16 Side Dish Recipes That Scream Summer

By Jennifer A. • Jul 01, 2024

Fire up the grill and get ready! Summer is such a great time of year for getting together with friends. And every gathering needs delicious food! Leave the bags of chips at home and knock it out of the park with these 16 Side Dish Recipes to go with whatever you are throwing on the grill.

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#1. Creamy Lime Slaw

Ah, coleslaw. Is a cookout or barbeque truly complete without a heaping bowl next to the burgers and hot dogs? And yet, the average bowl of coleslaw could also use a little zesting up. Creamy Lime Slaw adds a new zest for life to the truly creamy and crunchy mix by adding tangy, citrus-sweet lime flavors, bringing out more of coleslaw's tangy side. This is an easy, quick twist on the classic side dish, perfect for adding new layers of sweet and savory to your summer grilling menu. Creamy Lime Slaw is ready to get adventuring, and your tastebuds are along for the ride!

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#2. Grilled Zucchini

Grilled vegetables are the ultimate spring and summer side, perfect for celebrating the sunshine of the season! Grilled Zucchini embraces this trend with its natural sweetness and garden flavor, accented with olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Grilled to tender wonderfulness, Grilled Zucchini makes the vegetable side as appealing as the main course! Plus, it takes less than 30 minutes to make!

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#3. Grilled Corn on the Cob

Summertime calls for a summertime side, and nothing is quite so symbolic of summer as Grilled Corn on the Cob. This golden, sunshine-sweet dish is ideally suited for dipping in melted butter, tart lime juice, or aromatic cilantro. It's easy and fast to whip up Grilled Corn on the Cob and pair it with a barbecue meal or a seafood dinner. You'll be beaming with happiness as you eat this!

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#4. Summer's Mexican Fruit Salad

Is it even summer if you haven't taken a bite out of a juicy watermelon yet?! We don't think so! Let's make that happen, but with a delightfully spicy twist, thanks to this Summer's Mexican Fruit Salad! The sweet flavor from your favorite warm weather fruit gets sprinkled with a Tajín® kick and a creamy cotija cheese blast to create a tastebud sensation you didn't know you were missing... a very, very refreshing one! It's the perfect bite when you're snackin' by the pool or better yet, the most delicious and fun side for all the cookouts you'll be headed to this year! Garnished with a little bit of fresh cilantro and bursting jalapeños, Summer's Mexican Fruit Salad will make you feel like you're living in a summer fantasy with just one bite!

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#5. Perfect Chopped Salad

A peaceful stroll through a summer garden will show you just how many fresh flavors are ready to be plated up — crunchy lettuce and romaine, bright tomatoes, tangy olives, and juicy cucumbers. These vivacious vegetables come together to form the Perfect Chopped Salad, a refreshing and refreshingly simple-to-make side. In only 15 minutes, this ideal salad beckons with its verdant colors and its topping of parmesan cheese and herbaceous Italian dressing. The Perfect Chopped Salad really is perfect; what else could you ask for from a succulent salad?

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#6. Backyard Three Bean Bake

If you're having a summer cookout, but don't have a bean dish, are you even allowed to call it a cookout? A question for philosophers perhaps, but we're not going to test it; we're going to put out the best bean dish possible! That's the Backyard Three Bean Bake, if you were wondering; a beefy, succulent, savory mix of three different kinds of creamy, hearty beans that are baked to smoky sweetness with brown sugar and molasses. Mmmm, there's "bean" no side dish we've found that can match this Backyard Three Bean Bake!

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#7. Blistered Tomatoes

This might be one of the best side dishes we've ever seen, and the fact that it's so easy and fast to make? That's just the cherry (tomato) on top! Blistered Tomatoes sauté bright, juicy tomatoes until softened and sweetened, pairing the vibrancy with tangy vinegar and savory red onion for an exquisite balance of flavors. It's warm, summery, filling, and so, so enticing... something you may not expect from a vegetarian dish! Blistered Tomatoes will become a go-to in your house, no question about it!

