65 Easy Summer Side Dishes That'll Upstage Those BBQ Ribs

These potatoes are the perfect summer side. Throw 'em on the grill next to your grilled meats for a smoky, summer take on burgers & fries.

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This watermelon Caprese combines slices of juicy, sweet watermelon, mozzarella, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic glaze to top it all off. The result is a simple, sweet-salty snack ready in 15 minutes (and isn’t that what summer is all about?).

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Featuring crispy potato gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, and salami, it’s a medley of everything you love about antipasto layered around pan-seared gnocchi that's crispy on the outside and slightly chewy beneath. 😍

Get the Gnocchi Antipasto Salad recipe.

Baked beans are sweet, tangy, savory, and the best part, surprisingly easy to make—they’re a one-pot wonder! Throw in the fact that one batch feeds a small crowd and that most of the cooking is done unattended in the oven, and you have a winning dish.

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Nothing is as rewarding as a slice of homemade focaccia, and the truth is you don’t even have to work that hard to get it. In this Caprese-topped focaccia recipe that remains true—this basic no-knead recipe uses just 5 ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil) and a little time.

Get the No-Knead Caprese Focaccia recipe.

Whether we’re looking for sides to complete our summer BBQ, 4th of July celebration, or our weeknight dinner, grilled corn is a classic we return to again and again. While we love the smoky, charred flavor the grill gives corn all on its own, sometimes we’re looking to do something a little extra. We’ve dreamed up countless toppings for grilled corn on the cob, but this cheddar, bacon, and ranch combination just might be our favorite.

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A classic potato salad is a must-have at every picnic and BBQ, and and we'd never skip out on a tradition like that. Not to toot our horn, but our recipe is simply the best—it's creamy and tangy, with a little bit of crunch from the onion and pickles. What it's not: too sweet, which is one of our potato salad pet peeves. If you’re looking for a classic, no-fuss potato salad that won’t disappoint, this is it.

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Here at Delish, we're big believers that everything is better Caprese'd. From our Caprese chicken to our Caprese bites and chicken-avocado Caprese salad, we can't get enough of the refreshing burst of flavors when you combine sweet tomatoes, cheesy mozzarella, and fresh basil. When searching for our go-to summer side, we decided to give classic asparagus the same treatment. This easy, extra-cheesy side comes together in 30 minutes, making it the perfect last-minute addition to your pasta or chicken dinner. Grab your mozz and get Caprese-y!

Get the Caprese Asparagus recipe.

Since plums are their best at the height of summer, it’s only right to toss them on the grill and add some smokey char to their naturally sweet-tart flavor. The transformed plums get tossed with crispy pancetta, tangy goat cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes, and grilled sourdough bread, then drizzled with a maple-Dijon dressing, turning this humble salad into a work of art.

Get the Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad recipe.

What can't the air fryer do? After air frying until the cobs turn bright yellow and the kernels are tender, you'll stir up a tangy feta topping to make Greek-inspired street corn (kind of like Mexican elote, but with Greek yogurt instead of cotija)

Get the Air Fryer Corn On The Cob recipe.

This recipe combines the slightly tangy flavor of underripe tomatoes with the smoky char of the grill and a whipped goat cheese schmear to boot. Long a Southern staple in famous dishes like fried green tomatoes, green tomatoes are equally delicious in this lighter, healthier preparation too.

Get the Grilled Green Tomatoes recipe.

This rice pilaf recipe has enough going on to be the main event, but can also be the supporting role for roasted meats and fish. Textures are the key to giving this dish complexity: A crunch from the almonds, a freshness from the herbs and lemon, and a sharp, briny punch of feta all combine for the perfect bite.

Get the Lemon-Herb Rice Pilaf recipe.

Instead of leaving the zucchini in their traditional slices, we threaded them onto skewers to lessen the amount of direct contact the zucchini had with the grill and create contrasting textures. The ribboning also creates plenty of nooks and crannies for the creamy ricotta and walnuts to settle.

Get the Grilled Zucchini With Ricotta & Walnuts recipe.

Here at Delish, we want our perfect cornbread to be thick, tender, just a little bit sweet, and not at all dry. We also believe that cornbread should be simple, a side you can whip up quickly to serve with chili or smoky beans that takes way less time than making homemade rolls. THIS is that perfect recipe.

Get the Homemade Cornbread recipe.

Potato salad is about as classic a summer side as it gets, and we love experimenting with different flavor combinations. If you’re looking to lighten up your usual potato salad, look no further—this version is bursting with all the flavors of your favorite antipasto.

Get the Antipasto Potato Salad recipe.

To make this a truly vegan-friendly slaw, we use maple to bring out the veggies’ natural sweetness and Dijon mustard helps emulsify the oil and vinegar while adding a bit of a kick in the back of your throat. You might never make the mayo-based kind again!

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Panzanella—an Italian salad made with dried bread cubes—is one of the most delicious versions of salad. That's because it stars bread as the main ingredient rather than lettuce. (Perhaps this is why we love making panzanella as often as possible—with asparagus in spring, with tomatoes and zucchini in summer, and even with peaches and burrata, too.) As great as those version of panzanella are, we like this sheet pan version best.

Get the Sheet-Pan Panzanella recipe.

We took inspo from two summer salad staples—Caprese salad and watermelon feta salad—to create this best-of-both-worlds creation. In it, fresh strawberries combine with juicy watermelon, tangy feta, and fresh basil for an extra-sweet summer treat.

Get the Watermelon Strawberry Caprese Salad recipe.

This time around, pasta salad gets a Mediterranean twist, showcasing some of my favorite flavors from that corner of the globe. And the best part—although pasta salad is usually thought of as a side, the added protein from the chickpeas will make this easy to turn into a main.

Get the Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe.

If you've never grilled your greens before, you're in for a treat. Grilling romaine for this wedge salad gives them just a slight char that goes perfectly with Caesar dressing.

Get the Grilled Romaine Caesar Wedge recipe.