17 cookout recipes

Chili made from charcoal-grilled burgers crumbled with fire-roasted peppers, jalapenos, and kidney beans. Smoky, spicy, and built for eating outdoors around the fire.

Chipotle potato salad swaps mayo for tangy yogurt and roasts the potatoes until golden, then folds in smoky chipotle, lime, cilantro, and Dijon. A lighter, bolder no-mayo potato salad for any cookout.

Barbecued flank steak sandwiches pile thin-sliced steak tossed in a quick smoky-sweet chipotle BBQ sauce onto hoagie rolls with grilled red onion. Bold, saucy, and built for a fast cookout lunch.

Serve this as a condiment at your next Mexican cookout, with fajitas, pinto beans, cornbread, and coleslaw.

Steamed potato salad tossed with green peas, celery, and scallions in a lighter dressing of mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, and loads of fresh dill. A bright, tangy side for cookouts and potlucks.

Spicy Spam kabobs grilled with pineapple chunks wrapped in snow peas and red bell pepper, marinated in a lemon-thyme-oregano sauce with red pepper flakes. Served over rice for a fun, retro cookout meal.

Cold cucumber pasta salad in a sweet vinegar dressing with mustard, parsley, and sliced onion. A tangy, refreshing no-mayo summer side dish perfect for cookouts.

Marinated vegetable skewers with eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms get grilled and served with spicy peanut sauce for plant-based cookouts or weeknight dinners.

Tri-color rotini tossed in a creamy Dijon vinaigrette with crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, celery, and scallions. A make-ahead pasta salad for potlucks, picnics, and summer cookouts.

Grilled dessert kabobs with pound cake cubes coated in peanut butter and chopped peanuts, skewered with banana and nectarine, and basted with warm caramel sauce. A fun cookout finish.

German potato salad with a twist: warm potatoes tossed in a tangy beer-based dressing with bacon, mustard, and a kick of hot sauce for Oktoberfest or summer cookouts.

Cold vegetable rice salad with crisp-tender green beans, peas, cucumber, and tomatoes tossed in a tangy tarragon vinaigrette. A refreshing make-ahead side for potlucks and summer cookouts.

Fish kabobs thread cubed bass with mushrooms, peppers, pineapple, onion, and tomato, marinated in a tangy mustard-cayenne vinaigrette and grilled over coals. A summer cookout classic ready in an hour.

Campfire potatoes are a cheesy foil-packet side for the grill, sliced potatoes and onion with butter, cheddar, and a splash of Worcestershire, steamed tender in broth. Easy, no-cleanup cooking for cookouts.

Ripe tomatoes hollowed out and stuffed with a crunchy corn and cabbage slaw dressed in balsamic vinegar and tofu mayo. Low-fat, no-cook, and ready in 15 minutes for your next summer cookout.

Summer succotash with fresh corn, lima beans, zucchini, and grape tomatoes topped with seared sea scallops and a bright parsley drizzle. A seasonal one-pan main that eats like a cookout on a plate.