Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Summer Dinner Ideas 32 Sides for Your Next Summer Cookout Scene-stealing salads, slaws, breads, and grilled vegetables turn even a casual menu into a memorable meal. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 12, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Ryan Liebe Everyone knows the side dishes are the real stars of a summer meal: A perfectly-cooked steak or fish filet may look like the centerpiece of your menu, but the right vegetables, salads, breads, and slaws steal the show every time. Whether you're grilling an entire rack of barbecue ribs for a crowd or throwing marinated chicken thighs on a hot grill for a weeknight dinner, find a side that pairs well with your main. Here, we share our secrets to a perfectly grilled ear of corn, delicious riffs on coleslaw, and a savory-sweet cornbread. Toss any in-season fruit or vegetable, charred over an open flame, with an easy vinaigrette for a quick and tasty side—or opt for more elaborate dishes that elevate flavor profiles or provide complementary textures. Use These Summer Menus to Inspire a Season of Fabulous Warm-Weather Meals 01 of 32 Sautéed Corn With Black Pepper and Manchego Noe Dewitt Upgrade fresh corn by cutting the kernels off the cob, sautéing them with butter in a cast-iron skillet, and tossing with grated aged Manchego for a delicious, indulgent grilling side dish. View Recipe 02 of 32 Green Beans With Tomatoes and Crispy Breadcrumbs Frédéric Lagrange This crisp, colorful side dish recipe calls for a vibrant combination of green beans and wax beans, cocktail tomatoes, homemade croutons, and grated Manchego cheese. View Recipe 03 of 32 Sweet Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes With Bulgur Frédéric Lagrange Celebrate the bounty of summer produce with this juicy grain salad. Cooked bulgur is tossed with green and yellow zucchini, fresh corn kernels, beefsteak tomatoes, and arugula. View Recipe 04 of 32 Miso-Watercress Green Beans Kate Sears If you think green beans are boring, this side dish will make you think again. The beans are sautéed, then briefly steamed until they're crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Serve them with a simple dressing made with miso paste and fresh lemon juice. View Recipe 05 of 32 Grilled Corn With Fish Sauce and Scallions Kate Sears Summer is the only time we want to eat fresh corn on the cob. This easy recipe calls for topping the corn with an umami-packed combination of sambal oelek, fish sauce, and lime juice, bringing big-time flavor to your cookout. View Recipe 06 of 32 Cucumber-Herb Salad Noe Dewitt This make-ahead green salad offers freshness and crunch to lighten up heavy steaks or tenderloins. Toss together cucumbers, extra-virgin olive oil, rice vinegar, and fresh tender herbs, such as parsley, mint, and chives for a breezy side dish. View Recipe 07 of 32 Harissa-Roasted Green Beans Kate Sears In this 30-minute recipe, roasted green beans are tossed with harissa paste and topped with toasted sesame seeds. View Recipe 08 of 32 Black-Eyed-Pea-Salad With Celery Chris Simpson This simple side dish recipe uses canned black-eyed peas to make preparation even easier. The protein-packed legumes are tossed with diced rice onion, red wine vinegar, chopped celery, and parsley. View Recipe 09 of 32 Braised Green Beans With Tomatoes and Cilantro Noe Dewitt Tomatoes are the epitome of everything juicy and delicious in summer. We've highlighted them alongside chopped green beans in this sautéed side dish recipe. View Recipe 10 of 32 Grilled Vegetables and White-Bean Fattoush Con Poulos How beautiful is this array of grilled vegetables? Bell peppers, escarole, and red onions are brushed with oil, then grilled until charred and tender. Serve with cannellini beans, crumbled feta, and pita chips. View Recipe 11 of 32 Grilled Asparagus and Farro Salad Chris Simpson Bring flavor to your backyard barbecue with this light and bright side dish recipe. Asparagus is grilled, then mixed with farro, salty-sweet Marcona almonds, lemon juice, and feta cheese. View Recipe 12 of 32 Green Salad With Pickled-Shallot Vinaigrette Paola + Murray When summer comes, we're all about embracing vibrant colors and flavors—so this big-batch salad, featuring pink watermelon radishes, sliced carrots, and mixed greens, is just the right recipe. View Recipe 13 of 32 Spicy Pineapple-Peanut Salad Lennart Weibull We can't get enough of the unique combination of sweet pineapple, salty peanuts, spice chile peppers, and fresh mint in this cookout side dish. View Recipe 14 of 32 Test Kitchen's Favorite Potato Salad Ren Fuller There are a few key steps to our food editors' favorite potato salad: evenly cutting your potatoes so they cook at the same rate; placing the potatoes in cold water, then boiling; and using a starchy, creamy spud like russets or Yukon golds. The result is a creamy, flavorful potato