Yahoo Sports These 34 Awesome Barbecue Sides Are What Dad Really Wants This Father’s Day
This Father’s Day, show your dad how much you appreciate him by making him a homemade meal of all his favorite summertime foods. If he’s anything like ours, as soon as summer hits, that means burgers, hot dogs, and other grilled meats. Whether you’re firing up the grill or cooking for your dad indoors this year, we’ve got recipes for you that will pair perfectly with the best warm weather foods. Don't make the mistake of serving them without accompaniment! These flavorful summer salads and side dishes are ready to stand by (if not outshine) those must-have BBQ dishes. Check out our list of 35 Father’s Day sides for ideas.
Is your dad the grill-master of your family? Fire up the grill and show him you can handle the heat too. Try one of our many dinners on the grill for main dish ideas outside burgers and dogs (or go wild with something truly impressive like grilled lobster tail or grilled ribs), and then make one of our top grilled side dishes to pair alongside it. You can’t go wrong with grilled corn on the cob (or turn it into grilled creamed corn maybe?), but other veggies are great too, like grilled balsamic mushrooms or grilled ranch potatoes.
Cooking dinner indoors this year? We’ve got you too. With your full kitchen at your disposal, you could go with a classic burger side in the oven, like our oven-baked fries or oven-fried pickles. Or maybe get out your air fryer for sides that comes together fast, like our buffalo cauliflower wings or buttermilk onion rings.
Whatever you do, just don’t skip the sides! They’ll make your Father’s Day meal seem extra special for your dad. Want more Father’s Day and grilling ideas? Check out our Father’s Day dinner recipes, our top grilling recipes, and our top summer dinner recipes too.
Jalapeño Popper Potato Salad
We love potato salad and can't get enough of its creamy goodness during the summer. This jalapeño popper version takes things to a whole new level with a kick of heat. It's a little spicy, but 100 percent worth it! Be sure to remove the seeds if you want your bite to be milder.
Get the Jalapeño Popper Potato Salad recipe.
French Fries
Recipes that require frying are often super specific. The temperature of the oil must be just so. Not so with this method! Turns out you can put *unsoaked* potatoes in a big deep skillet (or Dutch oven), pour cold oil on top until they’re just covered, then bring the whole thing to a boil. The exact temperature doesn’t really matter so long as it’s hot and bubbling.
Get the French Fries recipe.
Grilled Corn Salad
This versatile, flavorful corn salad is the perfect way to use up leftover grilled corn. Mix and match your favorite cheeses, herbs, and nuts, but keep the citrus for brightness and oil for a little richness. And if your dad like a little *kick*, add some sliced jalapeños or a big pinch of red chili flakes.
Get the Grilled Corn Salad recipe.
Italian Pasta Salad
A good pasta salad can only be good if the pasta is good. It's the foundation of the entire dish! Here are some important things to remember when boiling pasta for pasta salad, or any dish with pasta, really: Salt your water, keep your pasta al dente, and don't rinse your pasta after it's drained.
Get the Italian Pasta Salad recipe.
Sheet-Pan Panzanella
Rather than toast the bread cubes on their own, you'll roast them alongside tomatoes, onion, and garlic. The tomatoes burst as they roast, mixing their juices with the bread and fresh arugula.The combination of roasted tomatoes, toasted bread coated with Parmesan, fragrant garlic, and mozzarella basically tastes like pizza!
Get the Sheet-Pan Panzanella recipe.
Smoky Pinto Beans
It seems all too often black beans steal the spotlight from the slightly less popular pinto bean. We're here to say: give pintos a chance! They're ultra creamy, a little smoky, and super versatile. This bacon-infused recipe works wonders on both canned and dried beans, so you can make them in under 30 minutes if you're short on time.
Get the Smoky Pinto Beans recipe.
