Easy Labor Day Recipes for End of Summer Celebrations
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Labor Day recipes and ideas to kick-start your end-of-summer cookouts and parties. From grilled recipes to slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes, burgers, sliders, kabobs, ribs, and more, these are easy, delicious ideas to celebrate the season.
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What are Labor Day Foods?
Simple answer? The best foods of summer! That might include grilled chicken, burgers, foil packs, skewers, salads, pasta salads, and of course, a few decadent desserts!
Let’s not let the summer end without a splash!
Celebrating the End of Summer with Easy Labor Day Recipes and Ideas
You worked hard for this weekend. These Labor Day recipes for main dishes, salads, amazing sides, and desserts will help you make the most of a fabulous weekend!
You might also like Easy Labor Day Dessert Ideas. Or… read up on the history of Labor Day.
Easy Labor Day Recipes
Easy and simple Labor Day food ideas and recipes to kick-start your end of summer cookouts and parties. From grilling to slow cooker, no bake and more!
Smash Burgers
"A Smash burger is exactly what you think it is; balls of ground beef smashed onto a hot griddle. You'll want to smash them pretty thin so they cook quickly, but it also gets you those crispy, browned edges while still keeping the interior nice and juicy. "
Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken
This easy Cilantro Lime Chicken is a juicy grilled chicken breast recipe marinated with the peppery flavors of cilantro and bright citrus. It is seasoned with Mediterranean flavors, sweetened with a hint of honey, and easy to grill indoors or out!
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sliders
Incredibly easy, with almost no prep, these sliders are juicy and tender, and almost melt in your mouth. Perfect, easy idea for Labor Day!
Best Turkey Burger Recipe
"We’re calling this the best turkey burger recipe for good reason! These tender patties are made up of just the right amount of spice."
Grilled Cherry Tomato Skewers on Toast with Goat Cheese
"They’re simple and delicious grilled cherry tomato skewers. But when we were grilling these little red jewels the term “tomato skewers” sounded so mundane. After plucking these super sweet cherry tomatoes from their vines, they were so cute and plump, it sounded more appropriate (and fun) to call them lollipops."
Easy Fruit Salad
This Fruit Salad recipe with sweetened mint is a refreshing and delicious addition to summer gatherings. Simple and ready in minutes.
German Potato Salad
This German Potato Salad is a simple hot potato salad recipe with fork-tender potatoes, savory bacon, and fresh parsley tossed in a delicious tangy dressing you will love.
Easy Greek Turkey Burgers
Easy Greek Turkey Burgers are the ultimate healthy burger upgrade! These juicy and delicious burgers with Tzatziki sauce have incredible bursts of flavor, are easy to make, and utterly transform your turkey burger forever!
Grilled Sausage with Peppers, Onions and Herbs
This simple recipe for Grilled Sausage with Peppers, Onions and Herbs yields delicious, juicy sausages and tender, charred onions perfect for grilling season! Served either stuffed into a fluffy bun or with cooked rice, grilled sausages with onions are the ultimate Game Day treat!
Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad
Summer isn’t summer without potato salad, but it can be time-consuming. This Instant Pot Potato Salad is so incredibly easy and time-saving that you will find yourself making it more than once this summer, guaranteed! And yummy? Absolutely!
Firecracker Chicken Burgers
Taking grilled burgers to a delicious level with these Firecracker Chicken Burgers. It is infused with a delightful blend of chili peppers, shredded cheese, and aromatic spices.
Easy Mexican Corn Salad
“A quick and easy Mexican Corn Salad will be a favorite side all summer long. It’s healthy, a simplified version of elotes, robust with the warm and spicy flavors of cumin and red pepper. Serve warm or cold, it’s simply delicious.”
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders are the answer to easy, delicious food your people will love. It's tender, mouthwatering, slow cooked chicken tossed in a tangy flavor-packed sauce, and served on buttery toasted buns.
Elote Corn (Mexican Street Corn)
Elote corn is Mexican street corn is roasted over an open grill & coated with salt, chile powder, butter, cotija, lime juice, & mayonnaise or crema fresca.
