Side Dish Satisfaction

Imaginative side dishes tend to be my downfall. We tend to rotate through rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and bread.
To me side dishes were more of an afterthought with most of my energy going toward the main dish, but I was getting bored,so I decided to shake things up.
I decided to do some simpler main dishes and become more "fun" with my sides.
The other night we had steak, and I simply cooked it, but paired it with "French Onion Mac n Cheese". I found the recipe in Food Network Magazine, but changed a few things to make it more "budget" friendly!

French Onion Mac n Cheese

1/2 box of ziti cooked according to the box instructions
4 TBSP butter
1 Onion, thinly sliced
2 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 cups whole milk
2 cups shredded swiss cheese.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, set aside.
In a saucepan melt 2 TBSP of butter. Add sliced onion and cook until carmelized (a golden brown). Once onions are carmelized add the remaining butter and flour, cook for about 3-5 minutes.
Add milk and cook on medium heat until thickened. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add the swiss cheese and stir until melted.
Add the ziti in and stir to combine.

(You can serve this immediately or place it in an oven safe dish and reheat covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue heating for another 15 minutes)