What Goes With Grilled Cheese? – 11 Perfect Sides
Grilled cheese is just incredible. A perfectly toasted sandwich with hot melted cheese in between two slices of crispy bread is an amazing indulgence.
But sometimes eating only grilled cheese doesn’t satisfy you. You need something fresh and light to go with it!
So, what goes with grilled cheese? Tomato soup is the best side dish for grilled cheese thanks to its acidic flavor and creamy texture. You can also pair grilled cheese with salads, fries, Brussels sprouts, coleslaw, pickled cucumbers, chutneys, marinara sauce, butternut squash soup, and condiments like mustard and ketchup.
Continue reading to learn how to choose a side dish for grilled cheese and get to know 11 perfect sides for grilled cheese aside from tomato soup.
What Goes Well With Grilled Cheese?
While we often eat grilled cheese as is as breakfast or lunch, no one will deny that having a good side dish to accompany it makes the meal so much better and satisfying.
A grilled cheese sandwich, especially if you don’t add extra ingredients and spices to it, is quite versatile when it comes to food pairings.
When choosing a side for grilled cheese, pay attention to the textures and flavors.
You may choose a side dish with a creamy and smooth texture to contrast with the crispiness of the sandwich or you may choose something with a crunch if the toasted bread doesn’t satisfy your need for crispy food.
It is recommended to pair something acidic with grilled cheese. As grilled cheese sandwiches are quite heavy and greasy, pairing them with foods with acidity is what helps to achieve balance.
As far as the flavor is concerned, some people prefer paring grilled cheese with sides that have sweet flavors while others like subtle flavors to go with grilled cheese.
Tomato Soup – The Ultimate Side For Grilled Cheese
When thinking of a perfect side dish for grilled cheese, tomato soup is the first thing that comes to mind. Why? Because eating a grilled cheese sandwich and dunking it into the rich and creamy tomato soup is pure pleasure.
Aside from the fact that the acidity of tomato perfectly complements the richness of grilled cheese, this combination is also nostalgic.
At the beginning of the 20th century, during the Great Depression, school cafeterias served tomato soup with grilled cheese. This combination made kids feel full and satisfied their vitamin C content.
Thanks to the striking flavor and texture combination of these two dishes, tomato soup and grilled cheese have become one of the most popular and well-loved meal options for many people.
You can make tomato soup to go with grilled cheese in your preferred way. Some people make tomato soup using canned tomatoes, while others make it with fresh ones. You can also roast the tomatoes before you make a soup.
What Goes With Grilled Cheese And Tomato Soup?
Tomato soup and grilled cheese are an incredible duo. While the combination seems complete without the addition of any other sides, sometimes you want to have something else to go with the sandwich and the soup.
To impress your family members and guests, you can serve tomato soup and grilled cheese in a new way. Make a tomato soup and grilled cheese board by placing a bowl of creamy red soup in the center of the board.
Surround it with mini grilled cheese sandwiches, add slices of apples for freshness, potato chips for more crunch, and anything else you think goes well with this combination.
In case you are not sure what you want to serve with grilled cheese and tomato soup but you need something to make the meal complete, go with the safest option – a green salad.
A colorful and light salad will complement the sandwich and soup perfectly while providing you with a good amount of vitamins.
What Goes With Grilled Cheese Besides Soup?
While grilled cheese and tomato soup are a perfect duo, you may not always be in the mood for soup.
You can pair grilled cheese with a range of sides depending on your preferences and love for various foods. Read on to learn what else you can pair with a grilled cheese sandwich.
The 11 Best Sides For Grilled Cheese
Here are 11 perfect side dishes you can serve with grilled cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
1. Fresh Salad
If you don’t know what to serve with grilled cheese, make a salad. Chop and mix whatever you like. Greens, crispy vegetables, and a salad dressing – easy, quick, and efficient.
Salads will make your meal look good. As fresh salads are also nutritious, eating them with grilled cheese will make you feel better about your diet.
2. Fries
The second-best side for grilled cheese after fresh salads are fries. You can deep-fry potatoes or take the healthy route and make some in the oven.
To spice up the fries, make sweet potato fries with garlic and a touch of parmesan cheese. Fries will make your meal cozy and filling. You can serve them with a side of a sauce or dip for added flavor.
3. Brussel Sprouts
Not everyone loves Brussels sprouts. But if you do, then Brussels sprouts are something you should try with your grilled cheese sandwiches.
You can sauté Brussels sprouts or roast them. The key is cooking these vegetables at high temperatures to get rid of the bitterness of Brussels sprouts. You can also make Brussels sprouts chips to go with grilled cheese.
4. Coleslaw
What goes better with sandwiches than a side of coleslaw? The shredded cabbage and carrots add crispiness and freshness to the meal without any overpowering flavors.
Coleslaw is also easy and quick to make and nearly everyone loves it.
Try adding mayonnaise or mustard dressing to coleslaw to make it even better.
As this veggie side dish for grilled cheese is quite neutral, it will go well with grilled cheese sandwiches with added ingredients too, such as ham or ground beef.
5. Pickles
Pickles and grilled cheese are another combination that you can never go wrong with. The sourness and tartness of pickles go well with the rich and oily nature of grilled cheese.
There is something wonderful about the way pickles cut through the heaviness of grilled cheese sandwiches, making you enjoy the next bite even more.
6. Bean and Corn Salad
A way to easily turn a grilled cheese sandwich into a family dinner is to add a nutritious salad as a side.
Make a filling bean and corn salad to go with the sandwich. Add avocado for healthy fat, chopped greens, onion, and bell pepper for color and taste.
Grilled cheese served with nutritious bean and corn salad is a great option for lunch and dinner.
7. Chutney
Chutneys complement grilled cheese sandwiches too. Whether you like sweet flavors with your sandwich or something spicy, herbal, and refreshing, there are many options to choose from.
You can serve grilled cheese with a side of fruit chutney or you can make some earthy herbal cilantro chutney to tone down the richness of the sandwich.
Fruit chutneys that go well with grilled cheese include rhubarb chutney and plum chutney.
Aside from chutneys, you can also pair grilled cheese with jams and marmalades.
8. Butternut Squash Soup
There is no season for grilled cheese. But we often eat this melted cheese sandwich when it’s chilly outside. In such cases, nothing is better than grilled cheese served with a bowl of heartwarming soup.
If you don’t like tomato soup or want to try something new from the soup department, serve grilled cheese with butternut squash soup. This soup is perfect for the fall season and quite easy to make.
9. Marinara Sauce
Grilled cheese goes well with tomato soup. Because of this, it is only natural that it pairs well with marinara sauce.
Marinara is a tomato sauce made with onion, garlic, and herbs. You can make marinara sauce yourself or purchase a ready-made jar of this delicious Italian sauce.
Dip your sandwich in marinara sauce or spread it on the sandwich. Either way, grilled cheese tastes great with marinara sauce.
10. Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is a great side for grilled cheese sandwiches when you are looking for a light and nutritious option.
Chop some of your favorite fruits and top them with Greek yogurt. You can use mangoes, apples, grapes, whatever you have at hand at the moment.
The sweetness of the fruits will complement the savory cheese sandwich, making it refreshing and less heavy.
11. Mustard and Ketchup
When all of the above seem to be side dishes you need to spend effort and time to make, then mustard and ketchup are what you should serve with your sandwiches.
While making your grilled cheese meal wholesome with salads and soups is tempting, grilled cheese is a sandwich after all.
And the combination of a sandwich and such popular condiments as ketchup and mustard is always a winner.
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