100 Easy Sides You’ll Make All Summer Long
Round out your cookout, picnic or alfresco dinner with warm-weather favorites like potato salad, coleslaw and more.
Our Best Summer Side Dish Ideas
The season for easy grilling get-togethers and breezy weeknight dinners is here. And, no matter what you’re serving up, you’re going to need a few summery sides to round out your meal. Luckily, we’ve got plenty of ideas. Having friends over for burgers and hot dogs? Try coleslaw or a classic cookout salad. Cooking grilled chicken (or another mouthwatering main) for a family dinner? Throw some corn on the grill. The options are near endless. If you’re having a tough time choosing (because there are so many good options!), we recommend starting with this refreshing salad. It’s loaded with juicy tomatoes and seedless Kirby cucumbers (which have a thin skin that you don’t need to peel) so the finished dish is as eye-catching as it is delicious.
Cauliflower Rice
Sneak in some extra veggies at the table with cauliflower rice, a light and simple side dish that’s super easy to make; just pulse cauliflower florets in the food processor and warm in a skillet. Ayesha’s version calls for scallions and almonds, but you can substitute with whatever mix-ins you have on hand.
Asian Noodle Salad
Get the biggest platter you can find, because Ree's 5-star salad is absolutely packed with delicious vegetables and noodles. And even with chopping all the vegetables, you can have this eye-pleasing dish dressed in a homemade Asian-inspired sauce and on the table in just 30 minutes.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Chimichurri
This recipe combines two steakhouse favorites -- potatoes and chimichurri sauce -- into a vegetarian main that even meat lovers will love. Here we highlight delicious sweet potatoes, which we cut into planks, toss with sauce and grill in foil packets to infuse them with flavor and make perfectly tender. Serve the potatoes on a platter with more chimichurri alongside for a welcome change of pace.
BBQ Baked Beans
BBQ baked beans are a summer staple. This shortcut version relies on ordinary canned baked beans, which we dress up with fresh peppers, onions, cider vinegar and barbecue sauce. The sweet and tangy side dish is perfect for a summer barbecue, picnic, potluck or weeknight dinner. The beans taste even better the next day, so they can be prepared ahead of time and reheated or served at room temperature.
Baked Potatoes on the Grill
Turns out the best way to make a baked potato might be to not bake it at all. Grilling it yields the same fluffy interior with the bonus of an underlying hint of smoky flavor. Since the potatoes are cooked over direct heat, it’s important to use heavy-duty aluminum foil. (In a pinch, you can use two layers of regular foil.)
Lemon, Potato and Feta Foil Pack
We channeled the savory and comforting lemon potatoes on the menu of so many Greek restaurants for this grilled foil pack. It's an easy side dish to serve alongside grilled seafood or poultry. Grilling in foil caramelizes the potatoes and onions and keeps cleanup to a minimum.
Grill Basket Potato Wedges
Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs share one popular side kick: French fries. Problem is, the cooking methods and vessels used to make those mains and fries are different. To solve that dilemma, this recipe grills thick potato wedge-style “fries” in a rectangular grill basket so that they can be made alongside their protein counterparts.