Classic BBQ Side Dishes

A BBQ Side Dishes In San Diego!

BBQ side dishes are perfect companions to any of the main course recipes on a taste of BBQ. BBQ side dishes can be cooked on the grill or prepared in advance and kept chilled until the main dish is ready to serve. And these carefully selected side dishes are an important part of the family experience.

BBQ side dishes can be delicious, nutrition-packed accompaniments for your grilled meat or they can quickly become a nutrition nightmare.People who love to barbecue wonderful meats, and learned that special bbq side dishes can ensure your barbecue notoriety! These flavorful summer salads and BBQ side dishes are ready to stand by (if not outshine) those must-have grilled dishes.BBQ side dishes is the safest and most fun place to contribute because of its the one area that you can do something a little different without causing an uprising.

The Importance of Side Dishes to Balanced Eating

Side dishes are awesome. Most people don’t appreciate these nutrient workhorses of healthful meals, but the right side dish actually involves very little extra prep work for a serious health reward. Of course, choosing the right side dish makes all the difference. For example…

Adding a side or two of fruits or vegetables is a great way to ease more fruits and vegetables into your diet.

More fruits and vegetables means more nutrients and fiber with fewer empty calories.

Throwing a salad together can take only minutes and will help you use up produce before it goes bad.

Roasting vegetables doesn’t require much hands-on time after you’ve chopped them, so you can prepare your other dishes while the vegetables cook.

The possibilities are endless and the benefits are huge. By adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, you can seriously improve your health. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,

“Three reasons support the recommendation for Americans to eat more vegetables and fruits. First, most vegetables and fruits are major contributors of a number of nutrients that are underconsumed in the United States, including folate, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K. Second, consumption of vegetables and fruits is associated with reduced risk of many chronic diseases. Third, most vegetables and fruits, when prepared without added fats or sugars, are relatively low in calories. Eating them instead of higher calorie foods can help adults and children achieve and maintain a healthy weight.” Read more here.

Side dishes are always welcome at a BBQ or any covered dish event and where we can most exercise our budgeting, creativity, trying new combinations or flavor profiles.

Eat Well, Spend Less: How to host a BBQ without breaking the budget

As I’ve mentioned before when I’ve shared our weekly menu plans, we have dinner guests regularly (4-6 times per month). Since I’m used to cooking from scratch, buying things on sale (or at Costco), and planning frugal meals (most of the time!) we have plenty of food to share and can even splurge and serve extra nice meals to guests. 🙂 This year, we’ve hosted quite a few BBQs. No, I don’t have secrets for a fabulous summer BBQ for pennies per person. I do have a few tips on how we host a BBQ for less, though!

This first tip is a no-brainer: Buy food on sale. Or in bulk. Making homemade is even better, but I’ll be honest: I’ve been buying Costco’s 24-pack of hamburger buns. It’s $3 that takes a weight off my week. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not Superwoman and I love to go to bed on time at night… or sleep in a little on the weekend — even if we’re having company. 🙂 And of course, serve what YOU can get affordably! I’ll tell you some of the things we serve, but these could very well be expensive for you, so put on your thinking cap and serve what YOU got on sale last week or last month! 🙂

Some of our menu choices have been:

Grilled burgers, the quintessential summer BBQ food. We have served salmon burgers and beef burgers. Buying beef burgers, buns, and toppings at Costco runs just over $20 for 24 huge burger sandwiches. Maybe a couple dollars more depending on the kind of cheese you use. (We’ve been using the pre-sliced American, Costco’s cheapest.) I know, that sounds like a lot of money, and it is! It’s also a main dish that takes 15 minutes to prep and 8 minutes to grill, and I guarantee your guests will love a decked-out burger! See more here.

Another one of my favorite ways to elevate classic holiday BBQ side dishes is the addition of a specialty or fancy ingredient.

30 Delicious Backyard BBQ Side Dishes

BBQ’s are one of my favorite things about spring and summer. I absolutely LOVE eating outside {even with the bugs} and now that we have our farmhouse, I can see us hosting many, many BBQ’s over the next several years! Now, obviously the main part of hosting a BBQ is the meat; but what about everything else? In my opinion, it’s usually the side dished that can make or break your party. So if you’re struggling to come up with ideas for your BBQ menu…let me help!

Here are 30 of my favorite BBQ Side Dish ideas and recipes.

Beverages:
1. Homemade Ginger Ale
2. Strawberry lemonade — even if you make this from a mix, you still can’t go wrong with strawberry lemonade.
3. Traditional Margaritas — for those of us who aren’t pregnant!

Breads:
4. Cheesy Garlic Bread — so SO delicious!
5. Homemade Buns and Rolls — I use this recipe but make hamburger and hot-dog shaped buns instead of bread loaves {you can also just use frozen bread dough!

Salads:
6. Coleslaw or Brocoslaw
7. Fresh fruit salad — use whatever is in season for a delicious BBQ treat
8. Pasta Salads — seriously, I can’t pick a favorite!
9. Spinach or lettuce salad — make your favorite one {I always like to add fruit to my salads} Read full article here.

Choosing BBQ Side Dishes Is All About Balance

One creative way to add interest and intrigue to traditional or classic holiday BBQ side dishes is what I like to call cross-pollinating, or borrowing ideas, ingredients, and methods from one classic dish and lending it to another completely separate recipe. BBQ side dishes are the perfect way to boost your veggie intake and pump up the flavor in any meal. The best side dishes are determined by your personal preference and the meal at which you will be serving in every grill.

Usually having contrasting textures and colors to the main component of the meal, BBQ side dishes can be whipped up fairly quick and can have optimum effect. And so many BBQ side dishes can be made a few days ahead or even a few weeks ahead and frozen. The best part is that good BBQ side dishes can be made at home easily and some can even be turned into complete meals on their own, for more ideas you may call us here: (888) 556-8121.