Vinegar Coleslaw
To make this a truly vegan-friendly slaw, there is neither mayonnaise nor honey in the mix. We use maple to bring out the veggies’ natural sweetness and Dijon mustard helps emulsify the oil and vinegar while adding a bit of a kick in the back of your throat. Letting the dressed slaw rest for 30 minutes before eating will give you a more flavor-packed bite.
Get the Vinegar Coleslaw recipe.
Classic Potato Salad
A classic potato salad is a must-have at every picnic and barbecue. This one is creamy and tangy, with a little bit of crunch from the onion and pickles.
Get the Classic Potato Salad recipe.
Grilled Corn on the Cob
This is our simplest, easiest recipe, but the flavor combo options are endless—check out the rest of our grilled corn ideas too.
Get the Grilled Corn On The Cob recipe.
Watermelon Feta Salad
Watermelon + cucumbers is one of the most refreshing combos of all time. Throw in some mint, red onion, and feta and toss it all with a very simple vinaigrette (just olive oil + red wine vinegar), and you've got yourself a mean summer salad that goes great with burgers.
Get the Watermelon Feta Salad recipe.
Antipasto Chickpea Salad
This versatile chickpea salad is a great summer side for burgers, but can easily be a full meal on its own! Adding a spoonful of Dijon mustard to your red wine vinaigrette makes it creamier in both taste and body—consider it your secret weapon in making a classic dressing just that much better.
Get the Antipasto Chickpea Salad recipe.
Buffalo Cauliflower
This cauliflower is the perfect answer when you have buffalo wings on the brain but need more vegetables for your Father's Day meal. Buffalo sauce coats these florets, which are then air-fried to perfection. It all comes together when you dip one into the most perfect creamy blue cheese dressing.
Get the Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe.
Best-Ever Grilled Potatoes
The char and smoke from the grill get picked up perfectly by the potatoes to make an amazing side for burgers. Take it from us, though, and don't skip step 1. It's pretty much impossible to get potatoes tender and cooked through on the grill alone; parboiling the potatoes guarantees creamy centers and crisp, charred outsides.
Get the Grilled Potatoes recipe.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
We love a good, crispy sweet potato fry. Though the oven-baked variety is great, these air fryer fries get even crispier and take way less time! Paired with our favorite 3-ingredient secret sauce, we can't think of a better snack to go with our burgers.
Get the Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries recipe.
Black Bean And Corn Salad
This stores well in the refrigerator and can be made up to one day in advance. If you're making it the day before Father's Day, save the avocado till right before serving to keep it extra fresh and green.
Get the Black Bean And Corn Salad recipe.
Grilled Creamed Corn
Baked creamed corn is one of our favorite winter holiday sides, and it's always seemed crazy we don't see more of it during peak corn season in the summer! We're putting it firmly in summer territory by grilling the corn first and adding a little heat from jalapeños.
Get the Grilled Creamed Corn recipe.
Grilled Asparagus
Few veggies grill up as nicely as asparagus. Thin stalks get crispy while thicker ones get tender. Finish with a bit of lemon or Parm and you'll have the perfect summer side dish in under 5 minutes.
Get the Grilled Asparagus recipe.
Classic Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad works well with most anything you want to add in. We love adding broccoli, pimento peppers, tuna, hard boiled eggs, and bacon!
Get the Classic Macaroni Salad recipe.
Elote: Mexican Street Corn
If you think mayo is the worst, and are worried this recipe won't be for you, think again. Elote will have you reconsidering your stance; or, at the very least, make one incredible exception. The mayo becomes more like a creamy sauce, absorbing the flavor of the chili powder, cotija cheese, and lime juice. It's tangy without overpowering the corn—exactly the kind of refreshing treat you could use at your Father's Day cookout or backyard BBQ.
Get the Elote: Mexican Street Corn recipe.
Avocado & Tomato Salad
Avocados love to go brown on us quickly, so this dish is best when served straight away. The lemon will help prolong the browning, but only for so long. Just know that even if your avo goes brown, it's just a little oxidation from exposure to air, and it is still totally safe to eat despite its appearance!
Get the Avocado Tomato Salad recipe.
