14 cookout recipes

Creamy macaroni salad with a sweet-tangy dressing of mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, and vinegar. Mix, chill overnight, and bring to every cookout all summer long.

Classic mayo-and-sour-cream coleslaw with Dijon mustard and a finishing scatter of caraway seeds. Cabbage, carrot and onion at their backyard-cookout best.

Grilled liver kabobs wrapped in bacon with bell peppers and onions, brushed with a tangy molasses-mustard-ketchup sauce. A bold cookout skewer.

Grilled turkey kebabs marinated in chili sauce and lemon juice with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell peppers. Lean, colorful skewers great for summer cookouts.

Mayo-free potato salad with an olive oil and herb dressing, tossed with green pepper, celery, and scallions. Light, zesty, and great for summer cookouts.

Baked beans with four types of beans and turkey sausage in a sweet-tangy sauce of brown sugar, molasses, tomato sauce, and apple cider vinegar. A lighter take on a cookout classic.

Ranch-style pinto beans simmered with bacon, beer, jalapenos, molasses, and a whole head of garlic. A big-batch cookout side with smoky, spicy, sweet depth in every spoonful.

Homemade hot dog relish with red and green bell peppers, onions, apple cider vinegar, and mustard seeds. A tangy, sweet canning relish that makes 8 pints for summer cookouts.

Jack's barbecue pintos: dried pinto beans slow-simmered until tender, then finished with sauteed bacon, onions, garlic, and green chilies. Smoky, hearty cookout side that beats anything from a can.

A copycat Boston Market baked beans recipe loaded with great northern beans, pork and beans, ketchup, BBQ sauce, softened onions, and sliced ham. Thick, saucy, and ready in about an hour. Cookout essential.

A three-bean salad dressed in tangy molasses-mustard vinaigrette with celery, green onion, and torn curly endive. No-cook, make-ahead, and gets better the longer it marinates. Bring this to the cookout.

Canned pork and beans get the full BBQ treatment: molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire, topped with bacon and smoked low and slow for over two hours. Cookout-worthy baked beans with minimal prep.

Hot dogs stuffed with melty American cheese, layered over sweet and tangy baked beans, and topped with crispy bacon. Bake it or slow cook it. This cheesy franks and beans casserole is backyard cookout comfort in a dish.

One-skillet Italian sausage stew with potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. Hot sausage pinched into small meatballs simmers with harvest vegetables, rosemary, and thyme for a rustic weeknight dinner.