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Can you believe we are approaching the unofficial end of summer? If your summer has been like mine, its been busy! As Labor Day approaches, I wanted to pull together several of our favorite recipes we have enjoyed this summer. From grilling and smoker recipes, to appetizers, salads and desserts…I’ve got you covered. Make your Labor Day cookout be one to remember with lots of mouth watering, crowd pleasing food.
Simple Labor Day Cookout Recipes
We’ve really been enjoying our summer with lots of get-togethers with family and friends! Whether we’ve been at our house or invited to a potluck with friends, we have not been deprived of delicious food. I pulled together some of our favorites from this summer to bring to you a good selection of recipes to use at your Labor Day festivities this year.
First, we have appetizers and salads. Then on to main course, sides and of course DESSERT!
May your Labor Day weekend taste as delicious as ours!
Have a great holiday weekend, friends! 🙂
Appetizers
Grilled Corn Salsa
Grilled Corn Salsa is perfect for a summer appetizer any day! Enjoy this with tortilla chips at your Labor Day festivities this year!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Buffalo Chicken Dip is creamy, spicy, and perfect for an easy party appetizer this Labor Day Weekend! Pair with chips, veggies, pita bread, and/or crackers.
Fried Zucchini
Fried Zucchini is wildly addicting and our favorite way to eat zucchini lately. Served as a side or appetizer, these will quickly disappear, just as fast as you can fry them up!
Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Frito Bites
Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Frito Bites are crunchy, tangy, sweet-with-a-little-heat, pork-tastic Frito bites! Carolina sauce never paired so well with pulled pork. It’s a perfect appetizer to bring to your Labor Day Cookout!
Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
Everything Bagel Stuffed Peppers have only 3-ingredients that come together in no time. These cream cheese stuffed mini peppers are great as a make-ahead, low carb, keto diet friendly snack or even a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Salads
Caprese Salad
Nothing beats a Caprese Salad Recipe. Fresh, flavorful and delicious made with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sweet basil, and a homemade garlic balsamic dressing! It’s truly the perfect salad.
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
This is the best Broccoli Salad recipe ever! It’s sweet, creamy, and crunchy with fresh broccoli, homemade dressing, and lots of bacon! This salad pairs well with so many different meals. Make it at your Labor Day BBQ!
Creamy Potato Salad (no eggs!)
This Creamy Potato Salad recipe is truly one of the best recipes I have. It’s such a crowd-pleasing classic in my book. Perfect for Labor Day gatherings of any kind and easy to make well in advance.
Ambrosia Salad
If you want a salad that tastes just like dessert, Ambrosia Salad is the ticket! Made with fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, coconut, mini marshmallows and stirred together with a whipped cream dressing, your Labor Day guests will fall in love with this Ambrosia Recipe!
BBQ/Smoker
The Best Burger Recipe
The Best Burger is grilled hot, juicy, and slathered in my secret sauce. Of course, the most classic dinner you can make on a grill is a hamburger (or cheeseburger of course)! It never gets old and it tends to taste better the hotter it gets outside. This is a must have this Labor Day Weekend!
Blue Cheese Burger Recipe
This classic Blue Cheese Burger is big, hot and juicy off the grill and can be made start to finish in about 20 minutes! Perfect for Labor Day Cookouts!
How to Grill Corn
If you are going to be firing up that grill this Labor Day for some tasty ribs or burgers, throwing a few ears of corn on the grill is so convenient to cook a tasty sweet and savory side along with your main course, plus it adds amazing flavor to an otherwise boring ear of corn.
Turkey Burger Recipe
This Turkey Burger Recipe will be the juiciest and most delicious burger you ever did make. One secret ingredient takes these babies over the top! Simple to make on the grill or stovetop, flavorful, and obviously super moist.
Smoked Chicken Wings
The deep wood flavor you get from low and slow smoking is far superior to those heavily breaded deep fried wings you get in a restaurant. Have this smoked deliciousness in less than 2 hours at your Labor Day BBQ this year.
Smoked Pork Butt
Smoked Pork Butt is going to turn into the most delicious Pulled Pork you’ve ever had. Low and slow is the name of the game when preparing a Pork Butt. And smoking is (in my humble opinion) the BEST way to do this. Smoked pulled pork is my go-to choice for feeding a crowd at your Labor Day cookout.
Smoked Ribs
If these smoked ribs don’t scream Labor Day BBQ, then I don’t know what does. Whatever type of ribs you are smoking (spare ribs, pork ribs, baby back ribs), this 3-2-1 ribs method will give you fall off the bone ribs every time along with that distinctive smoky flavor that is undeniable.
Side Dishes
Boston Baked Beans
Tangy yet sweet this Boston Baked Beans recipe can be made on the stovetop or in a crockpot. Perfect to make ahead and have ready for your Labor Day cookout!
Classic Coleslaw Recipe
This Classic Coleslaw Recipe is a fresh, made from scratch recipe that will make you never buy store bought coleslaw again! Coleslaw is one of the quintessential salads of summer and the unsung hero for many dishes! Pair this with some smoked pulled pork at your Labor Day BBQ.
Macaroni Salad
This simple Macaroni Salad Recipe is the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy, and totally adaptable to your own liking. It’s the perfect side dish Labor Day weekend and is ready in just 15 minutes!
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is the perfect way to use up those fresh summer ears of corn! Fresh vegetables and pasta are tossed in a Mexican chili lime sauce and served chilled.
Desserts
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Strawberry Pretzel Salad is no salad at all, but a delicious dessert made with easy store-bought ingredients like Jell-O, Cool Whip, pretzels and strawberries. Always a hit at potlucks and picnics.
Perfect Lemon Bars
These Lemon Bars are the quintessential party dessert, baking up perfectly sweet while still lemony and tart. Very few, simple ingredients are needed to make this recipe from scratch and they always are the first to go at any get-together.
Fruit Pizza
When you need a beautiful, delicious, lightly sweet dessert, try making a Fruit Pizza! Sugar Cookie dough is spread into a half sheet pan and baked, then topped with a light and creamy pudding and fresh fruit. A perfect addition to your Labor Day get-together!
Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream is easier to make than you think and I’m going to show you how! This recipe is made with a simple no-cook chocolate base and yields a rich and decadent ice cream. It’s the perfect treat on a hot summer day!
Zucchini Brownies
Labor Day is almost here which means you absolutely need a recipe for the Best Zucchini Brownies! Get ready for chocolate zucchini bliss that’s soft, sweet, and topped with a chocolatey glaze.
Nutella Deviled Strawberries
These Nutella Deviled Strawberries are a fast, three-ingredient dessert or treat, perfect for any party or afternoon pick-me-up. If you’ve never had Nutella and strawberries, get ready to live! A must have this Labor Day!
Buttery Apple Pie
Nothing is more satisfying or comforting than this apple pie recipe with vanilla ice cream. Sweet cinnamon apple slices poured into a homemade, all-butter crust that bakes up flaky, tender and delicious. A perfect farewell to summer.
