It's a main in our house - when I'm solo I eat it as is. When it's the two of us, I add a can of tuna and some frozen peas and bake it topped with buttered bread crumbs. Local restaurants have lobster mac & cheese that is out of this world delicious!

DH thinks it is a side. I think it is a main. I serve it as a side but with a very tiny main so we are both happy.

We serve it both ways in our house. Typically I may serve macaroni and cheese as a side when we have a large group. My future son-in-law is a huge fan of macaroni and cheese. On Father’s Day I served it with barbecued ribs and a few other sides. My husband will cook up as our main dish dinner a couple of times a year.

Main for me. Side for SIL’s family. It’s high in fat and contains protein and carbohydrate so all it needs is some vegetables, not a main containing more fat, protein and carbs.

Mac and cheese is a side dish. That being said, I often eat it as a main. But I can eat just mashed potatoes as a main. Or a baked potato .Or rice and gravy. I wouldn't serve a bowl of mashed potatoes or any of the others as a main though. When I was very young my requested birthday dinner was mac and cheese. I was told that I had to pick a meat with it for everyone else. I just ate a massive bowl of mac and cheese.

So, in practice, its a main. But it is meant to be a side.

When I was a kid it was only served as a side with wieners, but not hot dogs on buns or with any other kind of protein. Now, I would never serve it as a side..it's too high fat and caloric to add meat as a main. It would have to stand alone as the main/protein/starch and the sides would be veggies and veggie salads.

It's neither for me. I just don't care for it. Much too heavy and stodgy for my tastes.

I disagree that it's originally meant to be a side. All my old cookbooks suggest it as meatless meal.

I make it as a main dish as well - and it's really tasty when you add some hotdogs or sausages on top to get brown. I think doing that might satisfy the 'where's the meat' folks.

For me, it is a side dish, since I cannot/do not eat it. Anything with milk in it will upset my stomach.

I make my own version using penne pasta (I don't like elbow macaroni or ziti), Italian cheeses, and a velouté sauce instead of béchamel - to avoid the milk, or else I just use a marinara sauce, and then it is something else altogether. If I make it with rigatoni, I stuff the pasta with ricotta, using a pastry tube.

I also avoid lasagna that has a béchamel sauce in it, and moussaka, although it is very difficult for me to pass that up, and sometimes I will just endure getting an upset stomach so that I can eat it. However, mac and cheese is not worth it to me. I love moussaka, but rarely make it.

I'm not sure why milk bothers me but ricotta does not. Cream does not bother me either, but I don't like it in sauces.

I think there are a lot of people who avoid mac and cheese, which is why I think it should remain a side dish. My sister loved it, and I would often cook entire meals as a child just so that she would not be able to make mac and cheese.

Always a side but it certainly is heavy enough to be a main. Cheap boxed is always a side, homemade with cream and eggs and multiple cheeses and breadcrumbs is a main, especially if it gets its own little cast iron pan.

But then you can add cut up hotdogs to cheap boxed....:-)

I don't eat it anymore except as a very special treat and haven't had it in 2 years.

My husband and I both view it as a side. I have never thought of eating it as a main course. My mother always fixed us well rounded meals so I guess I get that from how I was raised. I know of some people that eat it all the time as their meals and I always thought that was odd, but apparently it isn't. I once saw a news story about some guy that ate nothing but mac and cheese...GROSS!

I once was at a dairy (meatless) meal where there were lots of dishes but I don't remember a specific main. One of the dishes was exquisite mac and cheese that was far richer than usual. One could only eat a couple of bites of it and it was meant as a side. That's the only time, outside of restaurants, where I've seen it served as a side, though of course I've heard of it in the CF.

For us, it's a main, though there could be other things in it. Chopped pepperoni (the real, inch round kind that comes as a whole sausage) is really good baked into mac and cheese. My gang also like "cheeseburger" mac and cheese, which has ground beef, ketchup and mustard in it. ;) But a really good plain mac and cheese stands as a main without any meat in it or on the side. A dark leafy green salad and some grilled veg, and you have a meal.

