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    Home » Side Dishes

    Updated: Apr 22, 2024 · Published: Sep 11, 2021 · by Angela · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    What to Serve With Grilled Cheese

    If you are trying to figure out what to serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, this list is exactly what you are looking for. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a family favorite and a hearty hot sandwich on their own.  But they really are better paired with a simple side to make a complete meal.

    What to Serve With Grilled Cheese image with 4 recipes pictured

    In our house, we love a simple grilled cheese sandwich with sourdough bread and good-quality cheddar. My second favorite is using Pimento Cheese Spread instead of sliced cheeses - OMG! But we do mix it up sometimes and will add avocado, tomato, bacon, or other fun ingredients. 

    One of my favorites is my recipe for a salty, sweet, and spicy version - GRILLED CHEESE WITH FIGS AND HOT HONEY! If you want a great grilled cheese without a stove or pan try my sandwich recipe hacks - Microwave Grilled Cheese or Toaster Oven Grilled Cheese.

    Jump to:
    • Recipe Categories
    • Side Dishes by The Short Order Cook
    • Soup & Salad Side Dishes
    • Fruit & Vegetable Side Dishes
    •  Other Recipe Roundups

    Recipe Categories

    To help you decide what to serve with them, I have broken down the list into some subcategories. So based on your mood, preference, or diet, there is something for everyone.  There are healthy salads, mayo-based salads,  low-carb, keto, vegan, and fancy sides. 

    This list of what to make with grilled cheese includes:

    • Side Dishes by The Short Order cook
    • Soup & Salad Side Dishes
    • Fruit & Vegetable Side Dishes

    Side Dishes by The Short Order Cook

    Air Fryer Green Beans
    In just 10 minutes, this recipe for crispy air fryer green beans is the best. This simple side dish with few ingredients is quick & easy.
    Air Fryer Green Beans
    Air Fryer green beans plated with fresh lemon.
    Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
    Instant pot steamed broccoli is a healthy and easy recipe that comes out perfect every time. In just a few minutes fresh broccoli is cooked and ready to enjoy.  This method works in any electric pressure cooker with or without a steamer basket and results in fresh steamed broccoli that is not mushy. 
    Instant Pot Broccoli
    Steamed Broccoli featured in instant pot overhead shot
    Air Fryer Frozen Crinkle French Fries
    For an easy foolproof method for cooking frozen crinkle-cut french fries in the air fryer, try this recipe. They will be hot, crispy, and yummy with just the right amount of time to cook in the air fryer. Plus delicious dips and seasonings to add for the best air fryer french fries.
    Air Fryer Crinkle French Fries
    Air Fryer Frozen Crinkle French Fries recipe card plate with ketchup ready to eat
    Crispy Air Fryer Keto Radishes
    Crispy air fryer keto radishes are the low-carb answer to those that love roasted potatoes. These seasoned radishes are an easy recipe & done in 15 minutes. 
    Air Fryer Radishes
    Crispy Air Fryer Keto Radishes featured recipe card image overhead of round plate with radishes ready to eat napkin and fork
    Roasted Potatoes & Broccoli
    Two yummy side dishes in one sheet pan recipe - oven roasted potatoes & broccoli florets are the ultimate pairing. The spice mix add a ton of flavor & it pairs with anything from fish to chicken or beef. This easy vegetable side takes little prep & the small pieces cook fast in the oven. This simple yet fancy recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, & dairy-free.
    Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
    Serving plate piled high with roasted potato chunks and broccoli florets.
    Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Fries
    Homemade deep-fried sweet potato fries are a quick and easy family favorite recipe. This fantastic method to deep fry & season them makes the best appetizer or side dish.
    Sweet Potato Fries made in the Deep Fryer
    Deep Fried Sweet Potato Fries featured overhead of plate of fries and dipping sauce
    Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
    The most amazing roasted cherry tomato soup is an easy recipe that only takes 30 minutes. It's creamy, savory, rich & tastes gourmet. A touch of garlic & basil makes this an Italian classic. Serve with grilled cheese for lunch or as a starter for dinner. Simple ingredients like summer ripe fresh red tomatoes, onion, & garlic are oven-cooked, simmered, & blended for a chunky or smooth soup. Gluten-free, low-carb, & keto-friendly too!
    Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
    Two bowls of homemade soup made with cherry tomatoes basil and cream.
    Easy Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
    Sweet, creamy, and rich butternut squash soup is comfort in a bowl. This low-carb recipe is great for those on a keto diet.
    Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
    Easy Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
    Easy Vegetable Rice Soup (vegetarian & gluten-free)
    An easy vegetable rice soup that is vegetarian and full of flavor. This recipe uses vegetable broth, fresh vegetables, tomatoes, rice, and seasonings for a hearty vegan soup that everyone will love.
    Vegan Rice Soup with Vegetables
    Vegetarian Rice Soup featured postcard template
    Keto Cream of Mushroom Soup
    This restaurant-quality low-carb keto cream of mushroom soup is easy to make and simply delicious. The creamy texture with sherry creates a rich velvety mushroom soup that is so much better than any Campbell’s condensed version you can buy. 
    Keto Cream of Mushroom Soup
    Keto Cream of Mushroom Soup featured overhead two bowls
    Dutch Oven Chicken Stew
    Nohting like a comforting bowl of chicken stew made in the dutch oven. This simple one pot meal is loaded with juicy chunks of chicken breast, tender potatoes, hearty vegetables, & a rich creamy broth. A complete meal in a bowl to warm up any cold winter or fall day.
    Dutch Oven Chicken Stew
    Bowl of chicken stew with vegetables.
    Pot Pie Soup
    Homemade creamy pot pie soup is an easy recipe that is tasty with any savory protein filling like chicken, turkey, beef, ham, or a vegetarian option.
    Pot Pie Soup
    Pot Pie Soup featured overhead close up
    Asian Avocado Peanut Coleslaw
    If you want an easy peanutty coleslaw recipe, this Asian avocado peanut coleslaw is the best. This chopped slaw recipe is bursting with fresh vegetables that are dressed in a homemade Asian-inspired dressing that is salty, sweet, and spicy. This slaw is vegan and gluten-free and sure to be one that everyone loves.
    Avocado Coleslaw
    Bowl with cabbage avocado peanuts and asian coleslaw dressing.
    Broccoli Salad with Apples & Cheese
    This healthy broccoli salad with carrots, raisins, apples, and cheese is amazing. The creamy greek yogurt dressing is low-fat and made without mayo. It is tangy, crisp, fresh, and sweet in every bite. It holds up great for potlucks and barbecues. It is even great as a leftover, unlike other salads.
     
