Holidays & Occasions Memorial Day 35 Side Dishes For Your Memorial Day Cookout These are no ordinary side dishes. By Southern Living Editors Updated on April 25, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Pair your barbecue and burgers with a few of our tastiest summery side dishes for Memorial Day. Whether you're hosting a backyard barbecue, cook-out, or sit-down meal, we have plenty of delicious sides dish ideas for your Memorial Day get-together. From spicy corn-on-the-cob to pasta salads, coleslaw, and baked beans, we have a side for every palate. These dishes will perk up your buffet (instantly!) with an infusion of fresh produce, colorful ingredients, and fantastic summer flavors. These sides are easy to prep and make the most of your favorite fresh and juicy seasonal produce. They will have even the unlikeliest of dinner guests returning for seconds, guaranteed. No matter the setting, these recipes will slot into your party plan seamlessly. Feel free to mix and match our favorite Memorial Day side dishes to create your own personalized holiday menu, and go ahead and add them to your dinnertime lineup all summer long. 01 of 35 Creamy Broccoli Slaw Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer If you want to make something a little different than classic coleslaw, give this crunchy broccoli slaw a try this year. 02 of 35 Baked Beans Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Props Stylist: Christina Brockman No cookout is complete without a casserole dish full of baked beans. This recipe calls for canned pork and beans to help them come together easily. 03 of 35 Classic Grilled Corn on the Cob Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Put your best plate forward by adding this fantastic corn-on-the-cob recipe to the mix. 04 of 35 Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Mac and cheese got a summer makeover with the addition of bright roasted tomatoes. 05 of 35 Summer Orzo Salad Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray This salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week after it's prepared, so it's a great make ahead option. 06 of 35 Best Deviled Eggs Stacy K. Allen, Food Stylist: Torie Cox, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster We've perfected the process for making the best deviled eggs for a crowd. 07 of 35 Macaroni Corn Casserole Will Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Two cookout classics come together in this cheesy dish. 08 of 35 Twice Baked Potato Casserole Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Think of this casserole as a potluck-friendly version of a classic baked potato. 09 of 35 Quick Pickled Slaw Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos You can pull this recipe together from start to finish in just 15 minutes. 10 of 35 Deviled Egg-Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos If you just want to bring one dish to the Memorial Day cookout but can't decide between deviled eggs and potato salad, this easy-to-transport side is the recipe for you. 11 of 35 Whipped-Cream Corn Salad Southern Living Just three ingredients (plus salt and pepper) come together to create this beautiful corn salad. 12 of 35 South Carolina Slaw Will Dickey A traditional Carolina slaw has a tangy dressing of vinegar and sugar, not mayo. This one serves up a hint of sweetness with apple cider vinegar, blunted by dry and Dijon mustards. 13 of 35 Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Jennifer Causey If you're heading to a cookout, you may want to double (or triple!) this easy recipe. 14 of 35 Texas Caviar Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox While this recipe calls for quite a bit of chopping, there's no cooking required. 15 of 35 Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman. You can't go wrong with this family-favorite mac and cheese. 16 of 35 Texas-Style Baked Beans Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely These made-from scratch baked beans get their flavor from bacon drippings, barbecue sauce, dark beer, and plenty of seasonings. 17 of 35 Watermelon, Cucumber, and Feta Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan For best results, we recommend tossing this salad together right before serving so the watermelon and cucumber juices don't water down the vinaigrette. 18 of 35 Tomato-Herb Panzanella Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely You'll want to make sure you allows at least 30 minutes for this dish to sit at room temperature before serving. 19 of 35 Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray We made this recipe with bowtie pasta, but it can be made with other shapes if you prefer. 20 of 35 Heirloom Tomato Pie Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist Christine Keely This tomato pie is sure to be one of the first things to disappear from your Memorial Day spread. 21 of 35 Spicy Grilled Corn Salad Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Mix up this colorful, easy side. It's so good, you'll have a smile with every spoonful. 22 of 35 Bacon-Ranch Pasta Salad Micah A. Leal Make sure to make this recipe a day in advance, as it will be better once the flavors have time to sit together. 23 of 35 Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad Hector Sanchez You'll be shouting hallelujah once you have a bite of this side dish. (It's great with barbecue!) 24 of 35 Zucchini, Squash, and Corn Casserole Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Stylist: Buffy Hargett Miller It wouldn't be a summertime get-together without this summer squash- and corn-filled casserole. 25 of 35 Field Pea and Pasta Salad Greg DuPree A lively mix of pasta and field peas make a fresh and flavorful Memorial Day side dish. 26 of 35 Classic Succotash Alison Miksch Don't forget about this Southern side, a celebration of fresh produce and unforgettable flavors. 27 of 35 Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad Jennifer Davick Scoops of this cool and creamy side will balance out any Memorial Day menu. 28 of 35 Classic Coleslaw Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox There's nothing fancy about this coleslaw recipe, which is precisely what makes it so good. 29 of 35 Big Daddy's Grilled Blue Cheese-and-Bacon Potato Salad Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford What could make potato salad better? Blue cheese and bacon, that's what. 30 of 35 Sesame, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad Alison Miksch This is no mere salad. It's an explosion of colorful, delectable produce. Try it, and thank us later. 31 of 35 Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham Jen Causey This salad recipe, sent in by Keva Colston of Baton Rouge Louisiana, was published in the June 2007 issue of Southern Living and quickly garnered many favorable reviews and comments from readers. 32 of 35 Creamy Cucumber Salad Hannah Zimmerman/Southern Living A cooling creamy salad is always a perfect pairing. 33 of 35 Southern Cornbread Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Salad is a wide-ranging term in the South, and while this one might not include lettuce, it's still a delicious cookout side. 34 of 35 Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele This salad celebrates three of the major highlights from the summer farmers' markets: corn, peaches, and tomatoes. 35 of 35 Loaded Potato Salad Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke This recipe is make-ahead magic—it's even better when you prepare it in advance and let the flavors meld. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit