Recipe Ideas for Labor Day Weekend

Grilling Recipes

Lemon Herb Grilled Shrimp | This easy grilled shrimp recipe features lemon and fresh herbs. It is a light main dish, or you can serve the shrimp as an appetizer with cocktail sauce on the side.

Pineapple-Jalapeno Grilled Drumsticks | Chicken drumsticks with sweet and spicy pineapple-jalapeno glaze. If you love grilled chicken, this is a great recipe to try.

Grilled Flank Steak | This steak is topped with a classic chimichurri sauce with fresh herbs. It’s so delicious with the flank steak – a summer classic.

Grilled Garlic Bread | This is a great way to enjoy garlic bread during the summer. There’s no need to crank up the oven – pop the bread on the grill to warm it up and get those beautiful grill marks.

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad | If you want a hearty main course salad, you need to try this Cobb salad with grilled chicken. It’s loaded with colorful veggies and tossed with a simple vinaigrette.

Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

Bacon Cheeseburgers with Green Chile Mayo | Cheeseburgers dressed up with crispy bacon and a simple green chile mayonnaise. It’s an easy burger recipe for summer.

Greek Burgers | I love the flavors in these burgers, and you can make them with ground beef or lamb. The cool and creamy tzatziki sauce goes so well with the burgers.

Fajita Chicken Burgers | Fajita seasoned chicken breasts on buns with bell peppers and cheese. They’re like your favorite fajitas but served up as chicken burgers instead.

Turkey Avocado Burgers | Regular turkey burgers upgraded with a creamy avocado sauce and sliced avocados. They’re delicious!

French Onion Hot Dogs | These hot dogs take some time, but they are worth it! Caramelized onions and gruyere cheese take a plain hot dog to new delicious heights.

Side Dishes

Green Bean Potato Salad | If you’re looking for a potato salad without mayo, this recipe is for you. Simple green beans and potatoes combined with a tangy dressing is the perfect summer side dish for any event.

Orzo Pasta Salad | Colorful veggies, chickpeas, and orzo with a mustard vinaigrette. This is a crowd-pleasing salad!

Baked Black Beans | This side combines two things I love: black beans and bacon! These baked beans are rich and saucy – a definite must-make for your next summer dinner.

BLT Pasta Salad | I turned the flavors in a BLT sandwich into a creamy pasta salad. It has bites of juicy tomatoes, crispy bacon, spinach, and a creamy dressing to pull it all together.

Black Bean Corn Salad | This is a simple salad side dish loaded with lots of summer flavors!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad | Creamy ranch pasta salad with cheddar cheese, green peas, and bacon is always a favorite during the summer.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad | This salad combines Mediterranean flavors with olives, cucumbers, fresh herbs, feta cheese, and a tangy dressing. 

Avocado Shrimp Salad | Quick and easy avocado shrimp salad with a zingy cilantro-lime dressing, bell pepper, corn, and creamy avocado. It’s a no-cook, 20-minute recipe you can make on repeat all summer long.

Easy Cold Dip Recipes

Cowboy Guacamole | If you combine cowboy caviar with guacamole you get an amazing dip that’s perfect with tortilla chips.

Green Onion Dip | Fresh green onions give this creamy dip a delicious flavor. It’s also easy to make ahead.

Pimento Cheese Dip | This simple mix-and-serve appetizer combines sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, peppers, and mayonnaise. The flavors are hard to resist.

Jalapeno Bacon Dip | If you love jalapeno poppers, you will love this easy dip. It has all the same flavors but served up as a cold dip instead.

Tzatziki Dip | This classic Greek dip is perfect with all kinds of dippers like pita chips, celery, carrot sticks, and other sliced veggies.

Summer Drink Recipes

Peach Lemonade | If you have summer-fresh peaches, this lemonade recipe is a great way to use them!

Passion Fruit Iced Tea | It may look fancy, but this iced tea recipe is easy to make. You only need four ingredients and 15 minutes to make it.

Strawberry Lemonade | Frozen strawberries make this lemonade easy to make. It’s so refreshing!

Pineapple Agua Fresca | A refreshing agua fresca made with fresh pineapple, lime juice, and a touch of honey is an easy drink for summer.

Desserts

No Bake Mocha Cheesecake | Cold and creamy no-bake cheesecake flavored with chocolate and coffee. It’s a delicious way to cool off!

Peach Crumble Bars | These dessert bars are like peach pie but made easy with a crumble crust and topping. They’re great for serving a crowd when you need a sweet treat.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake | Got a lot of summer zucchini on hand? This chocolate loaf cake is a great way to use it up. The cake is so moist and chocolaty.

Cookies and Cream Cookies | These cookies are a great summer treat. They’re soft and chewy, with bits of Oreos in every bite.

Triple Berry Crumble | Three kinds of berries meet in this easy dessert. It has a sweet crumble topping and it’s delicious served with vanilla ice cream.

Lemon Cupcakes | Bright and lemony cupcakes are a great way to finish a summer meal. They are light and fluffy with a creamy coconut frosting.