Recipes

79 Summer Side Dishes For Park Picnics and Backyard Cookouts

Bring on the grilled veggies, fruit salads, and spicy slaws.
Image may contain Plant Dish Food Meal Produce Vegetable Seasoning and Lunch
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li

Nobody wants to be stuck in a kitchen when they could be soaking up sunshine. So this year, our cooking motto is simple: Stick to produce-packed summer side dishes that can be easily made in advance or thrown together fast. After all, you don't have to do much to peak-season vegetables to make them taste amazing. Whether you're looking for something light to snack on while the grill heats up or gearing up for an all-day, multi-course picnic marathon, these spicy slaws, marinated veggies, and juicy fruit salads have your back. You might not even want to save room for the main course.

  • Crunchy Pickle Salad recipe
    Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    7/79

    Crunchy Pickle Salad

    This is the barbecue side dish you didn't know you needed: crunchy sour pickles, toasty walnuts, and fresh fennel and dill are a match made in backyard heaven.

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  • Grilled Potatoes in aluminum foil on a white background
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards
    8/79

    Grilled Potatoes in Foil

    No parboiling necessary—here, the potatoes steam inside a cozy foil packet before taking on just enough char.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Produce Vegetable Lentil and Bean
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero
    11/79

    Coconut-Creamed Corn and Grains

    Turmeric, chiles, and chewy-nutty cooked grains balance the sweetness of fresh corn in this loose vegan riff on creamed corn.

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  • Olive Oil Galette With Spicy Greens recipe
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Plates by Meilen Ceramics 
    12/79

    Olive Oil Galette With Spicy Greens

    While butter is the usual choice for galette or pie dough, a combination of olive oil and yogurt gives this crust a flaky texture and a golden brown color when baked. If the dough is a little crumbly when rolling it out, don’t worry: Just patch it back up.

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  • Big Beans and Tomato Vinaigrette
    Photo by Alex Lau, prop styling by Kendra Smoot
    13/79

    Big Beans and Tomato Vinaigrette

    The cold bean salad you’ve been craving this summer. Buttery big beans and a garlicky tomato dressing.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    14/79

    Broccoli Spoon Salad With Warm Vinaigrette

    This salad puts all the best textures on a spoon: crisp, raw broccoli; chewy, sticky dates; and crunchy toasted pistachios. The ras-el-hanout, a Moroccan spice blend featuring aromatic and warm spices, adds a smoky depth to the bright citrusy dressing, which soaks into the broccoli as it sits. Don’t have ras-el-hanout? Garam masala, baharat, or curry powder will also work. And if you’re a meal prepper, this is a great make-ahead salad—it only gets better with a little time.

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