Easy Summer Macaroni Salad
Macaroni Salad is a classic and delicious pasta salad recipe every summer cookout, BBQ, potluck, and picnic deserves! Incredibly simple to make, it's filled with fresh vegetables and macaroni tossed in a tangy, slightly sweet, and creamy homemade dressing.
Easy Instant Pot Ribs
How to make fall off the bone Instant Pot Ribs. Easy method for baby back or spare ribs. So much faster and the sweet and savory dry rub is to die for!
Mediterranean Greek Chicken Souvlaki
If you love Greek street food, this Mediterranean Greek Chicken Souvlaki recipe is for you. Tender, juicy grilled chicken wrapped in warm pitas is an incredibly simple, delicious and authentic dish to make at home.
2 Minute Greek Dill Yogurt Sauce
This oh-so-simple Dill Yogurt Sauce is a delicious and creamy Greek tzatziki-influenced quick versatile dip for all things healthy and all things delicious. Perfect for entertaining and snacking. If you have 2 minutes, and 4 simple ingredients, this dip is ready to go!
Easy Grilled Beef Kofta: Lebanese Street Food
Easy grilled Beef Kofta or Kafta, as it's sometimes called, is a Lebanese style street food that's super simple to make at home. Tender and delicious Kofta Kebabs are made with Middle Eastern spices and are grilled indoors or out in less than 10 minutes.
Easy Cowboy Caviar: A Variation of the Original
This easy Cowboy Caviar, or Texas Caviar, is a fresh and simple dip or side dish that's ready in 15 minutes or less. Utterly delicious, it's perfect for picnics, BBQs, taco Tuesdays, or anytime you're craving flavor-packed, healthier food!
Easy Grilled Cheddar Chicken Burger
With Southwest flavors, this easy chicken burger is outstandingly delicious and always on our grill menu!
Slow Cooker Ribs So Tender They Fall Off the Bone
Weekends and summers and game days… and Labor Day… were made for ribs. And Slow Cooker Ribs are the easiest, most delicious, tender ribs you’ll ever, ever have.
If a slow cooker isn’t your thing, you might want to try our easy Grilled and Tender Foil Wrapped Baby Back Ribs. If you’re a pressure cooker fan, see our Easy Instant Pot Ribs recipe for quick-fix ribs.
Easy Grilled Lemon Garlic Shrimp
"This easy grilled lemon garlic shrimp is healthy, incredibly flavorful, and quick to make with FIVE simple ingredients!"
Easy Mediterranean Charcuterie Board
This Mediterranean Charcuterie Board is a simple, delicious meal that's incredibly easy to assemble. Minutes to make and filled with healthy Mediterranean options for all your favorite gatherings, whether for parties, dinners on the patio, or picnics in the park.
Easy Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs is a savory and sweet BBQ favorite. Easy to prep ahead and perfect for Labor Day.
Grilled Corn on the Cob Foil Packets
Grilled Corn on the Cob in Foil Packets is a favorite 3 ingredient summer side dish that is sweet and juicy and smoky with herbs and spices.
Zucchini Tomato Bake
“This easy side is the most delicious way to use up your summer vegetables.”
Easy Greek Orzo Salad
Greek Orzo Salad is an easy and delicious, colorful salad filled with Mediterranean ingredients like feta, olives, cucumber, and herbs, tossed in a delicious and simple vinaigrette.
Easy Grilled Vegetables with Burrata
Easy Grilled Vegetables with Burrata is a centerpiece of summer grilling. With a simple balsamic glaze drizzled over delicious and slightly charred vegetables, it's a feast for the eyes and the palate.
Grilled Corn Salad with Feta
This easy Grilled Corn Salad is a delicious salad recipe, perfect for summer BBQs and picnics. A simple lime vinaigrette enhances the bright, sweet, and refreshing flavors of this chilled salad.
Pasta Salad with Shredded Carrots
This easy summer Pasta Salad with Shredded Carrots and a light, paprika-spiked lemon and mayonnaise sauce is a family favorite, filled with all the flavors of summer at grandma’s.