Summer Panzanella
Panzanella is one of those summer recipes that truly tastes like summer. It's one that you want to make in peak season—when the tomatoes are extra juicy, the squash slightly sweet, and the basil extra cheap. To give this classic dish more flavor, we grill the bread, zucchini, and onion until charred, then toss those with the remaining ingredients.
Get the Summer Panzanella recipe.
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
This recipe is all about the technique, but the flavor profile is infinitely adaptable. You can top them with bacon and cheddar, ranch seasoning, or even BRIE.
Get the Garlic Smashed Potatoes recipe.
Oven-Fried Pickles
We love fried pickles, but as much as we'd love to eat them all day, everyday, we can't be bothered with the frying! These are the perfect crunchy foil to smoky grilled burgers.
Get the Oven-Fried Pickles recipe.
Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad
Bacon and ranch dressing make everything better. That's the rule we follow at Delish—and potato salad is no exception.
Get the Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad recipe.
Zucchini Salad
Lightly salting sliced zucchini for 15 to 20 minutes transforms a soft-tender but astringent raw zucchini into a crisp-tender seasoned zucchini. While you wait for that zucchini to drain off a bit of liquid, move on to making your creamy minty yogurt dressing (extra would be nice on your burger?) and tart, crunchy minced shallot quick pickles.
Get the Zucchini Salad recipe.
Balsamic Grilled Mushrooms
Mushrooms can get sidelined at a barbecue, but when tossed in a balsamic-soy glaze, they'll get ALL the attention. Serve these on the skewers they're grilled on, or top your burgers with them.
Get the Balsamic Grilled Mushrooms recipe.
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Corn
If your dad's a classic burger guy, don't let that stop you from enjoying ALL the toppings on your side dishes.
Get the Cheddar Bacon Ranch Corn recipe.
Pesto Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is classic, featuring a homemade basil-and-pine nut pesto, a generous amount of Parmesan, and juicy grape tomatoes. Any type of short pasta will do as long as it has good texture to snag the sauce. It's worth getting out your nicest olive oil for this recipe since the flavor will shine through—your dad deserves it!
Get the Pesto Pasta Salad recipe.
Hot Fried Pickle Spirals
We've done some crazy things to pickles, but this might be our favorite yet. Dill pickles covered in crunchy chips, fried until crispy, and doused in hot sauce and ranch. For a pickle lover, it just doesn't get any better.
Get the Hot Fried Pickle Spirals recipe.
Spicy-Sweet Grilled Corn
This sweet and spicy sauce will really make your grilled corn better than all the rest. The cayenne provides a good kick, but can be adjusted if you want a little less heat.
Get the Spicy-Sweet Grilled Corn recipe.
Grilled Pineapple
Grilling is by far the best way to eat pineapple. It's also how you can make underripe pineapple taste amazing. Grilling brings out all of the pineapple's juices, and those juices will caramelize (and char) over the hot grates. Yum.
Get the Grilled Pineapple recipe from Delish.
Buttermilk Onion Rings
Cornstarch and seltzer help to keep the batter light, while the fine cornmeal and paprika give each bite a little more crunch and flavor. Dip them in some mayo (Kewpie is highly recommended) and ketchup, and get ready for the freshest onion rings you've ever tasted.
Get the Buttermilk Onion Rings recipe.
Greek Orzo Salad
This easy make-ahead salad is filled with all of our favorite bright Mediterranean flavors and mix-ins, like tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers. Don't skip the homemade lemon-and-dill dressing—it's SO much better than anything you can buy in a bottle!
Get the Greek Orzo Salad recipe.
Grilled Ranch Potatoes
Grilling baby potatoes are the perfect way to incorporate creamy, delicious potatoes to your next BBQ without having to step foot inside the kitchen. We take these spuds to the next level with two levels of ranch goodness. The seasoning adds some salty, umami flavor while the ranch dressing provides that cooling, tangy creaminess.
Get the Grilled Ranch Potatoes recipe.
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