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Original poster

What to serve was macaroni cheese?

66 replies

SnickersWasAHorse · 13/05/2017 17:43

I have a friend who is Indian. She has lived in the UK for about 5 years. A while ago she invited me, DH and a couple of other friends to her house for a traditional Indian meal. As you can imagine it was just amazing, but she said that she was just cooking what she makes all the time for her family.

I asked her what English food she would like me to cook in return and she said that the one dish that she really wants to learn how to make is macaroni cheese! I make a cracking macaroni cheese so I am happy with this. However I don't make it very often as it's not really enough of a meal in itself in my opinion.

This leaves me with a question. She wants to come and visit and learn how to make it, and I'll also invite the other friends too, but it's not really enough of a dish to serve on it's own for a meal.
What would you put with it? I want some side dishes really that are very 'English', by which I mean anything that we would eat in England, rather than vert traditional English food. I don't want to 'jazz up' or change the macaroni cheese in any way as this is what she is coming for.
Also, it needs to be vegi as DH and I are both vegetarian and my friend is Hindu.

OP posts:
PotteringAlong · 13/05/2017 17:45

Just a big green salad?

isthistoonosy · 13/05/2017 17:45

Id just have salad and maybe garlic bread with it.

IHaveBrilloHair · 13/05/2017 17:46

Chips are often served with it here in Scotland, it's v stodgy but delicious.

2cats2many · 13/05/2017 17:47

I would say some garlic fried ribbon courgettes for greeness and flavour. I love a mac n cheese but it can taste awful gluggy without something to cut through it.

HeyCat · 13/05/2017 17:48

Green vegetables - especially broccoli, peas, leeks.

I'm vegetarian and often make mac cheese with butter beans in it for extra protein but you could do them as a side dish if you prefer. Use tinned beans, just sauté them maybe with some onions and garlic.

PocketNiffler · 13/05/2017 17:50

We sometimes have vegetarian chilli with mac and cheese? And a nice leafy salad 🥗

Pinkheart5917 · 13/05/2017 17:51

Green salad

Sometimes garlic bread too

Original poster
SnickersWasAHorse · 13/05/2017 17:53

A vegi chilli is an interesting idea. Although I expect it would be to mild for her! She often gives me some of her left overs and says 'this isn't too hot' and it blows my head off.
Big salad is a good plan.
I thought about garlic bread but I worried about it being a carb fest.

OP posts:
AdaColeman · 13/05/2017 17:53

Green beans a la Greque
Crispy mushrooms or garlic mushrooms
Roast English asparagus (in season now)
Fresh peas cooked with lettuce and cream
Romanesque cauliflower and or broccoli

Tenpastlate · 13/05/2017 17:54

Grilled or roasted tomatoes, petits pois and broccoli

munchkinmaster · 13/05/2017 17:57

Americans seem to have it as a side for meat. So you could make chicken escalopes if you want? Liike a chicken Milanese. I'd rather broccoli or salad

Alexandra87 · 13/05/2017 17:59

I put vegetables in mine and then have with salad

Original poster
SnickersWasAHorse · 13/05/2017 18:03

I think it needs to be something green as any more dairy based food could get a bit much. Especially as my Indian friend doesn't eat much dairy normally.

OP posts:
cookielove · 13/05/2017 18:03

We serve it at work with peas, sweetcorn and garlic bread! In my mind that is the only thing that works 😂

LilQueenie · 13/05/2017 18:04

I often serve topped with sliced tomato and broccoli at the side.

PurpleDaisies · 13/05/2017 18:07

You have to have garlic bread! Forget the carb on carb. Let's face it, it's not exactly health food. Grin

I serve mine with garlic bread and peas/broccoli. Sometimes I add leeks/ham/cauliflower/broccoli to the main macaroni cheese.

Alyx80 · 13/05/2017 18:23

Peas and garlic bread!

Bejazzled · 13/05/2017 18:24

Finely chopped fried onions and ketchup and buttered toast
probably just me

OhTheRoses · 13/05/2017 18:31

You could do a green leafy salad and a mozzarella pearl, blackbolice and baby plum tomato salad with torn basil leaves, good olive oil and a tiny sprinkling of chilli flakes - just a pinch and garlic bread.

BuzzKillington · 13/05/2017 18:35

Not garlic bread! That's just a stodgy step too far.

We'd have it with a big bowl of rocket.

Hiphopopotamus · 13/05/2017 18:36

Salad and chicken strips

chipsandpeas · 13/05/2017 18:37

chips and/or garlic bread.....scottish and love a carb fest

NameChange30 · 13/05/2017 18:40

I don't think macaroni cheese is particularly British - isn't it American? But I guess we've adopted it in the same way we adopt a lot of American things!

I think green salad or green veg go well with mac n cheese. But we don't do sides, we make a slightly healthier version with bacon, leeks and peas:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11172/bacon-pea-and-basil-macaroni

NameChange30 · 13/05/2017 18:41

(You could leave out the bacon!)

NoMoreBones · 13/05/2017 19:09

Surely garlic bread is mandatory? Or dough balls?

Big leafy salad, garlic bread and mac & Cheese with nachos crumbled on top.