    Broccoli, Apple, & Cheddar Salad
    Broccoli Apple Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing (no mayo) overhead featured
    Butternut Squash, Apple, and Kale Salad
    Butternut squash, apple, and kale make the perfect Fall salad. The crunchy pecans, crisp apples, sweet raisins, and roasted butternut squash make the most amazing Autumn harvest salad recipe.
    Butternut Squash & Apple Kale Salad
    Butternut Squash Apple pecan and Kale Salad on a platter.
    Spinach Blueberry Salad
    A colorful salad of fresh spinach, ripe blueberries, sharp parmesan, & crunchy pecans is a lovely spring recipe. It's fresh, nutty, sweet, & savory in every delicious bite. 
    Spinach Blueberry Salad
    Spinach Blueberry Salad recipe on a platter.
    Simple Spinach Salad
    Toss together this quick & easy simple spinach salad in just minutes. The crunchy croutons are made from scratch & with a homemade dijon vinaigrette this is the best recipe hands down. It's a fresh & healthy side dish that goes with any meal or enjoy for lunch. Pile on some protein for an entree dinner.
    Simple Spinach Salad
    Glass serving bowl with a quick & easy spinach salad with simple ingredients.
    Grilled Peach & Goat Cheese Salad
    Sweet grilled peaches, creamy avocado, tangy goat cheese, and spicy arugula are a summer salad sensation. This recipe for Grilled Peach, Avocado, and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad is fresh, sweet, crisp, & juicy. This simple summer salad is easy & perfect for bbq, cookouts, & parties.
    Grilled Peach & Avocado Arugula Salad
    grilled Peach avocado goat cheese arugula salad
    French Potato Salad
    Tender warm herbed potatoes in a Champagne dijon vinaigrette with fresh herbs are bright, tangy, and crowd-pleasing. This is the best potato salad recipe without mayo. It is great for parties, picnics, & BBQs to feed a crowd. A fun summer side dish that's gluten-free, vegan, & dairy-free.
    French Potato Salad
    bowl with french potato salad topped with fresh herbs
    Toaster Oven Baked Potato
    Making baked potatoes in the toaster oven is an easy and delicious way to cook this classic side dish. The skin turns out crispy and the inside is soft and fluffy. If your toaster oven has a convection setting, this baked potato recipe is super quick
    Toaster Oven Baked Potato
    Toaster Oven Baked Potato topped recipe card with sour cream butter and fresh parsley
    Deep-Fried Beer-Battered Onion Rings
    Onion rings are a classic fried treat that is so easy to make homemade. This beer-battered recipe for onion rings is deep-fried until crispy & crunchy. It's the perfect side dish, snack, or appetizer.
    Beer-Battered Onion Rings
    Homemade Beer-Battered Onion Rings
    Homemade Pickles with Leftover Pickle Juice
    Homemade pickles are so easy to make when you reuse pickle juice or brine for this recipe. In 24 hours quick refrigerator pickles are crisp and ready.  Fermentation to turn cucumbers into pickles has never been easier.
    Pickles Made in Leftover Pickle Juice
    a jar of pickles with one being removed to eat.

    Soup & Salad Side Dishes

    Potato Leek Soup
    4 ingredients can make a wonderful velvety cream soup. This potato leek soup is quick, easy, and completely amazing.
    Potato Leek Soup
    What to Serve with Grilled Cheese potato-leek-soup-veggiedesserts
    Caprese Salad
    The simplicity of fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and sweet basil is what makes Caprese salads so yummy. This Italian classic is a wonderful pairing for your favorite grilled cheese (panini style maybe?)
    Caprese Salad
    What to Serve with Grilled Cheese Caprese-Salad-littlesunnykitchen
    Vegetable Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
    Crisp fresh vegetables are tossed with a homemade Italian dressing for a healthy side salad.
    Vegetable Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
    What to Serve with Grilled Cheese vegetable-salad-three cookedbyjulie

    Fruit & Vegetable Side Dishes

    Air-Fryer Broccoli
    A quick recipe for fresh broccoli. A few spices, including red chili flakes, helps give this a lot of flavor.
    Air-Fryer Broccoli
    What To Serve With Grilled Cheese Air-Fryer-broccoli-nourishplate
    Pickled Avocado
    A unique way to preserve avocado. A wonderful side or addition to any grilled cheese sandwich.
    Pickled Avocado
    What To Serve With Grilled Cheese Avocado-Hero-SHot urbanfarmie
    Crispy Oven Fries
    No deep fryer needed to make these crispy french fries. Fresh cut russets and a few simple steps make these oven french fries crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
    Crispy Oven Fries
    What To Serve With Grilled Cheese crispy-oven-fries loveandgoodstuff
    Orange Cranberry Quinoa Salad
    This bright and fresh salad is packed with so much flavor. Sweet dried cranberries, tart juicy oranges, and nutty quinoa make for a satisfying unique salad recipe.
    Orange Cranberry Quinoa Salad
    What To Serve With Grilled Cheese Orange-Cranberry-quinoa-salad-inthekidskitchen

     Other Recipe Roundups

    • What to Serve with Falafels
    • What to Serve with Shrimp Burgers
    • What to Serve with Meatball Subs
    What to Serve With Grilled Cheese PIN with 4 recipes shown

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    OVENTE Electric Sandwich Maker with Non-Stick Plates, Indicator Lights, Cool Touch Handle, Easy to Clean and Store, Perfect for Cooking Breakfast, Grilled Cheese, Tuna Melts Snacks, Black GPS401B
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    The Short Order Cook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you. This helps with the costs of running the blog. Thank you! 

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    Hi, I'm Angela I’m Angela, a petite mom that loves to cook, eat, drink, & explore all things food. As a former personal chef & caterer, I specialize in family recipes that taste great & are easy to make. I rely on my trusty stool every day to create & test recipes I know you will love.

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