We did a quiz awhile back with a question of would you rather eat meat at every meal for a week or eat vegan for a week and a whole lot of the answers would rather eat meat at every meal. I couldn't. Just couldn't. If dinner invariably means an animal protein main to you, mac and cheese inevitably must be a side.

If I could afford it, I would eat fish/seafood as a main course at every dinner. We did that for two weeks in Fiji, and I loved it.

It's always a bit shocking or surprising to me on these forums when I see menus being planned and suggested that people would serve mac and cheese and potato salad and beans and a pasta salad and other starches together. I know that happens at potlucks, but if I were planning a menu, there would be one of those dishes and the rest would not be starches. (Maybe I'd consider a baked bean dish with one of the others for picnics). Maybe it's regional, but I'd never think to put any two of those things together, let alone 3 or more of them. So, maybe since mac and cheese is considered a side, that explains why it's included with other starches on a menu.

The family mac & cheese recipe is good, but such a calorie and fat over-loader, we consider it a side and fill up on other items. I'm not a huge fan of mac & cheese, so would not want to make a meal of just that.

So, when we do pot lucks, the organizers make a menu outline and people sign up for the different slots. It works really well. Some want to show off their skills, others have no skills and bring the drinks. ;) We end up with a well balanced, cohesive meal. Bigger groups divide by the alphabet (last name initial), and are supposed to bring a dish for six people in proteins, salads (veg or starch) or dessert, but that doesn't work so well because people sneak into desserts when they're in a different category because they want to show off, and there isn't enough food.

For us it's a main and we add a can of Albacore tuna and frozen peas and usually will have a fruit to complete the meal. Not something we have very often-usually for nights we don't want to cook.

i can do either, but prfer it as a side. if it is a main, i use different cheeses and make the sauce a la AB [Alton Brown]. It is a side when the grandkids come to graze.

To be clear, I'm referring to 'real' from scratch mac & cheese, not the boxed kind.

When I make it, which isn't often any more, though I do love mac n cheese, it's a main. I usually add something like bacon, ham or tuna and sometimes diced fresh tomatoes to give it a little more "oomph".

It is pasta and cheese and it can suffice very nicely as the main course.

But, the traditional way of making it with a cheese sauce and incorporating large amounts of cheese and butter and other dairy makes it high calorie and almost too rich.

I make it a bit differently at my house as I have a repulsive disdain for milk.

I will serve it with some vegetables of various kinds.

When we were raising a family a qucik dinner woudl be chees and macs (never a box, ever) and tuna fish patties and green peas. Once in a while I still revert to that quick famly meal even for just the two of us.

Either way, it matters not. What matters is to be aware that this is a cheese and fat intensive meal and you need to pay heed to the quantity that you eat.

We occasionally eat the boxed mac and cheese as a quick main dish but it is always served with breakfast link sausage.

Definitely a main for us.

As a side for adults.....as a main out of a box for kids when Mom and Dad are going out for dinner.

Okay, I' m saying this anyway, but I'm not trying to put down those who like the box. Just telling my own story. When I was in college, a roommate made the box stuff. I found it shocking (particularly the block of butter), and it didn't seem any easier than making the real thing. It also tasted weird.

For us it's a main. That's also how I grew up. I find it too heavy for a side.

When I lived in Dallas there was a restaurant called Black-Eyed Pea. We loved it, popular with my office for much. Always a different "vegetable of the day". Sometimes the vegetable of the day was macaroni and cheese, and we found that quite funny.

What is the block of butter for? I don't get what ’the box stuff ’ is. Is it frozen? Chilled?

Mine is just al dente macaroni in a bechamel flavoured with local strong Cheddar, nutmeg and mustard. Into a baking dish with halved tomatoes, a little grated cheese, sometimes bread crumbs and some strips of bacon on top and under the grill to brown. To me that's a filling main meal and it's just served with salad.

