64 picnic recipes

This recipe to the Mennonite colony of Ontario. It's often served at picnics and is known as one of the favorite foods at stag parties.

Make-ahead Italian pasta salad with rotini, crisp vegetables, and tangy garlic vinaigrette that gets better overnight for easy potluck and picnic perfection.

Old-fashioned cucumber and onion salad: paper-thin cucumber and onion slices marinated overnight in a sweet-tart vinegar brine. The crisp Midwestern picnic side that gets better as it sits.

Strawberry-banana Jell-O salad with banana pudding, whipped topping, fruit cocktail, and walnuts. A fluffy retro picnic salad that's more dessert than side.

Strawberry punch bowl dessert: pound cake cubes layered with glazed fresh strawberries and vanilla pudding, topped with whipped topping. A make-ahead trifle for picnics, potlucks, and showers.

Smoked potato salad with cold smoked potatoes, celery, green onion, capers, and lemon mayo. A smoky, briny twist on the classic picnic side dish.

Rotini pasta tossed with chickpeas, broiler-roasted red peppers, roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar. A vegetarian Italian pasta dish that travels well for potlucks and picnics.

Marinated bean salad with five beans (yellow, green, kidney, lima, garbanzo) and bell peppers tossed in a sweet-and-tangy brown sugar vinaigrette. Make ahead for picnics, potlucks, and barbecues.

Chilled garbanzo and potato salad tosses boiled red potatoes with chickpeas, roma tomatoes, red onion, and spinach, then marinates for hours in the fridge. A lighter twist on picnic potato salad.

Antipasto pasta salad with rotini, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, Muenster cheese, mushrooms, red onion, and fresh basil in a low-fat Italian dressing. A cold make-ahead side for potlucks and picnics.

Chinese coleslaw tosses crisp cabbage with cilantro, scallions, sunflower seeds, and crunchy uncooked ramen in a sweet-tangy sesame dressing. The crowd-pleasing crunchy salad made for picnics and potlucks.

Cold red beans and rice salad with cilantro, lime, cumin, and chili powder. Zesty Tex-Mex style make-ahead dish, great for picnics and meal prep.

Marinated cabbage slaw with green pepper, onion, and pimentos in a sweet-tangy vinegar dressing with mustard seeds. Make-ahead picnic salad that keeps for days.

Savory olive muffins with chopped black olives, grated onion, fresh mint, and olive oil. Greek-style savory muffins for picnics, brunch, or appetizer trays.

Vegan pasta and red kidney bean salad with diced zucchini, green pepper, tomato and green olives, bound in eggless mayonnaise with chili powder, coriander, paprika and sage. A protein-rich room-temperature salad for picnics and potlucks.

Lemony chicken thighs marinate in fresh lemon juice for 12 hours, then sauté golden and bake in lemon-thyme broth. Make-ahead picnic and potluck classic, served chilled.