Need Easy Side Dishes for Memorial Day BBQ

super easy salad
Chinese Cabbage Salad

½ head cabbage- shredded
½ cup green onion- diced
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds- toasted
½ cup sliced almonds- toasted (already toasted in the Asian section)
1-package ramen noodles

Dressing:
½ cup oil (canola, veg, olive)
1 package chicken flavoring from ramen
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper

Just don't put dressing on until you are ready to serve the salad or it will get soggy.

baked beans. corn on the cob. big green salad. broccoli salad. broccoli casserole. potato salad. 5 bean salad. grilled carrots. roasted cauliflower nuggets. costco-sized bags o' french fries. corn pudding. taco salad. tater tots. stuffed-and-sliced baked potatoes. crock pot full of cheesy hash browns (got the recipe here, it was a HUGE hit at easter dinner). cheese platter. fruit plate. fruit salad. fruit kebobs. salsa or hummus with corn chips or carrot sticks. grilled bananas. meatballs in bbq sauce. rice pudding.
khairete
S.

Fresh fruit and cut up veggies are always a hit (and can be done the day before to save time). Baked beans and corn on the cob.I'm hosting a Memorial Day picnic and haven't even started thinking about a menu yet. Now I seem like a slacker. lol

Baked beans are always a hit at my house
Ears of corn brushed with melted butter and roasted on the grill
Slice up a watermelon

How many is "a lot" of people? 10 or 100? That would help. But I have a super easy and inexpensive side that everyone loves and asks if I'm making when I have a party. It's a corn dish in the crock pot. It's easy, just put 6 cans of corn, drained, in the crock with a block of cream cheese and a stick of butter, salt, pepper and about 5 packets of splenda or 2 tsp of sugar. Cook on low for a couple hours but stir it after about 30 min when the butter and cheese start to melt. Super good and goes with practically everything. Last time I made it we had about 30-40 people over. Good luck.

Every time we attend a pot luck, I have 2 salads people request. I do not know how many people you need to feed so if you choose one of these, buy according to your group.

Caprese Salad
Red cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
Yellow cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
GOOD quality mozzarella cheese diced into bite sized pieces
A few springs of fresh basil, sliced ribbon like, not chopped
Freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste.
Dressing.... original dressing is a mix of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. My daughter loves to use bottled Ken's Northern Italian dressing on hers. Either way is very tasty, let it sit about 1/2 to an hour before serving to let flavors blend. I use Nature's Own grape/small tomatoes.

Tomato/Cucumber/Vidalia Onion salad

Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Cucumbers, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
Vidalia or Sweet onion cut into bite sized pieces

Mix these well and add dressing... Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper to taste, a touch of sugar (tsp or less) to ease the "bite" and Apple Cider Vinegar. Mix well, let it sit a while before serving so flavors blend.

Other ideas, potato salad, cole slaw, veggie/fruit tray, assorted cheeses and pita crackers. I refuse to serve any chips at my parties so I would omit the chips.

Have fun!

Baked beans, corn in the cob, grilled veggies, green tossed salad, BLT salad.

Fresh fruit and lots of it. grapes, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, blackberries. Easy and "summery".

Strawberry shortcake!
Our local strawberry festival takes place that weekend.

Classic potato salad, any kind of green salad (I do a spinach strawberry salad that's pretty and always a hit) baked beans, fruit salad or platter.

A whole watermelon. Or fruit platter.
A green salad.
How many is a "lot"?
I would not do just burgers.
I'd add hot dogs & chicken or do pulled pork on buns too.

For an alternative to macaroni salad, try Israeli couscous (pearled couscous) which is larger pieces than regular couscous. You can find it in the natural food section, with the other rice and orzo products, or in the kosher food section (sometimes in a bag). Bob's Red Mill also makes it. Add in whatever veggies you have (traditionally it's cucumber, tomato, parsley but you can use celery, carrots, colored peppers etc.). Then toss with olive or canola oil and vinegar (I like rice wine vinegar) - no mayo. It keeps well in the heat and you can make it ahead.

Rice salad - make brown rice, add in various beans (black, red, pinto, white, or chickpeas), a bunch of frozen peas (don't cook, just defrost) and a light oil/vinegar mix. Make ahead, keeps well.

Hot baked beans - you can google easy recipes but here's one: http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-baked-beans-from-scr...
Do them in the crockpot and keep them hot that way. This recipe has you using dried beans (cheaper than canned, which are still pretty cheap if you check the sales) and you start it the day before.

Beans, rice and couscous are filling and generally inexpensive.

