Labor Dayis the unofficial end of summer, meaning there's no better way to celebrate than with lots ofseasonal produce，cookout essentials，picnicfavorites andbarbecuefare. We're talking all the staples, frommac and cheesetoribsto bakedbeans. Read on for 55 easy Labor Day recipes that are assimpleas they are impressive.
55 Labor Day Recipes That Will End Summer on a Delicious Note
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Published Jul 5, 2022
1.White Sangria With Peaches And Berries
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
No one likes a dilutedcocktail. That’s why we freeze freshpeachesandraspberriesto use in place of ice cubes for this summersangria.
2.Grilled Watermelon-feta Skewers
- Time Commitment:35 minutes
- Why We Love It:no cook, vegetarian, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Sweet, juicywatermelonand tangy, saltyfetaare a match made inBBQheaven. Plus,saladjust tastes better on a stick.
3.Cauliflower ‘potato’ Salad
- Time Commitment:40 minutes
- Why We Love It:vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
Cauli florets > boringspuds. Mayo can sit this one out too;Greek yogurtandsour creamhave it covered.
4.Skillet Blueberry Cornbread
- Time Commitment:40 minutes
- Why We Love It:one pan, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Meetpulled pork’s new best friend. They’ll get to meet atop your patio table in just 40 short minutes.
5.Jalapeño-avocado Mac And Cheese
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:一锅,上手容易,素食者
And we thought our go-tocomfort foodcouldn’t get any better. Bring on thepickledjalapeños, green chiles and all the white cheddar.
6.Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
- Time Commitment:7 hours and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It:slow cooker recipe, high protein, crowd-pleaser, one pot
Not only is this recipe pretty hands-off, it’s also super versatile. Serve the meat incn.manbetx ，oversalador on abriochebun.
7.Grilled Corn With Spicy Aioli
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:vegetarian, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Nobarbecueis complete without a few charred ears ofcorn. And our simple spicyaioliin place of humdrum butter and salt will put them over the top.
8.Grilled Peach And Halloumi Salad With Lemon-pesto Dressing
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:vegetarian, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Well, aren’t you fancy? Bet you never thought salad would be the star of yourpicnicspread. Chalk it up to the charredgrilledpeaches.
9.Chilled Cucumber Salad
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 35 minutes (including marinating time)
- Why We Love It:no cook, crowd-pleaser, vegan, one bowl
Leave lettuce behind for acucumberapp that’s ten times more refreshing. Especially after a few sunny rounds of cornhole.
10.Light And Tangy Coleslaw
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, one bowl, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
的quintessentialsummerside. Whether you pile it high on a pulled porksandwichor eat it straight out of the fridge, you can’t go wrong.
11.Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Time Commitment:6 hours and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It:slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, one pot
的se beat the canned kind by a mile. Think choppedbacon，ketchup and dark brown sugar.
12.Peaches-and-cream Ice Pops
- Time Commitment:2 hours and 40 minutes
- Why We Love It:< 10成分,吊人,儿童,使ahead
Roasted peach puree transforms into marbled magic when it meets swirls of sweet Greek yogurt in this Insta-worthyice pop.
13.Salmon Burgers
- Time Commitment:45 minutes
- Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, one pan, high protein
If you havebeefwith red meat,salmon在这里保存的一天。的pattiesare seasoned with a mix of garlic, green onions, lemon, dill and Old Bay.
14.Honey-lime Chicken And Veggies In Foil
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:kid-friendly, high protein, beginner-friendly
Maximum flavor, minimal cleanup. Just pop each foil packet on thegrilland your work is done.
15.Lemon-berry Sheet Pan Trifle
- Time Commitment:3 hours and 45 minutes
- Why We Love It:one pan, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
的re’s nothing asheet pancan’t do, but our favorite trick is light-as-air meringue topped with summerfruitand fresh whipped cream.
16.Grilled Flatbread Pizza With Artichoke, Ricotta And Lemon
- Time Commitment:40 minutes
- Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
Sorry,pizza stone. Come summer,'zais a job for the barbecue. We'll take extra crushed red pepper flakes on our slice, please.
17.Spicy Shrimp Tacos With Mango Salsa
- Time Commitment:20 minutes
- Why We Love It:<30 minutes, high protein, beginner-friendly
Just the ticket for an alfresco family dinner. A drizzle of sour cream or avocado crema will take the tingly edge off theshrimp，if your kids are picky.
18.Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad
- Time Commitment:25 minutes
- Why We Love It:<30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
We’ll never get tired of the O.G., but thin slices of charred summerzucchiniare a total game changer.
19.Campfire Grilled S’more Calzones
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Stuffstore-bought pizza doughwith chocolate andmarshmallowsbefore grilling until ooey-gooey. And thes'mores-loving crowd goes wild.