"What is the block of butter for? I don't get what ’the box stuff ’ is. Is it frozen?"

floral, it's this stuff. It comes with the pasta and powdered "cheese." You add butter and milk. As I recall, it was about 1/4 cup each butter and milk. It's been a long time since I had any.

ETA - The Silver Palate has a good recipe for mac n cheese. I have to admit TJ's frozen mac n cheese isn't too bad for store bought. I tried some after a friend mentioned it. It's pretty rich and cheesy.

IMO, when you add stuff to mac and cheese, it is no longer mac and cheese. Especially if its meat or fish, it is now a casserole. And a casserole is a main.

Go to any meat and three or soul food restaurant and mac and cheese is a side on the menu, except under the kids menu. Even on the meatless plates, mac and cheese is a side option.

Now as I said, I am NOT above eating just mac and cheese. Or mashed potatoes. Or potato salad and calling it a meal. I love doing that. I am not a person who needs or wants meat at every meal. But I would never just serve mac and cheese as a main As I would never call a bowl of rice a main. I will serve a casserole with noodles and cheese as ingredients. But not true mac and cheese.

But to each their own. Life is too short to have food rules. I ate a big bowl of stove top stuffing at 3 am this morning after my work walk and was quite satisfied. I ate it as a whole meal. But its classified as a side........

The real deal mac and cheese is one of the best foods in the world IMO. I make a BOMB mac and cheese. But there are some times when the only thing that will do it for me is the boxed stuff of my childhood.

Well, you live and learn. Turns out you can get that stuff here from Amazon for $5.75 a box. If you wanted to .....

I don't know what it said on the box, but my roommate used a whole stick of butter (1/4 pound).

The box is usually 1/2 stick of butter, and 1/4 cup of milk.

And I am NOT ashamed that i have that memorized.....

The roommate was probably making a double of that amount. Thanks, Amylou! There are a lot of things I like that others don't. I totally accept that lots of people like the box! According to things I've read, they like it even more in Canada!

ETA: Amylou, in my opinion, it's a matter of proportion. If there are little dots here and there of meat and/or vegetables, it's still mac and cheese. If the meat/veg is the start of the show, it's a casserole. Like I was saying before about a grilled cheese sandwich: A little garnish inside is fine, but when it's not mostly cheese it's just a grilled sandwich. :) But then, we bake our mac and cheese in a casserole dish, as do many others. I like when it gets al crusty gooey and caramelized on top.

i even like taragon in mine

I agree with you, pillog, that it is just as easy and a lot better to just make your own.

I find the same thing with a boxed cake mix. It is no less effort than a real cake. And, I detest those cakes from a box!

I have never bought a box of mac and cheese but have seen it in other peoples homes. That unnatural glow of the cheese should tell you something.

I use a good quality pasta and a good quality cheese to make it. Neither of thoses two things are in that box, and those two things are the essence of mac and cheese, so why not have them both to be of good quality?

Did you know that it was make popular at the behest of Thomas Jefferson?

The original way of making it was to first create a cheese sauce, and I do believe that I even saw some eggs in the recipie.

You can make it in all different ways.

I found a way that we like it that does not use milk, as I hate, hate, hate milk. But, do love cultured cheese.

With the amount of cheese that is in a really good mac and cheese it should be called cheese and mac, instead. The macaronis are just a medium for the cheese, really.

Floral - $5.75 sounds more like what the grocery store charges for 5 boxes here in the states.

No judgement on those who like the boxed kind, but I'm never satisfied with the results from the box, and always wind up adding more cheese, butter and milk. The ones I've used call for only 2 Tbs. butter /marg. and a similar amount of milk and the sauce always seems very skimpy - that's for a small box, not the big ones.

