10 Favorite Cookout Side Dishes
You can do better than a bag of potato chips this summer. We’ve got fresh, seasonal salads; quick pickles; pasta dishes and the best dips. Here are 10 summertime sides ready for your picnic table or patio—plus a bonus beverage recipe for hot summer nights!
A quick take on the classic Greek salad, this version highlights delicious summer produce, including sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and colorful bell peppers. The dressing, a simple combination of Italian seasoning, vinegar, and good olive oil, is great for dipping pieces of bread.
We love bringing from-scratch sides to outdoor events, but if it’s barbecue on the menu? Sticky finger, sauce-on-your chin, ribs and chicken barbecue? You won’t go wrong with our Sweet Cornbread Mix. Comes together in minutes and you can customize your mix-ins with jalapenos, bacon, fresh herbs, or cheese. Bring a tangy coleslaw along, and the meal is perfectly complete!
This sweet and spicy dip is the perfect side for any game-day get-together or outdoor celebration. It features shredded chicken, cream cheese, Honey Sriracha Seasoning Mix, and green onions for a mouthwatering modern take on a classic summertime favorite. Plus, you can serve it up hot or cold in the 5-qt. (4.7-L) Serving Bowl!
Bring what everyone loves about tacos to an easy-to-transport salad. The grilled chicken and black beans make it hearty enough to be a meal or a zesty summer side salad. Serve it at a cookout in an insulated bowl, so the lettuce and veggies stay crisp and chilled outside from the time the party starts until the table is cleared and the burgers and sides are replaced with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.
While potato salad might seem like a distinctly American dish, it’s commonly eaten as a side dish in Korean cuisine, possibly introduced by American soldiers during the Korean War. Spiralized red potatoes meet a rice-wine vinegar and mayonnaise dressing for an unusual take on the potato salad we know in the U.S. This version gets extra flavor from honey, chopped green onions, and spiralized seedless cucumbers scattered over the top.
There’s no better way to cool down on a hot summer day than with a bowl of creamy fruit salad. From fresh berries to ripe bananas, this refreshing fruit salad brings all the best flavors of summer right to your table. And, with our Cup Slicer, you can make this recipe at a moment’s notice for a delectable snack, side dish, or healthy dessert.
This delicious recipe is a fresh twist on a summer potluck classic—the ambrosia salad. Traditionally made with marshmallows, fruit, and whipped topping, our version takes the decadence one step further with the addition of cream cheese filling, shredded coconut and pretzels. Make this showstopping dessert in the 8″ (20-cm) Square Pan With Lid, which you can take with you and easily store leftovers for later.
Put your herb garden to good use with this dish, which combines a classic basil pesto with creamy avocado. Combine the pesto with spiralized carrot, squash, and zucchini noodles, and add summer’s favorite tomatoes and crisp-tender broccoli. Add chicken to turn this side dish into a main course meal. Then, freeze the leftover pesto to use in future meals.
This tangy potato salad will be a hit at any potluck. The recipe calls for small potatoes, so you only need to quarter them rather than chopping or dicing and skin stays on them. That helps make this a quick salad to prep. Make it in the morning, and it will be chilled and ready to serve by mid-afternoon when the grill starts up.
A bright salsa made with ingredients straight from the garden is perfect with chips, yes, but it’s also great on grilled chicken or fish. Combine tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and seasoning, then chop roughly together until it’s at your desired chunkiness.
Does sangria count as a side dish? We think so! This adults-only beverage is made for hot summer evenings on the porch. Combine raspberries, tequila, triple sec, and sparkling wine for this refreshing sipper; the recipe starts with a warm sugar syrup, so be sure to leave time for chilling in a pitcher.
This post has been updated since its original publication in April 2016.
Fresh tomato, cucumber and feta is the one I will try this summer. Thank you
I will also but instead of feta I will use mozzarella
Mozzarella sounds awesome Mary. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will try that one also.
Oh I like that suggestion! I don’t do feta.
I do this with mozzarella balls. Just an idea
That sounds delicious 😋
Yummm! I will definitely try the tomato & cucumber salad but loved the way they said to customize! I always customize since I have picky eaters. I will replace the feta with cubed Mozzarella cheese. Thanks for the ideas!
Thanks for the recipes! Yes, I want to try the tomato, cucumber & feta salad, sounds so good!!
Oh yes ? thanks I will do the tomato and cucumber ? salad
The Korean potato salad looks delicious. I watched the video earlier today and I can’t wait to make it!
I wish we could have more common recipes that didn’t have crazy things in them!
Haven’t had the vegetable pizza in a long time! I always liked it. Thanks for reminding me about it.
Also the pickled radishes, and some other vegetables I can think of, sounds good. Will have to try it.
Love that we offer so many recipes to our customers and for ourselves – lots of variety! Products are awesome and if more people would understand what all they could have with Pampered Chef there would be happier people in the world!
I’m gonna try the pickled radishes; have been really enjoying vinegar sides lately!
I would like a more specific recipe with amounts, etc.
Did you click on them? They will take you straight to the full recipe! Yay!! ?
Click on the picture, and it comes up. Ingredients and directions.
I want to pickle some daikon! I’ll add sliced carrot, too.
I have tried most of these receips as l like variety in side dishes .l of my favorite is cucumber, tomatoe & feta salad .l had that a couple days ago in fact.Thanks for posting these.
Thanks for reminding me of the tomato salad.
I use mozzarella cheese and onion with zesty Italian dressing. I like
the idea of the peppers in it.
Have a Happy Fourth of July
Yes Sangria counts as a side dish it goes great with any of the other sides.
Fresh tomato , cucumber, and feta salad is the one I’ll try first. Sounds so delicious 😋
Fresh tomato salsa and the fruit salad with yogurt are the only ones on there that this family can eat. No sugar, low carb and low fat. I know you have recipes somewhere that would fit this family. 😉