What To Serve With Macaroni and Cheese ~ The Best Sides

➤ by Lydia Fulson

Unsure of what to serve with Macaroni and cheese? The ULTIMATE classic comfort dish? Check out this list of wunderbar sides including some favorite salads, veg, and more! Enjoy! 

If you see something that catches your eye as you go, jot it down or simply follow the links and get cooking! If not, I hope you're able to enjoy reading through and bringing back some cherished memories of your childhood in Germany. After all, this website is built on love and memories!

Mac and cheese is Such a decadent dish.

My gouda macaroni and cheese recipe that you see above is made with super simple ingredients like a scrumptious combination of cheeses, elbow macaroni, and bacon. My favorite thing about a dish like this traditional noodle dish is that you can choose almost anything you want to add in to it. Cheese, blue cheese, or broccoli, maybe ground beef? ... YUM. It's a great way to try new flavor combinations.

In the photo above, you'll see that mine doesn't have traditional bread crumbs on top. They're actually Doritos! There are so many different ways to make toppings, but this is my number one.

Click the link to my recipe to find the best tips and ingredient combos to use. Cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, cream cheese ... there is a way to incorporate many kinds to make the creamy sauce of your dreams.

A traditional treat for your taste buds!

Doesn't that delectable homemade macaroni and cheese remind you of something so familiar from your time in Germany? For Oma, it's reminiscent of the delicious cheese spaetzle! The true German version of mac and cheese!

If you like macaroni and cheese you're bound to love authentic spaetzle. 

Finding sides to serve alongside something like this doesn't have to be a tricky task anymore. Keep scrolling to find some of the best and my personal favorites as well.

Now, let's jump into some tasty side dishes!

Bread Sides

1. Classic Bread Rolls

Baked to perfection and ready for snacking

This bread roll recipe is the one for you if you're looking for a side reminiscent of the bread you had in Germany. I for one LOVE bread rolls beside some hot mac and cheese. Talk about classic comfort food.

These bread rolls always turn out perfectly. Fluffy, soft, and flavorful all by itself. But rolls like this serve another great purpose other than being delicious. They're perfect cheesy mac scoopers! It sounds strange, I know. But trust me. Use your roll to scoop some mac and cheese inside to make a little sandwich! It's sooo good!

2. Bread Dumplings

The perfect pairing to your creamy mac!

The famous Southern bread dumplings bring a touch of Germany to your plate. Serve the two together and you'll be turning heads for sure. Any dinner with a side like this will be the star of the show. These are traditionally served with a dish that has gravy to soak up. But I couldn't leave it out with how well the two pair.

You've got to try it with the gooey mac and cheese. 

However, there is one rule while one is eating bread dumplings that can't be forgotten. ALWAYS pull them apart with two forks. That's the Bavarian way! 

Honorable Bread Mentions

German pretzels

no-knead bread

Salad Sides and Dips

3. Green Salad with Sour Cream Dressing

Salads and refreshing dressings are the classic perfect choice for sides.

This lettuce salad with sour cream dressing is just one of the many easy salad dressings and vinaigrettes that you can top many classic green salads with. Click that link to find several dressings to choose from as starters and then alter them to make them just the way you love.

The sour cream dressing is the perfect refreshing touch after the rich and savory flavors of the mac. When I think salads and mac and cheese, I think classic yet classy pub food. And that's something that I could eat day in and day out!

4. Blue Cheese Dip

Classic, simple, and always a hit.

Blue cheese dip is something that I've discovered, people either love or ... they don't. But, I actually was one of those who didn't like it, until I started trying it with chicken wings and veggies. It is a delicious combination!

It makes for a great simple side dish that is bold, yet comforting. The perfect snack-able recipe. Something like veg and dip is so nice to serve, especially for dinner parties. Everyone can help themselves as they please and there can be so many dipping options.

Honorable Salad Mentions

asparagus salad

sauerkraut salad

Meat Sides

5. Bratwurst Sausage

One of the best recipes to pair with mac and cheese! And, it's traditional, made easy!