salad. View Recipe 15 of 32 Shredded-Carrot-and-Cabbage Coleslaw Ren Fuller A coleslaw that's as light and vinegar-y as we're used to but with a whole lot more color? Yes, please! Spiralized carrots and shredded cabbage are a welcome summer upgrade to a cookout staple. View Recipe 16 of 32 Dill, Potato, and Egg Salad Petrina Tinslay Summer cookouts and potato salad go hand in hand. Here, we updated the creamy mayo version by adding pickled shallots, tangy sliced cornichons, and just a couple tablespoons of Dijon mustard. It's lighter, zestier, and more colorful than the classic. View Recipe 17 of 32 Grilled Corn on the Cob Instead of boiling corn on the cob, why not grill it? The subtle smoky flavor and charred crisp is a delicious contrast to the sweet, milky kernels. View Recipe 18 of 32 Greek-Taverna Salad Petrina Tinslay Help yourself to this chopped, deconstructed Greek salad. By keeping the dressing on the side, you prevent the ingredients from getting too soggy. And this way, no one has to pick around the ingredients they don't like. Win-win! View Recipe 19 of 32 Classic Cornbread This buttermilk cornbread recipe is made with a simple combination of butter, cornmeal, all-purpose flour, sugar, and eggs: easy to make and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. View Recipe 20 of 32 Cucumber Salad With Herbs, Kumquats, and Sumac Dressing The Ingalls We could snack on crisp, raw cucumber slices all day, but they're so much better when tossed with fresh herbs, sumac (a tart, acidic spice), and kumquats. Every ingredient is bright and a bit of a surprise, which makes this a delightful summer side salad. View Recipe 21 of 32 Eggplant, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad Add grilled eggplant to the classic caprese salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil for a summer vegetable extravaganza. View Recipe 22 of 32 Grilled Green Tomatoes With Creamy Basil Sauce Here's a genius way to use those unripened green tomatoes: Cut them into thick slabs and char them on the grill until they're softened and slightly sweet. Drizzle the grilled tomatoes with a creamy sauce of fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and mayonnaise. View Recipe 23 of 32 Grilled Peas With Toasted Coconut Armando Rafael In under 30 minutes, a delicious, healthy side dish is born: By grilling the peas in their pods, you get a hint of smokiness, while coconut, lime, and cayenne deepen the flavor. View Recipe 24 of 32 Tomato and Avocado Salad Make an elegant and simple salad by pairing rich avocado and juicy, multicolored tomatoes. A drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper is all the seasoning this easy salad needs. Serve with grilled steak or chicken for a delicious summer meal. View Recipe 25 of 32 Tabbouleh With Watermelon Watermelon replaces the traditional tomato in this Middle Eastern salad, giving it bursts of sweetness, while goat cheese provides creamy contrast. View Recipe 26 of 32 Peppery Greens With Meyer-Lemon Dressing Lennart Weibull Green salads don't get much simpler than this recipe. Choose any greens you like, such as a blend of peppery arugula and bitter frisée, then toss in a simple vinaigrette made with lemon juice, olive oil, and Dijon mustard. View Recipe 27 of 32 Skillet Corn, Edamame, and Tomatoes With Basil Oil Andrew Purcell For a fresh update on succotash, replace lima beans with edamame and drizzle with homemade basil oil. You can cook this dish on the stove during colder months, or on a grill heated to medium-high. View Recipe 28 of 32 Grilled Cauliflower With Spiced Yogurt Sauce Yuki Sugiura Olive oil seasoned with garam masala, paprika, and garlic gives this grilled head of cauliflower its rich, reddish-brown char; serve with a simple dressing of yogurt and lemon juice. View Recipe 29 of 32 Grilled Zucchini With Miso Dana Gallagher In-season zucchini, thickly sliced and grilled with a miso-soy glaze, cooks in about 15 minutes on the grill—and adds a rich, savory complement to the rest of your cookout menu. View Recipe 30 of 32 Grilled Summer Squash With Hot Honey and Ricotta Yuki Sugiura Sweet-and-spicy hot honey goes with everything from pepperoni pizza to fried chicken, so it's no surprise that it can also transform grilled squash. Ricotta, fresh mint, and toasted almonds fill out this make-ahead dish. View Recipe 31 of 32 Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Armando Rafael Grilled bell peppers filled with raisins, couscous, or bulgur, and crumbled feta are a lighter alternative to the classic beef-filled version, and make a pretty presentation alongside grilled steak or fish. View Recipe 32 of 32 Grilled-Vegetable Agrodolce Ryan Liebe This antipasti dish matches grilled eggplant and squash, marinated in a sweet-and-sour sauce, with cured meats, goat cheese, and burrata—plus toasted sesame bread for serving. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit