salt.

If you are into a depression-carb diet, this garlic lemon broccoli is i of the all-time choices you tin can make. This dish is gluten-gratuitous, dairy-free, and sugar-free: probably the healthiest side dish to go with your macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs broccoli
• ½ loving cup olive oil
• ¼ loving cup lemon juice fresh
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ane tsp salt

Directions:

• Wash broccoli and steam over boiling wataer until it becomes tender. So, drain.
• While steaming the broccoli, add together the olive oil, garlic pulverisation, table salt, and lemon juice in a blender. Alloy these ingredients until the mixture becomes creamy.
• Add together the lemon garlic dressing to the steamed broccoli and mix gently. Flavour with salt, if needed.

Roasting fresh tomatoes with garlic, thyme, and other spices results in a tender and intense season that really enhances the cheesiness of the principal dish. Here'south how y'all tin can serve it with your favorite mac and cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb pocket-sized tomatoes (halved)
• two to three minced garlic cloves
• Kosher salt and blackness pepper
• two tsp fresh thyme
• ane tsp sumac
• ½ tsp dry chili pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup feta cheese (crumbled) *optional

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Put the lycopersicon esculentum, garlic, table salt, pepper, thyme, spices, and actress virgin olive oil in a bowl. Toss these ingredients to coat.
• Place the tomatoes onto a baking canvas. Spread them with the flesh side is facing up.
• Roast the tomatoes in the oven for almost thirty to 35 minutes.
• Once done, remove pan from estrus, then finish by adding feta cheese sprinkles and fresh thyme before serving.

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Tips to Make Mac and Cheese

• One way to achieve a perfect mac and cheese pasta is to add enough of salt to your humid water. This footstep ensures that the pasta is well-seasoned.
• Smaller pasta varieties with nooks are the correct pasta to choose, such as elbow pasta, farfalle, or fusilli. They can agree the cheesy sauce more easily than directly pastas.
• Instead of using milk, replace information technology with foam for your béchamel sauce. This ingredient ensures a richer and creamier finish.
• Don't hold back on the cheese! It is, after all, half of the proper name of the dish! No affair which cheese y'all use, you lot can never have as well much of it in mac and cheese. Ever remember that.
• Explore your culinary world and add an actress ingredient. You can add lobster, herbs, or mushrooms. In that location's no hard and fast rule, really, about what goes all-time in macaroni and cheese, and so you can get as creative as y'all like.

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Ofttimes Aske d Questions

What protein goes with mac and cheese?

If you lot are like about people who cannot get enough of mac and cheese and you're searching for ways to add protein to your bowl, shredded chicken or footing beef can make your dish more complex and more flavorful. You can also try the shredded form of oil-packed tuna to add together another type of poly peptide.

What cheese is best in mac and cheese?

Nobody wants to use the wrong cheese for their favorite mac and cheese dish; therefore, it's vital to know which cheese melts (and tastes!) all-time in mac and cheese. The top five of the best cheeses to use in macaroni and cheese include sharp cheddar, gouda, gruyere, foam cheese, and brie. If you have parmesan or goat cheese on hand, both or these work perfectly, too.

What tin can you practise with mac and cheese?

The truth is, in that location'due south actually no limit to what yous tin can and cannot practice with mac and cheese. You tin can stick to the nuts and make it from scratch. Or, you can explore dissimilar options and incorporate other ingredients. Perfect examples for this include adding more cheese, or peradventure some meat or vegetables. Yous will never know what works unless y'all give it a endeavour.

What chief dish goes with mac and cheese?

Due to its creamy and cheesy season, mac and cheese goes well with several principal dishes, one of which includes BBQ ribs. The smokiness of the charcoal-broil complements the richness of mac and cheese. Aside from the astonishing flavors, the color combination of the two makes information technology a treat for the eyes AND the tastebuds!

What is the surreptitious to creamy macaroni and cheese?

The secret to creamy mac and cheese is to simply add together more cream! You can add cream alone, or utilise a combination of milk and cream. There'due south zippo wrong with choosing to achieve THE ultimate creamy mac and cheese. It's one of the reasons why this favorite condolement food is loved by then many.

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Additional Resources

• • Gimme Some Oven: Like shooting fish in a barrel Stovetop Mac and Cheese
  • YouTube: How to Make Mac and Cheese

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Source: https://thekitchenprofessor.com/blog/serve-with-mac-and-cheese

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