Whether it’s a backyard BBQ side, potluck with friends, lazy afternoon at the park with a blanket and a cooler, these summery recipes disappear first.
I could eat creamy pasta salads and crunchy slaws every single day and never get tired of them. My food science background has cracked the code on what makes these potluck barbecue side dishes actually shine, and more importantly, what keeps them from going sad and soggy by the time you dine.
1. Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
My Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is the classic I make on repeat all summer long, and a zippy homemade Italian dressing is what makes it sing. I rely on a few pro tips: nailing your dressing ratio, cooling the pasta quickly. It keeps the texture perfectly al dente and never gluey.
2. Healthy Greek Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing
I adore a good Greek pasta salad on a warm night when I can eat outside in the evening sun. My Healthy Greek Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing is loaded with sturdy vegetables like celery and bell peppers so it holds up beautifully when made ahead. The two-ingredient creamy feta dressing comes together right in the bowl. Ridiculously easy BBQ side dish.
3. Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Bold, creamy, and ready in 20 minutes, my Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad is the one I reach for when I want a BBQ side dish recipe that could easily hold its own as a full meal. Spicy buffalo-coated chicken, crisp veggies, and a tangy blue cheese dressing hit every note. Make it ahead and let those flavors meld in the fridge.
4. Thai Peanut Noodle Pasta Salad
My Spicy Thai Noodle Salad hits all the notes: sweet, salty, sour, spicy. I can easily call this a full dinner, but it’s a favorite alongside Thai Satay with creamy peanut sauce.
5. Thai Noodle Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing
If you want to bring something a little unexpected to the picnic table, my Thai Noodle Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing is it. Vibrant colors, incredible textures, and a sweet chili dressing that is fresh, bright, and completely flavor-loaded. Fair warning: it’s one of the BBQ side dishes that vanish FAST.
6. Miso-Carrot Mac and Cheese
My Miso-Carrot Mac and Cheese is exactly what it sounds like: classic mac and cheese with two unexpected ingredients hiding in the sauce. Pureed carrot adds the familiar orange color, miso adds salty umami depth. No one will guess. They’ll be too busy saying mmm.
7. Easy Couscous Salad with Lemon Dressing
My Easy Couscous Salad with Lemon Dressing is fresh, healthy, and addictive. The 4-ingredient lemon dressing whisks together in a flash. Couscous (or swap in Israeli couscous if you want chewier texture) takes 5 minutes to cook, then folds together with shallot, celery, fruit, fresh herbs, and toasted nuts.
8. Wild Rice Salad with Pecans and Cranberries
My Wild Rice Salad is one of my favorite grain salads, inspired by one I used to order at Capers in Vancouver. Chewy wild rice bejeweled with cranberries and pecans, fresh parsley and green onions, a savory-sweet soy and rice vinegar dressing. Really, really addictive.
9. Shredded Kale and Quinoa Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
My Shredded Kale and Quinoa Salad has a creamy tahini dressing I could eat with a spoon. Raw shredded kale, hearty quinoa, sweet currants, and toasted sesame seeds, all coated in something creamy, nutty, tangy, sweet, and salty all at once.
10. Creamy Potato Salad with Egg
My Creamy Potato Salad with Egg is my FAV. The dressing is lemony, tangy, creamy, lightened up with a swirl of Greek yogurt against the mayo. Cube the potatoes before boiling, salt the water like the sea, and you will never go back to mushy, watery potato salad again.
11. World’s Best Macaroni Salad
My World’s Best Macaroni Salad earned its title for a reason. Cubes of cheddar, crisp celery, sweet onion, and a perfectly tangy mayo-and-sweet-pickle dressing all wrapped around tender macaroni. Make it the night before. The flavors get noticeably better.
12. Curry Chicken Salad with Grapes
My Curry Chicken Salad with Grapes is one of my absolute favorite make-ahead salads. The sweet pop of grapes against warm, Indian-spiced mayo and Greek yogurt dressing is just beyond. Takes 5 minutes to pull together. Scoop it onto soft buns, pile it on crackers, or just eat it straight from the bowl.
13. Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
My Mexican Street Corn Salad, also known as Esquites, takes all the magic of elote and dumps it into a bowl. Charred corn, lime, cotija, cilantro, jalapeño, mayo, and a hit of chili powder. Serves a crowd, makes incredible leftovers, and looks gorgeous on a buffet table.
14. Kale Caesar Salad
My Kale Caesar Salad is a picnic ringer because raw shredded kale won’t wilt into a sad soggy mess while you’re busy grilling. The garlicky parmesan dressing with bacon and crunchy croutons gets better as it sits.
15. Crispy Kale Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
My Crispy Kale Cauliflower Chickpea Salad is the kind of salad that eats like a full meal. Spice-roasted cauliflower, crispy kale, and crunchy roasted chickpeas piled over lemony Greek yogurt. Protein-packed, meal-prep friendly, and impossibly satisfying.
16. Indian Chickpea Salad
My Indian Chickpea Salad is a 5-minute recipe packed with protein and fiber. Canned chickpeas get tossed with curry powder, lemon, chopped veggies, and herbs. Scoop it into naan for a naanwich, spoon it on dinner rolls Indian-street-food style, or eat it straight from the bowl.
17. Indian Cucumber Salad with Yogurt
My Indian Cucumber Salad with Yogurt is a 5-minute recipe my Indian father-in-law makes every time we visit. Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, mint, and cilantro all tossed in thick plain yogurt. Cool, fresh, and the perfect counterpoint to anything spicy on the grill.
18. Red Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
My Red Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro and Lime started as a topper for my Baja Fish Tacos, but it’s so good I make extra just to serve on the side. It delivers a bright, crunchy, tangy layer that cuts right through a rich BBQ spread.
19. The Best Easy Coleslaw Recipe
My Easy Coleslaw Recipe has converted plenty of skeptics. The dressing is mayo, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, sugar, salt, and pepper, whisked together until smooth and creamy. Slice the cabbage thin so it stays tender, and don’t overdress it.
20. Strawberry Caprese Salad
My Strawberry Caprese Salad swaps tomatoes for sweet, ruby strawberries against creamy mozzarella, peppery basil, and a balsamic reduction. Five minutes, almost no effort, and one of my favorite ways to celebrate the first local berries of summer.
21. Fresh Peach Caprese Salad
When stone fruit is at its absolute peak, I drop everything to make my Fresh Peach Caprese Salad. Fresh peaches, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pure summer magic with almost zero effort. The kind of stunning, low-key side dish that makes everyone think you tried way harder than you did.
22. Watermelon Caprese Salad
My Watermelon Caprese Salad is ridiculously easy to throw together and gets an extra boost from a homemade balsamic reduction. Juicy fuchsia watermelon, buttery fresh mozzarella, fruity olive oil, fresh basil. Lean into peak-season produce and let it do the work.
23. Grilled Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)
My Grilled Panzanella features juicy fresh tomatoes, big chunks of grilled herb focaccia (toasted into croutons), creamy dollops of mascarpone, and a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing. The bread soaks up the tangy vinaigrette and tomato juices. So vibrant, fresh, summery.
24. Cornbread Casserole
My Cornbread Casserole is the softer, more tender cousin of regular cornbread, studded with juicy corn kernels. The blend of cornmeal and flour gives it a moist, soft cake-like texture in the middle with crisp golden edges.
25. Flaky Buttermilk Onion Rings
My Flaky Buttermilk Onion Rings get a soak with hot sauce and Creole seasoning that softens the onions and adds gentle heat. The coating is thin, flaky, and shatteringly crisp, not the heavy puffy batter most onion rings come in. Fry hot and salt them the second they come out.
26. No-Knead Cheesy Garlic Bread Fingers
My No-Knead Cheesy Garlic Bread Fingers take almost no effort: stir flour and water together, rise for 30 minutes, bake under garlic butter and a blanket of stretchy, gooey mozzarella. Use them to scoop up pasta sauce, dunk in marinara, or just eat them straight off the pan.