Stouffer's makes a very good frozen mac & cheese - very creamy and cheesy. That's the result I strive for when I make my own.

I agree, though I'm the one who said scratch mac and cheese seemed just as easy. To me, whipping up the equivalent from scratch is just as easy. In such a case, I'd likely crumble rather than grate the cheese (as in have done so—using a food processor cheats the issue, grating cheese by hand is tedious, and crumbling works just as well). Same with throwing together a cake. I don't need a recipe, just bing, bang, boom. The hard part, the liquid ingredients, is the stuff they leave out so the "lady of the house will feel like she's baking". If it's a just add water mix, that's a different story. That really is convenient on many levels. And maybe more of the convenience comes from not having to spend the time to learn to make these things enough repetitions so that making them from scratch does seem just as easy. The only issue I have with any mixes, beyond some extra chemicals that some have, is the tinny flavor, and some people prefer the outcome and flavor of mixes anyway. Whatever floats your boat. No shame. Difference of opinion. Room for all.

I use heavy cream instead of milk in my baked, from scratch version. I figure I might as well......

"Floral - $5.75 sounds more like what the grocery store charges for 5 boxes here in the states."

I was curious and checked our market...99 cents a box.

I do recall a long thread here some time back about making homemade mac & cheese. I make a white sauce using cornstarch and evaporated milk plus whole milk, along with a bit of onion and a bay leaf and I layer the cooked macaroni with grated cheese (gouda is the best!) and sauce in a buttered baking pan. I cook the pasta rather soft too - definitely not al dente - because I don't want it to absorb too much liquid.

For a pound of macaroni, I use about 5 cups sauce and maybe a pound of cheese. That is from my old Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook recipe. Funny, but the newer cookbooks all say to melt the cheese into the sauce first, and that's also how I was taught in Home Ec, but I find that way makes the sauce kind of grainy and you don't get the strings of melty cheese, which I prefer.

I always add a bit of nutmeg to my cream sauces too. I think it enhances the creaminess.

Buttered cracker crumbs on top are a must as well.

Side dish for all of my family.

For my family it's a side dish. Like Lars, I don't eat mac and cheese, but not because of the dairy. It's because I dislike white pasta and am not wild about cheese, so I have to make something else or just eat vegetables and dessert, LOL.

My youngest daughter has a soft spot for Velveeta Shells and Cheese, which I do not understand, but taste is subjective and not objective. The Princess likes the homemade stuff, which is never the same twice because I use it as an excuse to clean out the cheese drawer. The only constant is that she requires it be topped with crunchy bread crumbs and baked. Although I refuse to eat it, I'm happy to make it for the others in the family that like it, and I'll make it however they want it.

Annie

Just take a look at the ingredient list on the back of the box.

There are all manner of things in taht box, from artificial flavor, to guar gums, two flavors of yellow dye and, of course, corn syrup and MSG. None of that goes into my mac and cheese.

I also prefer a pasta that is of a quality that it can stand on it's own merit.

The boxed variety offers none of that, but does offer up a lot of things that are of little merit.

You still have to cook the pasta. And, you dont need some fancy and convoluted recipie to add the cheese. Simplly chunk some cheese and bit of butter into the drained pasta and add some milk and heat over low heat until it all comes together. That is really simple.

You can first make a cheese sauce, but there is no real need.

I found a way to not use milk, since I am totally repulsed by milk. I wont share it because I know that it is a personal thing.

I wont eat this at any gathering because I know that it is laden with milk.

My mom used to use canned milk for so many things and it just solidified my repulsion.

Only a side dish in my family unless I add things to it. Sausage and peas are good mix ins.

Haha Plllog According to things I've read, they like it even more in Canada!

Here it's called KD short for Kraft Dinner. It is pretty popular, every kid in Canada is/was raised on it I think. I bought it once a few years ago; another brand. The fluorescent orange colour of this stuff really makes it shine in the bowl. LOL.

Always a main for us when I was growing up.