At this point, your cheesy pasta is ready. The noodles are cooked, the sauce is heavenly. Now it’s time for the fun part. While your base option and cheese selection will have a big impact on the pasta you make, the final key component is your topping choices. Fun mac and cheese toppings make such a difference in your dish.
Toppings add additional textures and flavors you won’t find when using just sauce and cheese. They can be stirred in to add flavor throughout the dish or layered so each bite is slightly different. They’re especially important when you intend to serve mac and cheese as a meal rather than a compliment to an entree.
Adding toppings can elevate your dish into something amazing. Monterey Jack and gouda mac and cheese is delicious. But when you add jalapenos, cream cheese, and panko you get jalapeno popper mac and cheese.
The farther I travel in this mac and cheese journey, the more I see the value in using new and unexpected toppings in your mac and cheese dishes. Years ago I’d throw some green onions on top and call it a day. And green onions are a great addition to your mac and cheese, but there’s a whole world of toppings I’ve been missing out on.
Many of my favorite toppings are items that require little to no prep so you can add them as the inspiration strikes. Frozen mozzarella sticks are a fun way to perk up an otherwise boring bowl and they cook up quickly. Crispy onions wait in your pantry to grace a bowl of mac and cheese whenever you need to.
Mac and cheese toppings are a beautiful way to transform your cheesy pasta into something fun. It’s an integral part of an impressive bowl of mac and cheese that you’d be proud to serve to everyone you know.