These air fryer bratwursts are such a splendid German treat, made quickly and conveniently in the air fryer! This is such an easy one if you're a first-time air fryer user. Chop up pieces of the brats and add them into your mac and cheese. It's like adding bacon but making it German!

Meat and cheese together is such a well-known combination that always works. Bratwursts and macaroni and cheese is no exception. If you don't have bratwurst sausages or any sausages at all, try some big good quality hot dogs! I would compare brats to being the fancy and thicker version of hot dogs.

6. Meatloaf

MMM so comforting and lecker!

Oma's meatloaf recipe is traditional and ever so good. Eat it hot or cold, maybe bacon-wrapped or, even more traditionally, with egg in the middle!

This is a very common thing to be served during Easter time. The German word of meatloaf actually means 'False rabbit' .. so what better main to serve for Easter dinner than an egg-themed meatloaf with a rabbit name!

Try something even MORE German, and try this meatloaf with hidden cauliflower inside. Get your meat and veggie in one!

7. Roast Chicken

Dip these in barbecue sauce and you'll have a new favorite chicken recipe.

Take a look at this oven fried chicken recipe made by my Oma. It's so great for family dinners, cozy weeknight snacks, and barbecue season! They can be made in so many ways, and just like the bratwurst, they can be made in the air fryer. If there's mac and cheese with grilled, pulled or roast chicken inside, that's what I go for on a restaurant menu.

Chicken and cheese work so well as a pairing. I mean, just look at chicken cordon bleu! Cheesy, meaty goodness that make a perfect tasty pair.

Honorable Meat Mentions

Grilled bratwurst

Chicken cordon bleu

Veggie Sides

8. Brussels Sprouts

A great and healthy way to bring a bold veggie to the dinner table!

Looking for something a little different? Maybe vegan? Check out my Aunt Sylvie's brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar. Made with maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and cooked to perfection! These are so quick and easy to prepare, and oh-so delicious beside a creamy pasta dish.

These sprouts are oil-free and oh-so-good for you. Use fresh or frozen brussels sprouts, or whichever is on hand for a yummy and healthy side choice. These brussels are sure to make it into your recipe book as a new go-to!

9. Sweet Potatoes

Easy breezy sweet potato-ey! I could eat these as a full meal.

My air-fried sweet potato recipe is an easy side dish. You'll love these crispy skins. How are they so easy? Well, they're made with only two simple ingredients! Sweet potatoes, and a little olive oil. Then, whichever seasonings you want. Salt, black pepper, garlic salt, and paprika are some great options. But sometimes the natural sweetness is just enough. 

This may not be one of those traditional german sides, but it's a hard one not to mention. Not only are they easy, but there's so much to do with sweet potatoes. Try making sweet potato fries with any leftover potatoes. Who can resist french fries?

10. Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Add a lovely pop of color to your plate.

Lastly, another vegan side! Oma's roasted cherry tomatoes are without a doubt a healthy side choice.This is a great option if you're looking for something yummy to make from those homegrown tomatoes. 

Great for on the side or to sprinkle on top your mac and cheese for a tasty juicy treat. These roasted tomatoes present so beautifully with their bold colors and flavors.

Cherry tomatoes always were, and still are, one of my favorite snacks. I love to eat our homegrown ones from our little tree in the Summer. Having a recipe like this, gives awesome opportunity to use them all up before the bugs get to them!

There’s something absolutely mouth-watering about having a German meat-and-potato dinner. Get Oma's revised collection of her favorites in German Meat Dishes.

Take a peek at all Oma's eCookbooks. They make sharing your German heritage a delicious adventure!

Honorable Vegetable Mentions

Green beans

Squash Recipe

Thanks for scrolling! I hope you found something that peaked your interest or brought back some or your favorite memories of Germany. 

Now you can get cooking! Just follow the links, get your apron out and enjoy some kitchen time.

Newest Recipes

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More about me >

Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.