Smokey Instant Pot Baked Beans
Smokey Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe is the perfect side for summer BBQs or game time food. And cook in a fraction of the time. Smokey, sweet, and tender beans cooked with bacon and pure maple syrup.
Easy Homemade Coleslaw
A summer essential, this easy coleslaw deserves it spot on Labor Day tables!
Easy Greek Pasta Salad
A quick and easy Greek Pasta Salad bursting with Mediterranean flavors. If you have about 10 minutes, you can make this summer-perfect pasta salad in no time.
Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans
“Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans, an easy and historic crockpot dish rich with molasses, a hint of maple, and smokey with crumbled bacon.” A favorite side Labor Day side!
Tuscan Tortellini Salad
Tuscan Tortellini Salad is a simple pasta salad perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and gatherings all summer. This easy salad is filled with Italian ingredients like tomatoes and salami and is tossed with a homemade Italian Vinaigrette. Utterly delicious!
Easy Summer Pasta Salad Recipe
This Mediterranean-inspired Pasta Salad is a favorite with salami, peppers, broccoli, zesty Italian dressing, and Feta cheese.
Quinoa Salad Recipe
This Quinoa Salad is a favorite healthy salad, packed with vegetables and herbs, and perfect for lunches, picnics, and sides.
10 Minute No Bake Cheesecake
This No Bake Cheesecake is a 10-minute, no-bake, foolproof way to make cheesecake, the easy way. And, it's utterly delicious. Utterly simple. And one you'll make often!
Easy Blueberry Slab Pie
This Blueberry Slab Pie recipe is an easy way to make your favorite pie for a season of berries, festivities, and gatherings. Oh-so-delicious, its berry filling is packed with sweet bright flavors and warm spices.
Easy Coconut Cream Pie
This Coconut Cream Pie recipe is a thick, incredibly delicious creamy pie with high mounds of sweetened whipped cream and toasted coconut. It’s dreamy, filled with coconut flavor, and simpler to make than you might imagine.
Simple Berry Trifle Recipe
This simple Berry Trifle Recipe is a super quick and easy layered dessert of fresh summer berries, delicious pound cake, and heavenly pastry cream.
No Bake 3 Ingredient Chocolate Pie
This no-bake, 3 ingredient chocolate pie is the easiest pie recipe you will ever make. Creamy, chocolaty, and seriously delicious. It takes mere minutes to make, plus chilling time.
Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
An incredibly easy No Bake Peanut Butter Pie with drizzled chocolate, peanut butter, and more chocolate. It's decadent... and over-the-top delicious. Especially in a no-bake, summer pie.
Skillet Peach Cobbler
This Peach Cobbler is a quick and easy recipe made with fresh or frozen peaches, pantry ingredients, and ready in 35 minutes. Serve straight from the skillet with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream.
Summer Berry No Churn Ice Cream
This Summer Berry No Churn Ice Cream is a 4-ingredient, incredibly easy-to-make treat. It's deliciously smooth, creamy, and packed with summer berry flavor.
No Churn Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream
This creamy No Churn Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream is a decadent treat that's incredibly easy to make. If you're a peanut butter chocolate fan, this homemade ice cream is for you.
Pear Upside Down Cake Recipe
This Pear Upside Down Cake is an incredibly moist and tender cake with amazing fall-inspired flavors of maple, cinnamon, and cardamom. It's a simple cake with a delicious flavor you'll love during pear season.
Easy Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler
If you're looking for an easy dessert, this Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler is packed with summer fresh flavor, warmed with cinnamon and rich with buttery goodness. A golden, crusty top with melty vanilla ice cream is a summer treasure you won't soon forget.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the perfect way to celebrate zucchini season. Rich and dense and chocolaty muffins are so delicious, you'll want to make a double batch!
A Plum Cake You'll Want to Make Time and Again
This is a Plum Cake you'll want to make time and time again. I have... and do. Beginning in September and for as long as the fresh plums show up in my market.
Easy Spiced Peach Galette
Easy Summer Spiced Peach Galette is a pretty and rustic, free-form pastry that will make your mouth water. Simple and scrumptious with a flaky pie crust and warmly spiced, vanilla-scented peaches.