15 Healthy Easy BBQ Sides! From salad to grilled potatoes, make the side dishes the star of the show at your next barbecue.
It’s summer barbecue time, which means that it’s time to pull out my favorite easy bbq sides! They are the side dish recipes that I come back to over and over again because they are so good that they often outshine the main dish.
As much as I dislike the 90+ degree F days of summer (that’s my Canadian blood speaking), I’m always reminded of all of the good things that summertime brings, including copious amounts of fresh produce.
Strawberry and avocado recipes have been taking a starring role around here, and now we’re ready to dive into recipes using blueberries (hello, blueberry goat cheese crostini!), watermelon, sweet corn and heirloom tomatoes.
It’s a glorious time of year!
Healthy sides for burgers, sides for grilled chicken or side dishes for ribs or hamburgers…whatever it is you’re looking for, these recipes should cover all of those bases.
Healthy Easy BBQ Sides
Below are 15 of my favorite barbecue side dishes. I divided the recipes into four sections.
Click on the category to skip directly to those recipes or just scroll through to see them all.
- Grilled Potato Recipes
- Corn, Zucchini & Tomato Recipes
- Pasta Salad Recipes
- Green & Grain Salad Recipes
What are the best ways to make that produce shine?
- Use fresh herbs generously. Basil, mint, rosemary, thyme…to name just a few…can boost flavor while cutting back on fat. The more herbs I use, the less olive oil or butter I need to add for flavor.
- Acid is where it’s at. The food kind, people! A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a couple of teaspoons of vinegar adds brightness and miraculously ties together all of the flavors.
- Spice it up. Take a deep dive into your spice rack and start experimenting with some of those flavors. Use paprika, chili powder, cumin and thyme in my Grilled Spice Rubbed Chicken. Or pull out the smoked paprika for my favorite Grilled Potatoes. Be fearless in trying different spice combinations. It’s hard to go wrong!
- Caramelization. Use the grill or roasting pan to caramelize veggies. That process adds a layer of flavor and smokiness that can’t be beat.
Grilled Potato Recipes
Corn, Zucchini & Tomato Recipes
Pasta Salad Recipes
Green & Grain Salad Recipes
The post was originally published on July 3, 2014 and updated on July 2, 2021.
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Nina Paul
This 4th of July celebration I prepared Grilled Potatoes Recipe with Rosemary & Smoked Paprika by following your recipe. And everyone just loved it. Thanks for making my celebration memorable.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
Delicious roundup. I'm going to try the Jicama & Carrot Slaw with Honey-Lime Dressing next time I BBQ.
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
The grill roasted potatoes look so great to me. I love smoked paprika. Great list of ideas here Dara.
Laura @ My Friend's Bakery
We have a family reunion BBQ next weekend. I think I'll bring the Jicama & Carrot Slaw! Sooo yummy!
From one Canadian to another - I hate the heat too!