They even created a new dish using the comfort food last year by combining it with another popular menu item - broccoli cheddar soup. They followed that up a few months later with an option to build your own mac and cheese with a variety of toppings like smoked pulled chicken, avocado, pico de gallo, apple-cider-vinegar barbecue sauce, frizzled onions and fresh cilantro. The restaurant chain started including the option to add bacon to the dish a few years ago. Panera’s macaroni and cheese is quite popular, so it’s not really a surprise they decided to turn it into a sandwich. The pasta is made with fontina and mozzarella cheeses and sprinkled with parmesan crisps, then sandwiched between slices of toasted country-style white miche bread. Hitting menus nationwide this month, Panera’s new Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwich combines their fan-favorite macaroni and cheese with a grilled cheese sandwich. If you’ve ever dreamed macaroni and cheese could be a bit more portable and, well, fork-less, Panera’s newest menu item is made just for you.