10 Healthy BBQ Side Dish Recipes for Summer

Now that summer is here, grilling is here too. What that really means is my husband does all the work while I prepare a few easy side dishes. I reached out to my dietitian friends to get some BBQ food ideas. And boy did they deliver!

So here are 10 side dish recipes to give you some inspiration this summer.

1. Black bean & Avocado salad

I’ve been making this black bean salad from All Recipes for a few years now and love it. It’s perfect to bring to a barbecue or eat for a quick lunch. I pretty much follow this recipe except I skip the corn and decrease the salt and amount of dressing.

2. Roasted Vegetable Couscous

I’ve been eyeing this recipe from Budget Bytes for awhile. I recently made it for a family gathering and it was a huge hit. It’s going in the summer rotation.

3. Cabbage and Kale Slaw with Sesame Dressing

Thanks to dietitian Holley Grainger for this nutritious take on coleslaw. I cannot wait to try it.

4. Nepali Style Potato Salad

We don’t like mayo-based potato salads around here. This one from Dixya at Food, Pleasure & Health is a nice twist on no-mayo potato salad!

3. Sweet Potato Salad

I’ve been looking for a sweet potato salad to try. This sweet potato salad from Jessica Levinson at Nutrioulicious definitely fits the bill. The recipe incorporates cilantro and green onions. Yum!

Grilled Vegetable Salad

What’s even better than grilled vegetables? Grilled vegetable salad! This recipe for grilled vegetable salad is courtesy of Katie Cavuto at Healthy Bites.

Roasted Potato Salad Nicoise

Here’s another unique twist on potato salad with green beans and olives from EA Stewart the Spicy RD.

Strawberry Quinoa Salad

This super simple strawberry quinoa salad recipe from Katie at Mom to Mom Nutrition looks amazing.

9. Sundried Tomato & Basil Potato Salad

Regan Jones at Healthy Aperture shares her sundried tomato & basil potato salad recipe featuring potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, pesto and feta cheese.

10. Trader Joe’s Simple Salads

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they often showcase easy simple summer salads. Here’s one I recently tried: Spring Bean Salad. They send you home with the ingredients and recipe. It doesn’t get easier than that!

What’s your favorite side dish?  Leave it in the comments.

For more easy recipes and tips on how to serve meals to kids, check out Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinner Meals Your Family Will Love