While some people might think of summer barbecues as a chance to be gluttonous, packing in as many empty calories as possible while piling food onto their plates, I see them as an opportunity to take full advantage of what the most bountiful season of the year has to offer.
To me, healthy BBQ side dishes are all about nutrient density, and being asked to make something to bring to a family get-together or your neighbor’s next outdoor soiree is a fantastic excuse to hit up the local farmers market.
My suggestions below are made with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Take advantage of all of the locally sourced produce that this season has to offer, and cook up something fresh, tasty and healthy for your next barbecue!
1. Fruit salad
Nothing beats the heat like a thirst-quenching, colorful and flavorful fruit salad made with fresh berries, melon and stone fruit. In terms of fruit, the getting is good in the summertime and it’s easy to put together a palate-pleasing fruit salad in a matter of minutes.
I like to add herbal, savory and spicy notes to mine to compliment the grilled items that you’ll typically find at a barbecue like chicken, pork chops and fish.
Whoever decided fruit salad belongs on the breakfast or dessert table and nowhere else was doing it wrong. Try combos like:
• Mango, cucumber and cayenne
• Strawberry, blueberry, nectarine, basil and balsamic
• Honeydew, kumquat, mint and raspberry
2. Kale salad (or chips!)
These days, everybody seems to love kale—with good reason! It’s packed with fiber and healthy nutrients, and it’s easy to use in a variety of ways. I like to lightly sauté it and mix it with a light lemon vinaigrette before letting it cool and adding shaved apple, jicama and toasted almonds.
If you’re craving a BBQ side dish of chips with those turkey burgers, wash and dry your kale and cut it into pieces, drizzle it lightly with a bit of oil and arrange in a single layer on baking sheets before roasting in the oven for about 5 minutes per side or until crispy. Sprinkle with salt before serving.
3. Brussels sprout slaw
Here’s another nutrient-packed winner that’s definitely on trend. Brussels sprouts seem to be everywhere these days, which is fine with me since they’ve always been one of my favorites.
I like to shave them along with some shredded carrots, broccoli and onions, and combine the veggie mix with a creamy vegan mayo and apple cider vinegar dressing plus a little caraway seed, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and place in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving so all of the ingredients will have time to meld.
4. Whole grain salad
Whole grains are packed with fiber and protein, and they pair oh-so-well with raw or roasted vegetables. Try combos like:
• Quinoa with roasted bell peppers, black beans, red onion and a spicy vinaigrette
• Freekeh with arugula, shredded carrots, sprouts, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, lemon and olive oil
• Wheat berries with pumpkin and sesame seeds, fresh herbs, roasted mushrooms and peppers and a shallot vinaigrette
5. Corn, avocado and tomato salad
This one is a summertime classic BBQ side dish! Sweet corn can be sliced from the cob raw, lightly steamed or boiled or tossed onto the grill for a few minutes. Add cubes of fresh avocado and tomato, your favorite spices, a drizzle of olive oil, and a splash of lime juice. Superb!
6. Roasted beets with goat cheese and fresh herbs
Beets can take a while to roast, but they’re full of nutrients, sweet, earthy and delicious. Scrub beets well and wrap them tightly in foil. Roast in an oven at 425 degrees until they’re fork tender—about 45 minutes to an hour. Let the beets cool until you’re able to touch them, and slide off the peels. Slice or chop and sprinkle with goat cheese (full of calcium!) and fresh dill, parsley or mint and maybe a drizzle of your favorite vinaigrette.
If you’re in the mood for something quicker, try peeling the beets when they’re still raw and shredding them in the food processor instead of roasting.
7. Marinated roasted artichokes (or roasted garlic!)
Again, this one takes a bit of added prep time, but the results are totally worth it. I like to prep fresh artichokes by removing the outer leaves and sharp leaf ends, then giving them a quick boil before roasting them in the oven with olive oil and fresh herbs.
If garlic is more your thing (and yes, garlic does count as a BBQ side dish! It goes with everything, is super spreadable and many people love eating an entire head by themselves!), just slice the end off a head of garlic, drizzle a little olive oil over it and wrap tightly in foil before roasting in the oven for about 45 minutes at 425 degrees.
Let the garlic cool a bit before squeezing the roasted cloves out of their skins, or serve whole roasted garlic heads alongside grilled chicken and a fresh garden salad.
8. Stuffed figs, olives and dates
This one doubles as a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Olives and dates should be pitted, and ripe figs can be scored at the end and squeezed lightly or cut in half before stuffing. What to stuff them with, you ask? Whatever you want! I love a light chevre, feta or chunky nut butter.
If you’re really in the mood to stuff things, try stuffing fresh cherry tomatoes and mini bell peppers or lightly grilled mushrooms with deviled egg yolks, smoked salmon spread, tuna salad or chicken salad.
Use your imagination to make your favorite nutrient-dense and protein-rich treats with healthy fats to help absorb the vitamins from the produce. Keep the salt content low by using fresh herbs to season your creations.
9. Watermelon, feta and mint
Though the tendency might be to refer to this one as a salad, I like to change up the presentation a bit and cut my melon and cheese into cubes before placing it on skewers and serving with a fresh mint chutney.
Feta can be switched out easily for haloumi or cotija cheese since these varieties are also firm and salty. Try using different varieties of melon, or even exchanging the melon for cubes of fresh pineapple (maybe try a fresh cilantro puree to serve with this iteration of the dish?).
Though this easy BBQ side dish can be whipped up in minutes and served with no cooking required, I love to give the skewers a quick sear on the grill, maybe sprayed with just a touch of oil to keep the fruit and cheese from sticking. Sweet, smoky, salty, herbal, nutrient-dense… delish!
10. Gazpacho
You can make this one in so many different styles—sweet, savory, spicy. No matter what, this refreshing summertime take on soup utilizes fresh fruits and vegetables that will have your taste buds doing gleeful somersaults. You might just forget all about those main dishes once you’ve had a bowl of this stuff!
The trick is to get the texture right, and this is where some people disagree. I like my gazpacho smooth, almost creamy, whereas the thicker varieties remind me of a big old bowl of salsa without any chips. In terms of texture, it’s your call.
Strawberries, cucumbers and cantaloupe make delightful light and sweet chilled soups, but my favorite blend is a combination of garden-fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, onion and garlic. If you’re really not into the whole cold soup thing, try whipping up a tasty granita or green juice instead. Either can go the sweet or savory route, and both double as a great base for cocktails.
When it comes to healthy summer BBQ side dishes, the flavor combinations are endless, the prep time is usually quick and you’ll find most of what you need at the local farmer’s market. The next barbecue can’t come quickly enough! We still have a few weeks of summer left, so it’s time to get out the grill and serve up something that everyone will be raving about—at least until next year.
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