Easy 9x13 Recipes for Your Labor Day Crowd

Baked Tex-Mex Red Pepper Cheese Dip
Photo: Photo: Hector Sanchez

Labor Day should be a relaxing holiday, not one spent in your kitchen preparing food for a party. Enjoy your break with crowd-pleasing recipes that don't take much effort or time. With the help of everyone's favorite 9x13 casserole dish, you can serve up incredible Labor Day food that every guest will love.

From appetizers to desserts, these easy Labor Day recipes can be made in your trusty 9x13 dish. Whether you're attending a Labor Day potluck at the neighbor's or hosting yourself, let your 9x13 handle the cooking. With cookout classics like macaroni and cheese and baked beans, your Labor Day crowd will be in side dish heaven. We didn't forget about dessert, though! Don't waste time perfecting an intricate layer cake this Labor Day. Easy 9x13 desserts like poke cakes, lemon bars, and our new go-to, Sweet Tea and Lemonade Cake, will be gobbled up by kids and adults.

On Labor Day, you should revel in your rest. These no-fuss 9x13 casseroles and desserts will let you do just that.

01 of 20

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas
Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Forget the Buffalo chicken party dip and opt for this crowd-pleasing meal instead. This hearty recipe can be made in a casserole dish and packed with ingredients like blue cheese, Franks RedHot, cream cheese, celery, and corn tortillas.

02 of 20

King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken
Southern Living

Recipe: King Ranch Chicken

Trust us: This recipe deserves a spot on your holiday table. It's a tried-and-true recipe beloved outside of Texas state lines thanks to the interesting Mexican-seasoning-meets-cheesy-casserole flavor combination. Whip it up for your next party and you'll soon see why.

03 of 20

Okra and Rice Casserole

Okra and Rice Casserole
Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Recipe: Okra and Rice Casserole

This dish is versatile yet flavorful thanks to a deliciously Southern mixing of sautéed okra, buttery garlic breadcrumbs, sweet corn, and Cajun spices. Just mix it up and serve!

04 of 20

Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad

Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad with Field Peas
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Recipe: Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad

Send summer off with a bang with a sensational pasta salad recipe. This dish has an amazing yet unexpected ingredient: field peas! This recipe can be made in any dish, but once stirred, we recommend packing it in a 9x13 dish with a lid to store it in the fridge.

05 of 20

Baked BLT Dip

Baked BLT Dip
Southern Living

Recipe: Baked BLT Dip

One of the South's favorite sandwiches gets the appetizer treatment with this dreamy dip recipe.

06 of 20

Baked Tex-Mex Red Pepper Cheese Dip

Baked Tex-Mex Red Pepper Cheese Dip
Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Baked Tex-Mex Red Pepper Cheese Dip

Every cookout needs an incredible dip on deck for guests that arrive hungry, and we're happy to report that this addicting recipe is ready for the job.

07 of 20

Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese

Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese

Our Test Kitchen's secret for the creamiest mac and cheese? Adding cubes of cheese that melt as the pasta bakes.

08 of 20

Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole
Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Sarah-Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Julia Levy

Recipe: Squash Casserole

This cheesy casserole is a Southern potluck must, and Labor Day is the perfect time to make it with fresh summer squash.

09 of 20

Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chip Crust

Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chip Crust
Sheri Castle

Recipe: Hot Chicken Salad with Potato Chip Crust

This retro dish will knock old-school cold chicken salad off its thrown as the party favorite.

10 of 20

Corn Pudding Casserole

Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Corn Pudding Casserole

This version of corn pudding is extra creamy and more savory than sweet.

11 of 20

Zucchini, Squash, and Corn Casserole

Zucchini, Squash, and Corn Casserole
Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Zucchini, Squash, and Corn Casserole

This veggie-filled casserole is your perfect vehicle for savoring all the flavors of summer.

12 of 20

Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake

Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake
Iain Bagwell; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly

Recipe: Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake

Instead of showing up with the same cold pasta or broccoli salad you usually bring, delight guests with this tangy, warm side dish that combines the best of both.

13 of 20

Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Cobbler
Southern Living

Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler

This fresh summer cobbler hits all the right notes for a Labor Day cookout dessert: It's easy to prepare, feeds a crowd, and is easy to bake and take. It can't be beat when topped with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream.

14 of 20

Chocolate Lasagna

Chocolate Lasagna
Southern Living

Recipe: Chocolate Lasagna

If you want to show up with a dish that no one can find a reason to complain about, let us introduce you to our favorite vintage dessert recipe.

15 of 20

Nehi Orange Poke Cake

Nehi Orange Poke Cake
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Nehi Orange Poke Cake

This moist poke cake is inspired by one of Mama Dip's classic orange cake recipes.

16 of 20

Luscious Lemon Bars

Luscious Lemon Bars
Southern Living

Recipe: Luscious Lemon Bars

We don't know any party that's ever responded negatively to a cake plate stacked high with beautifully bright lemon bars.

17 of 20

Peach Dump Cake

Peach Dump Cake
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Peach Dump Cake

It's all in the name here: For this delicious dessert, you literally dump a few recipes in your casserole dish and bake it. Hallelujah!

18 of 20

Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake

Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake
Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Sweet Tea-and-Lemonade Cake

This Arnold Palmer-inspired sheet cake is ideal for summer cookouts.

19 of 20

Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

Chocolate-Zucchini Cake
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

We can't think of a better dessert to serve as a summer finale on Labor Day than this new favorite sheet cake that's a clever way to use up any fresh farmers' market zucchini you have left.

20 of 20

Deep Dish Berry Cobbler

Deep-Dish Berry Cobbler
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Deep Dish Berry Cobbler

There's almost nothing a simple berry cobbler won't fix. In fact, it makes just the right addition to an end of summer menu.

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