15 Make-Ahead Sides That Will Make Every Backyard BBQ So Much Easier
From baked beans to marinated zucchini, these recipes free you up to focus on the main event.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Guests gather around the grill and mill about outside at most backyard barbecues. If the host is running back and forth to the kitchen preparing and serving sides, they miss out on the best parts of the party. By getting the side dishes sliced, diced, and stirred before the party, you are free to spend the party working the grill–or the crowd.
Early preparation also has another added advantage: Many sides actually taste better after they sit for a bit–grains soak in dressings and flavors mingle. Vegetables relax as they marinate, and you can, too, knowing how much easier it will be to enjoy the gathering. By the time guests arrive, your kitchen is clean, the snacks are set out, and there’s nothing left to do but light that grill and ignite the party.
These 15 recipes for hot, cool, creamy, and savory make-ahead barbecue side dishes will have guests impressed not only by their flavor, but by your unflappable hosting skills.
Baked Beans from Scratch
ALLRECIPES / JULIA HARTBECK
Maple syrup and time give this barbecue side dish its signature flavor. The long, slow cooking process adds depth and complexity, which only sink in more as they sit in the fridge for a few days before the party.
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Everything is better with bacon–and ranch. Both play starring roles in this updated and exciting twist on the cookout classic. The crunch from crispy bacon takes the texture up a notch while the ranch seasoning intensifies the dressing.
Crisp Marinated Cucumbers
ALLRECIPES / QI AI
Cool off the crowd with these bright, chilled, and crunchy snacks, the perfect foil for rich, hot meat. Celery seeds add unique notes as the slices marinate overnight in the fridge–essentially transforming them into quick-pickles.
Fresh Corn Salad
This simple and vibrant salad brings a burst of color to the table, with the sun-yellow corn, red cherry tomatoes, and green cilantro. Stir in the cheese just before serving to maximize the contrast between the salty feta and sweet corn.
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Gluten-free and packed with protein and fiber, this herby quinoa sneaks something a bit healthful onto the table. The longer it sits, the more of the lemony dressing the quinoa soaks up and the better it tastes.
Best Caprese Skewers
The smartest way to keep a caprese salad from going soggy overnight is to serve it on sticks. This hand-held version of the Italian classic stays fresh and looks great on the table.
Watermelon Salad With Feta
Juicy watermelon comes in a grown-up presentation in this refreshing summer salad. The heartiness of the arugula helps keep it looking sharp when made ahead of time, and the red onion adds a surprising tang to the sweet and salty salad.
Easy Coleslaw Dressing
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
This quick-and-creamy dressing takes just a few minutes to stir together, keeps for up to a week, and works in all kinds of ways: poured over store-bought coleslaw mix, as sauce for a BBQ sandwich, or as a dip.
Red-Skinned Potato Salad
Waxy red-skinned potatoes hold their shape through cooking, meaning they stay firm in this salad as they join crunchy celery, bacon, and onion in a creamy dressing of mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs.
Twenty-Four Hour Salad
Think of this as a party-sized version of the mason jar salad, or perhaps a fresh take on a savory trifle with a great trick: The layer of veggies helps protect the lettuce from exposure to the dressing and air and keeps them from wilting overnight.
Red Cabbage Slaw
This coleslaw gets some extra color and a bit more oomph from the red cabbage and cranberries, plus crunch from the walnuts, all of which come together as it chills with the mayo dressing in the fridge.
Greek Orzo Salad
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
Give your gathering a Mediterranean touch with this Greek take on the pasta salad featuring orzo, olives, and marinated artichoke hearts, boosted with crunchy vegetables, fresh and dried herbs, and a hit of lemon juice.
Mom's Best Macaroni Salad
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Condensed milk is the secret behind this salad’s ultra-creamy texture. An overnight stint in the fridge allows the macaroni to soak up some of the liquid and makes sure all the flavors completely mesh.
Italian Pasta Salad
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
A hoagie meets pasta salad in this colorful and bountiful side dish that will keep everyone’s appetite at bay while waiting for the grill. Made ahead of time, the salad’s Italian dressing soaks into the pasta and vegetables for a more cohesive, flavorful dish.
Marinated Zucchini
Despite being a summer vegetable, zucchini is rarely honored with a starring role as a refreshing summer dish, as it is here. Fresh herbs and a bright vinegar dressing make this the perfect no-cook, make-ahead dish for a hot weather get-together.
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