Best Dishes to Bring to a BBQ
Memorial Day seems to be the unofficial kickoff to summer. With longer days, warmer weather and plenty of sunshine coming, it’s also the start of barbecue season.
Barbecue season has people getting out their grills and smokers and planning get-togethers with family and friends. If you’re heading to a barbecue this summer, you can probably expect that your host is providing some delicious main dishes that they’ve prepared on the grill, but often, they’ll ask you to bring a side dish. If you’re searching for a new dish to bring, maybe one of these will be the dish!
Deviled eggs are always a hit at summer picnics and barbecues. They are cool and refreshing and go well with barbecue. While traditional deviled eggs will be gobbled up quickly, you can switch up the recipe just a bit by adding bacon and sweet pickle relish with this recipe.
Certain dishes just seem to go with barbecue and beans are one of them. If you have a family recipe for baked beans, you, of course, should prepare that for your friends or family to enjoy. But if you’re looking for a delicious recipe that you can bring to your barbecue in a slow cooker, then Calico Beans are the way to go. These are easy to prepare and will have people asking for your recipe!
Potato salad is a summertime staple. It’s at just about every summer get-together. But, Baked Potato Salad is a great riff on this classic. It brings all of the flavors of a baked potato into a cold salad for the summer. This dish will disappear quickly for sure!
Pasta salad is good. Mexican pasta salad is better! Filled with loads of vegetables (including avocado) and beans, and covered with a chili-lime dressing, this is a refreshing salad for summer. This recipe says that cotija or queso fresco are optional, but add them for just a little more flavor!
Do you know what goes great with barbecue? Cornbread! Warm cornbread with a pat of butter is a perfect side to some brisket or ribs. If you want to make your own cornbread to bring to a summer gathering, this recipe is delicious. It contains jalapenos, corn, and cheese – which make it so much better than plain, ol’ cornbread. Be sure to use a cast iron skillet if you have one!
Orzo is that tiny pasta that looks like rice and when you combine it with all of the great things from a Caprese salad you make this wonderful dish. When you use cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls you’ll find that this salad comes together quickly – so it’s great for when you’re short on time.
With nothing to cook, this salad is super easy – and a great dish to have the kids help you prepare. Strawberries are at their peak during the early summer months, and when combined with the spinach, make this salad delicious. If you don’t have time to make the homemade poppyseed dressing – pick one up at the store. No one will know!
Coleslaw is another dish that seems to be at every barbecue. This is another take on traditional coleslaw with the addition of jalapeno for a little kick.
Boozy fruit salad? Yum! With fresh mint and Limoncello, this Boozy Fruit Salad will be the star of the barbecue. And it’s easy! Be sure to give parents a quick heads up about the Limoncello (there’s only a ¼ cup in the salad)!
Do you have a barbecue that you’re heading to soon? Do you need to bring a dish? Will you try one of these or bring something else? No matter what you bring, it’s sure to be delicious!