20.Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Time Commitment:7 hours and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It:slow cooker recipe, one pot, high protein, crowd-pleaser
Bun or no bun, thisCrockpotclassic is an easy win. But we like it best on a sandwich with lots of crispy coleslaw.
21.Grilled Flank Steak With Lemon-herb Sauce
- Time Commitment:2 hours
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, high protein, beginner-friendly
Don’t letgrillingmeat (especiallysteak) intimidate you. All it takes is a killer marinade, five to seven minutes of browning per side and a 15-minute rest before serving.
22.Boozy Lemonade Granita
- Time Commitment:6 hours
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, no cook, crowd-pleaser
Aren’t you glad you’re one of the grown-ups? Spike this frosty take onsummer's official drinkwithvodka，ginortequila.
23.Grilled Pineapple With Coconut Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment:20 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
For everyone who thinks their diet takesdessertoff the table. Garnish the smokypineapplepieces with toasted hazelnuts and freshmint.
24.Avocado Chicken Salad
- Time Commitment:45 minutes
- Why We Love It:no cook, high protein, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Sliced grapes and copious amounts of of mayo?Yawn. Upgrade to avocado, rice vinegar, fresh dill andlemonjuice. The store-boughtrotisserie chickenwill be our little secret.
25.Slow Cooker Beef Brisket With Bbq Sauce
- Time Commitment:10 hours and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It:slow cooker recipes, high protein, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
的trick to drool-worthybrisket? Popping it on the grill or under the broiler to caramelize the outer crust before serving.
26.Fresh Fruit Ice Pops
- Time Commitment:3 hours
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, vegan, make ahead, kid friendly, crowd-pleaser
See ya, artificial flavors and dyes. These pops are the real deal and totally customizable (though we're partial to usingpeaches，raspberriesandblueberries).
27.Roasted Cauliflower Sliders
- Time Commitment:50 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
Vegetariansrejoice. You can still sink your teeth into a stick-to-your-ribs main (thanks,cauliflower), and it’s slathered in sriracha yogurt for good measure.
28.Loaded Baked Potato Chips
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why We Love It:kid-friendly, one pan, sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Wouldn’t it be cool if potato chips andnachoshad a delicious baby? We made it happen—and it’s amazing.
29.Bacon Cheddar Cheese-stuffed Burgers
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, make ahead, high protein, beginner-friendly
With chopped bacon, shredded cheddar and Worcestershire sauce in the patty mix, these handhelds are beyond juicy and flavorful.
30.Honey-peach Semifreddo
- Time Commitment:8 hours and 20 minutes (includes freezing time)
- Why We Love It:no cook, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Picture digging into a luscious,ice cream-like mix of heavy cream, egg yolks, peach jam and diced peaches. (With a glass ofprosecco，of course.)
31.Grilled Peach, Chicken And Ricotta Pizza
- Time Commitment:1 hour
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
No one’s passing on a slice fresh off the barbecue. We’re betting it tastes just as good eaten cold the next morning too...just sayin'.
32.Fourth Of July Ice Cream Cake
- Time Commitment:4 hours (includes freezing time)
- Why We Love It:no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Labor Dayisa patriotic holiday, but we’d be lying if we said we needed an excuse to eatcake(especially one made with three types ofice creamandsorbet).
33.Sweet-and-sour Pork Skewers With Pineapple
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
Any reason to putpineappleon the grill, right? There’s pineapple juice in the glaze too, along with soy sauce, rice vinegar and sriracha.
34.Greek Turkey Burgers With Tzatziki Sauce
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It:high protein, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Don’t look now, but the ground beef in your fridge is getting jealous. There's no need to be shy with the homemade yogurt sauce (but you already knew that).
35.Crispy Baked Fish Tacos With Cabbage Slaw
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It:special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, high protein
Sorry, messy frying—not today. Top thetilapiawith fresh slaw, sour cream and lots of lime juice. (Amargaritaon the side wouldn't hurt, either.)
36.Kale And Brussels Sprout Caesar Slaw
- Time Commitment:25 minutes
- Why We Love It:<30 minutes, no cook, one bowl, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
Your two favorite green veggies, together at last.Shredding the sproutsis easier than you think, we promise.
37.Broiler S’mores
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:one pan, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Forget about rounding up a millionskewersso everyone can toast their own marshmallows. Try this once and you'll change backyard bonfires at your place forever.
38.Strawberry-mango Hawaiian Shave Ice
- Time Commitment:5 hours and 30 minutes (includes freezing time)
- Why We Love It:vegan, <10 ingredients, no cook, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
A trip to Maui is only 30 minutes of prep and a stint in the freezer away. It tastes even better from inside a massivepool float，if you ask us.
