Bacon sounds good. I am planning menus for visitors who will be here for two weeks and a lot of my meals will have a mixed side salad. I don't want them going home having grown two long front teeth!
I normally melt the cheese in milk and add a chopped onion and 2 teaspoons of colemans mustard powder then add it to the cooked macaroni in a dish that already has cooked spinach in the base. It makes for some colour (great for getting green bits wedged in your teeth too) so maybe some bacon diced and crispy and a pretty looking tomato on the side would look good?
Bacon, onion and mushrooms with French Mustard stirred into the sauce and some nice crispy fried breadcrumbs over the top. I'm now feeling hungry!!!!
Try making it with Gruyere cheese - a lovely nutty flavour and instead of just cauliflower add some broccolli - improves the goodness and taste and adds some lovely colour.
Make sure the bacon is grilled crispy first before adding to cheese mixture. Wafer thin ham is a good standby in the freezer, used snipped as an alternative to the bacon.
Server with loads of finely chopped parsley. Personally I don't think salad goes too well with Macaroni Cheese, garlic slices or a crusty baguette is better.