When someone’s already bringing the fried chicken, picnic sandwiches or brownies, what’s left to contribute? Tons of classics, actually, that round out the offerings and truly turn it into a picnic. These dishes pack well and are delicious right after being made but also after sitting for a few hours (though always bring cold packs for food that needs to stay cold, to be safe). Throw in a bottle of wine and corkscrew, your gingham-iest blanket and a frisbee, and off you go.

A great recipe to get you started? This panzanella-inspired salad where the juices from the tomatoes soak into the crunchy bread cubes. As if that’s not irresistible enough, it’s served with cheese crisps, made from baking a blend of Gruyere, flour and black pepper until thin and crackly.

Sometimes you really do want that all-American standby, tasting as good as you remember it (or maybe even a little better). Those chunks of chopped celery and that sweet-savory mustard and mayo dressing tango with and coat the pasta in just the right way.

Pinto beans simmer for hours with smoky bacon, peppers and onions in a sweet and tangy sauce until they turn rich and tender. This hearty side feeds a crowd and is perfect for cookouts or potlucks.

These bites are the mic-drop of corn muffins. Concealed inside is a center of pimiento cheese. Just put them out in a basket and wait for the first eater to exclaim upon this most excellent of surprises.

We’re not going to try to talk you into a raw broccoli salad—that would be too much, even for us. But Trisha Yearwood classes things up with a quick blanch that renders these cruciferous florets much more mellow on the stomach and much more subtle when tossed with a vinegary dressing, along with some sunflower seeds, raisins and bacon.

Simplicity is key in this potato salad… that is, simplicity and bacon. No, seriously, each element is just-so, from the creaminess of Yukon gold potatoes to the fresh chives and delicious, vinegary (and mayonnaise-free) dressing. This will be a hit for many summer alfresco meals.

This grab-and-go jar stacks olive rice, spiced chickpeas, tomato eggplant and shredded chicken into one tidy layered meal. It's a budget-friendly recipe that's made for picnics and travels well in the fridge.

Sometimes you attend a picnic that has no deviled eggs. At those picnics, it’s as if people have forgotten that they exist. But this is surprising, because bringing deviled eggs to a picnic is as close to becoming a celebrity as some of us experience. Seriously, open that lid on the conatiner of deviled eggs and watch as all conversations come to a halt and divert to one group discussion (with much excitement) about the deviled eggs.

Everyone needs a good slaw recipe in their arsenal, whether for serving alongside barbecue or right on top of a pulled pork or fried chicken sandwich. This one is especially interesting with those popping mustard seeds tangling with strips of cabbage and bell pepper.

We love this summery dish with almost a pasta primavera vibe, both starch and veggies in one (double-duty dishes are MVPs when it comes to portable dining). The lemoniness and fresh dill make it exceedingly bright, and hits of feta lend a salty-creamy note that plays well with the peas and asparagus.

Just as grilled Mexican-style corn makes an excellent street food, it also will be quite welcome at the picnic, playing well with tacos and also barbecue. The slather of rich, chile-infused sauce with a sprinkling of cheese complements those smoky, sweet kernels, along with a refreshing squeeze of lime and sprinkling of cilantro.

It’s good to think beyond lettuces when it comes to picnic salads, and go with chunky things that will hold up better en route. Here, bites of avocado mingle with juicy, meaty tomatoes, chickpeas and olives, and, because we’re talking Bobby Flay, some southwestern spices and crunchy bits of tortilla chip.

How do you make sure your biscuits will partner well with everything but also taste amazing on their own? It’s the answer to many questions in life: sharp Cheddar.

Why “cold-fashioned?” Because here, chilling (plus time) does all the work in seasoning the potatoes, the vinegar soaking in an overnight refrigeration and then the dressing also taking another bit of time in the fridge for all the flavors to mingle together. And, yes, it’s also an exceptional spin on an old-fashioned potato salad, so it’s not just a pun, it’s a portmanteau.

In many restaurants in Italy, a platter of perfectly grilled vegetables like radicchio, fennel and peppers sits behind the counter, waiting to be ordered as part of the second course. Here, they’re united with pasta to make for a salad with that Tuscan soul that will go well with just about any picnic main.

Don’t forget the fruit salad! This is a good one, definitely more than just the sum of its parts. Fresh mint and a nip of Grand Marnier tie everything together and prevent this from being just a bowl of fruit; the juices from the fresh orange keep the banana looking just-sliced.

You can’t just bring a plain salad to the picnic—it has to have some elements that make everyone excited to try it. Here, that comes in the form of bacon. Not only in the salad itself, but also infused into the croutons that are baked in the bacon fat. Sign us up.

If you’re the type to show up early (or even if not), these crackers will turn you into the hometown hero, and they might just disappear entirely before you even set everything up. Turning crackers out of your own oven couldn’t be simpler, and yet homemade crackers create such a stir with their tasty payoff. These are studded with everything bagel seasoning to be a little extra.