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#8. Summer Pasta Slaw

Summer is not complete without a couple bowls of coleslaw and pasta salad. Or a few... or 12. Well, this Summer Pasta Slaw is so good even 12 bowls of the stuff might not be enough. We combined two beloved summer salad sides into one, and it will blow your mind! Tender macaroni, crunchy coleslaw mix, crisp apples, and juicy cucumbers make up the refreshing and cool side salad, but the heart-and-soul of the dish is obviously the dressing. That dressing is creamy, tangy, sweet, and a perfect way to bring out the most of the fresh flavors. Summer Pasta Slaw is the perfect way to beat the heat!

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#9. Squash & Rice Casserole

Your meal deserves a side of comfort! And Squash & Rice Casserole delivers. This might be one of your greatest meals yet! This pairs perfectly with just about any main entrée. The garden-fresh, summery squash, nutty wild rice, beefy mushrooms, and all that sharp parmesan cheese come together for a side dish that everyone will rave about! Squash & Rice Casserole is a comfort food that everyone will want to indulge in. You might want to make this the main course after all!

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#10. Tabbouleh

This fresh, herby, bulgar wheat salad originates from the Middle East and is the perfect spring and summer side! Eat Tabbouleh as a salad or even with some hummus and pita bread like a dip. With lemon juice, parsley, mint, and cucumber, Tabbouleh is the most refreshing dish you will ever eat. It will certainly make the day that much sunnier!

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#11. The Perfect Broccoli Slaw

Every cookout deserves great side dishes! The Perfect Broccoli Slaw is the perfect choice to add to your red-and-white-checkered tablecloth event. A creamy, tangy, sweet, Dijon-mayo dressing enhances the fresh broccoli-carrots-and-cabbage-blend to create its picnic-worthy place at the table. Garnished with crunchy, toasted almonds, The Perfect Broccoli Slaw surely is the best-dressed broccoli ensemble of all your summer soirées. Let's get the warm-weather party started!

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#12. Zucchini & Squash Medley

This is a veggie dish you will actually crave! Zucchini & Squash Medley has the fresh, juicy garden flavors that make summer satisfying. Accented by garlic and fresh zesty lemon, Zucchini & Squash Medley is like a melody of flavors! This is a side you’ll welcome by any main course!

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#13. Corn Feta Salad

Add something fresh and flirty to your next meal! Corn Feta Salad will captivate your palate in a whole new way. Fresh-from-the-ear sweet corn is dressed to impress with some crumbled feta cheese, plus jalapeño to spice things up a bit, and a delightful rumba of flavor from your favorites like parsley, mint, flaky sea salt, and fresh lime juice. With a drizzling of olive oil, all the tastes of Corn Feta Salad join into an exciting new way to serve a side dish. Fresh has never been so attractive!

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#14. Bang-Bang Street Corn

Now here's a side dish with some kick! Bang-Bang Street Corn packs electric excitement into each and every bite. The corn is beautifully grilled so it's summery and sweet, while the créma spread is tangy, luscious, and citrus-bright! That's all before getting topped with the crunchy, crispy breadcrumb mixture and its toasted, fragrant, zesty spices! Mmmm, Bang-Bang Street Corn certainly delivers some explosive eats!

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#15. Strawberry-Tomato Salad

A little sweet and a little savory but packed with a whole lot of flavors! Strawberry-Tomato Salad makes for a terrific summer side for just about any main dish. The perfect combination of fragrant basil and oregano, a bit of sunny lemon zest, fresh and sweet strawberries, and juicy heirloom tomatoes join to become a uniquely divine taste. Easy, delicious, and refreshing, Strawberry-Tomato Salad is the pairing you didn't know you were missing. What a wonderful summer surprise!

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#16. Southern-Style Potato Salad

Southern-Style Potato Salad gets its name and distinct flavor from the addition of tangy Dijon mustard, which adds a touch of zest to this classic side. Yet this Southern-Style Potato Salad still has the fluffy, hearty, creamy texture and taste of traditional potato salad, which makes it a beloved staple of summertime picnics or backyard barbeques. This is a refreshing side dish that will tempt you to fill up your entire plate with it.

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