When my refrigerator is running on empty and there’s nothing left to make for dinner, it’s time for good old boxed Mac n cheese. (Shoutout to my girl Annie!)

Creamy and cheddar-y and simple, macaroni is usually better paired with a white wine that won’t overwhelm or overpower it. A light, chilled red could work, but this time I went with some crisp and smooth white options.

Here are two great white wine pairing ideas for boxed macaroni:

1. Portuguese Alvarinho: This wine tends to be super crisp with citrus notes and minerality and green apple notes that slice right through the macaroni and cheese so the wine’s tart flavors shine through. The wine I had was: Quinta da Lixa Pouco Comum Alvarinho 2019.

2. Sonoma Chardonnay: These also are often crisp, but with luscious ripe pear and honeysuckle notes that meld with the pasta and bring out the cheddar notes. The wine I had was: Cattleya Wines Alma de Cattleya Chardonnay 2018.

Both varieties are great wine options that act on the cheesy pasta differently, depending on what you want to highlight.