39.Grilled Asian-inspired Garlic Steak Skewers
- Time Commitment:3 hours and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, high protein, beginner-friendly
Once you have this recipe is in your back pocket, you’ll save a fortune on takeout. Finish the skewers with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
40.Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, high protein, special occasion-worthy
You take care of the roasted tomato-chipotle chicken, we’ll bring themargaritas(andguacamole). Thanks to a store-bought rotisserie bird, you'll only need 30 minutes to prepare it.
41.Tender Oven-baked Ribs
- Time Commitment:2 hours and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, high protein
Homemade dry rub *and* sauce—who's a grill master now? We'd make a double batch of the three-ingredientBBQ saucefor using on burgers, chicken,salmonortofu.
42.Shrimp Boil Skewers With Corn, Sausage And Potatoes
- Time Commitment:45 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, high protein
Looking for a break from burgers anddogs? Enter the most low-maintenance, mess-free main you’ve ever made. Serve it on a newspaper-lined picnic table for minimal cleanup.
43.Grilled Parmesan Garlic Asparagus
- Time Commitment:15 minutes
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, vegetarian, <30 minutes
Say cheese: Five-ingredientvegetablesides always make us smile, but our favorites are teeming with salty Parmesan.
44.Baked Sesame-ginger Salmon In Parchment
- Time Commitment:30 minutes
- Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, high protein
She’s light, she’s healthy, but most importantly, she only takes 30 minutes to make. Bake it in the oven or trade parchment for foil and upgrade to the grill.
45.No-bake Berry Tiramisu
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 40 minutes
- Why We Love It:no bake, crowd-pleaser, one pan, special occasion-worthy
Red, white and wow. It doesn’t get any simpler than store-bought ladyfingers,raspberryjam and fresh fruit.
46.Seared Scallops With Citrus-shallot Salad
- Time Commitment:20 minutes
- Why We Love It:<30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Say it with us:I can cookscallopsat home. The dish takes only 20 minutes from start to finish, and all the scallops need is a few minutes of searing per side. Just be sure to pat them as dry as possible before plopping them in the pan.
47.Tomato And Yellow Zucchini Risotto
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegan
In case you needed yet another excuse to raid your local farmers market. This decadent (andvegan!) dish puts the best flavors of the season front and center, including yellow and greenzucchini，plumtomatoesandred onion.
48.Tiny Coconut Cookies With Hibiscus Glaze
- Time Commitment:35 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients
C'mon, aren't they just thecutest? Believe it or not, the vibrant glaze doesn't contain a single drop of food coloring, but instead, tart hibiscus tea concentrate.
49.Grilled Honey-sriracha Chicken Drumsticks With Fennel-cabbage Slaw
- Time Commitment:50 minutes
- Why We Love It:high protein, special occasion-worthy
Wings? We don't know her. Drumsticks hold their own against the grill with ease, resulting in a crispy, juicy piece of chicken every damn time. Douse it in the sticky, spicy glaze and you've made magic.
50.Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread With Tomatoes And Scallions
- Time Commitment:50 minutes
- Why We Love It:one pan, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
This crisp, tender cornbread topped with summer's bounty pairs beautifully with everything frompulled porktoribstoburgers. That said, it's also hearty enough to stand as a meal on its own.
51.Easiest-ever Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, one pan, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
的three best things about summer: 1) beach days, 2) bonfires and 3) in-seasonberries.Blueberriesstar in this decadentskillet dessertthat boasts an impossibly fluffy biscuit topping. (We won't tell if you substitutestore-bought biscuit dough，though.)
52.Classic Pressed Burger
- Time Commitment:25 minutes
- Why We Love It:<30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, high protein
Manyburgerconnoisseurs consider pressing a patty down while it cooks to be sacrilegious, but getting it as thin as possible guarantees a drool-worthy, crisp outer crust. Pass theketchup，please.
53.Rodney Scott’s Honey-butter Fish
- Time Commitment:50 minutes
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, high protein
Thisseafooddish has thesteaksandchopsat thebarbecueshaking in their boots. We're betting the dreamy honey butter topping and bold rib rub are to blame.
54.Mini Key Lime Pies
- Time Commitment:40 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
Hi, we're PureWow, and teeny-tinydessertsare our love language. Don't let their size fool you: The pies' filling is bursting with flavor, courtesy of freshlimejuice andsweetened condensed milk.
55.Strawberry Galette With Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment:1 hour and 45 minutes
- Why We Love It:special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Three delicious secrets are hiding inside this flakystrawberry-filled wonder. Zingy balsamic vinegar brightens up the fruit filling, while rosemary in the crust and sour cream in the whipped cream add additional nuance and tang.
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook,Only the Good Stuff.
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