If you have the grill space, slice up a bunch of sweet potatoes, Russets, and red potatoes into wedges (the reds might have to be in halves or quarters). You can add wedges of onion if you like. Mix up some canola or olive oil and some herbs (I like dill, salt & pepper), toss to coat, and grill. If the wedges are big, put them right on the grill. If the potatoes are small, cut in chunks and thread onto a skewer or use a grill basket (same with chunks of onion). They usually grill up in 20 minutes (less for the onions), and then you can keep them warm on the top of the grill, in a low oven, or in one of those foil pans set over Sterno. These are cheap veggies and they are filling. Sometimes asparagus is on sale and you can grill that too, same marinade. Put them sideways carefully so they don't fall through the grill though, or use a grill basket.

Raw veggies and humus keep well in the heat. You can choose veggies based on price. Celery and carrots and often green beans are economical, peppers can get pricey so I'd use those for "accent" color in the salads.

potato salad (without mayo if you can't keep it cold). i think its called german potato salad.
rice pilaf
spinach and feta pockets
cheese pockets
sausage and peppers
grilled corn
bean salad
chunky peach or watermelon salsa

Potato salad
Green salad

Have appetizers they can fill up on:
carrot sticks/celery & Ranch
Chips & salsa
Can of chili beans mixed w/rectangle of cream cheese heated in pan on
stovetop served w/corn chips
Spinach dip w/bread

For dinner add:
Pasta salad
a green salad
corn on the cobb (shop the deals for the cheapest & cut them in half)
you can always add hot dogs (cheap & it feeds the masses plus kids will
sometimes choose them)
have a pot of chili beans & cornbread
grill some veggies (red/yellow/green bell peppers & onions)
you can also grill some sausage links
baked beans (cheap, easy, tasty)

-Caprese salad as suggested below would be my favorite.

-Hummus and various veggies to dip along with pita bread/chips.

-Is someone bring BBQ baked beans? I think this would be the cheapest.

I like to do a chop salad, southwest black bean salad...watermelon, fruit salad.

Home-made coleslaw is easy, pretty, tasty, cheaper, and nutritious. I make it with green cabbage, red/purple cabbage, and chopped carrots; you can shred the cabbages (1 small head or 1/2 big head each) with the carrots in a food processor or roughly chop up by hand. For the dressing, I prefer a non-sweet vinaigrette of oil, vinegar, mustard, caraway seed, and a little salt and ground black pepper.

Google Trisha Yearwood's baked bean recipe.... it is delish!

Cubed watermelon.
Coleslaw
corn on the cob

any other fruit that is inexpensive in your area. Fresh cut up pineapple is good, strawberries (washed/hulled/halfed), blueberries.

I tend to not put them in a "salad" but leave them in individual serving dishes. Then the flavors don't mix and if someone has an aversion to one of them, they don't have to have it. Kids are often picky, but adults can be, too. And some folks actually have sensitivities to some of them.

Watermelon, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, cole slaw, and baked beans come to mind!

I like Orzo, Kalamata Olives... it's best made day before and chilled..
I make Orzo like this..
add sliced and pitted Kalamata olives
minced shallot or purple onion (small amount or more if you prefer) I don't like an overwhelming onion taste but only the essence, so add as you like..
about a 1 -2 tsp lemon zest
salt/pepper to taste..
toss with olive oil (small amount to moisten it) do this when warm so the olive oil blends..
and add a pinch or two of balsamic (taste as you go) don't dress it like salad, the balsamic is to bring some acidity to it.. not bathe it..
when ready to serve, I add some crumbled feta.. IF the salad is going to be out and allowed to warm to room temp, you can skip the feta, but IF served chilled , then it's a good addition..
all ingredients are measured by taste.. and as I tell my son, add seasoning slowly because you can always add but never take away..
so taste as you go...

also.. lasagne is always a hit in our house, I make that from scratch, along with the sauce...
consider other grilled veggies: potatoes, carrots and fennel... asparagus and peppers are yummy too.. especially if you add the grilled peppers to your burger.. YUM !!!

cucumber onion salad

Corn on the cob
Potato salad
Pasta salad with tomatoes and olives, etc.
tossed salad
coleslaw
Asparagus roasted on the grill
Zucchini /eggplant roasted on the grill
Baked beans
Bean salad
String bean salad
Rice of some sort

Google BBQ sides and you'll find a TON!

Have fun

My go-to is fruit salad/watermelon slices. I use about 1/3 of a watermelon for the fruit salad, and then I cut the rest of it into slices. Because adults usually prefer the fruit salad, and kids are happiest with slices that they can hold in their hands and run around the yard with.

Easy to make, and everyone likes it. And it can sit out for a while without going bad.

Pasta salad - very cheap to make and a favorite with most people
Platter of pickles (Sour, dill, sweet - goes well with the burgers)
Veggies & ranch dip (favorite of kids)

Have fun!
T. Y