20 Recipes for Your Labor Day Cookout

Labor Day is the perfect excuse to gather with friends and family over one last summer cookout . Whether you're hosting a backyard barbecue or bringing a dish to share, these recipes are easy to make ahead, transport, and serve—and they'll hold up beautifully on the table while everyone mingles. From Cowboy Caviar and "Juicy Lucy" Burgers to Southern Macaroni Salad and Cherry Atlantic Beach Pie Bars, this collection has everything you need for an end-of-summer celebration.

01 of 20

Grilled Feta-Stuffed Peppers

Get Recipe: Grilled Feta-Stuffed Peppers

"When it comes to prepping food for these occasions, I'm all about maximum flavor and minimal effort. These quick and easy grilled feta-stuffed peppers check all the boxes." —Molly Allen, Recipe Developer

02 of 20

3-Ingredient Oven Ribs

Get Recipe: 3-Ingredient Oven Ribs

"Growing up in Florida, standing outside tending a smoker for hours in the heat wasn't exactly appealing, so my mama figured out how to make ribs low and slow in the oven instead. No smoker, no complicated process, just ribs, rub, and sauce." —Melissa Gray-Streett, Recipe Developer

03 of 20

Southern Macaroni Salad

Get Recipe: Southern Macaroni Salad

"Creamy and lightly tangy, this Southern-style macaroni salad balances rich mayonnaise with a gentle sweetness. Crisp bites of celery, red onion, and bell pepper stud tender elbow macaroni, giving it a fresh crunch. A little yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, vinegar, and a strategic dose of sugar create that signature balance in the dressing." —Sara Bir, Recipe Developer

04 of 20

"Juicy Lucy" Burgers

Get Recipe: "Juicy Lucy" Burgers

"The traditional cheeseburger was upended forever sometime in the 1950s when a Minneapolis bar placed cheese INSIDE the burger. By all appearances, it seems like a normal hamburger on the outside, but a single bite gives way to a stream of gooey melted American cheese. Mind you, this is not a modest amount of cheese—this is a molten cheese center." —Mike Lang, Recipe Developer

05 of 20

Cherry Atlantic Beach Pie Bars

Get Recipe: Cherry Atlantic Beach Pie Bars

"You get the classic salty-sweet saltine crust and tangy citrus filling of Atlantic Beach Pie, but with a layer of cherry preserves tucked underneath for a bright, jammy contrast. They're creamy, salty, and just the right mix of sweet and tart." —Melissa Gray-Streett, Recipe Developer

06 of 20

Amish Broccoli Salad

Get Recipe: Amish Broccoli Salad

"Crunchy broccoli, sweet raisins, smoky bacon, and a creamy dressing make this Amish-inspired salad a surefire crowd-pleaser. It's that rare potluck salad that's packed with sturdy vegetables yet laced with enough bacon, cheese, and mayonnaise to make it feel special." —Sara Bir, former Simply Recipes Editor

07 of 20

Grilled Pork Skewers

Get Recipe: Grilled Pork Skewers

"Grilled pork skewers will be the star of your next cookout. The char-grilled, bite-sized pieces of pork are cooked to perfection. They emerge from the grill, glimmering with a bright red sheen from the ketchup marinade. The edges are crispy, and the pork is tender and succulent with sweet-savory-spicy notes." —Elizabeth Ann Quirino, Recipe Developer

08 of 20

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Get Recipe: Strawberry Pretzel Salad

"A cool, layered dessert with a crispy pretzel crust, cream cheese 'mousse,' and a layer of Jell-O with strawberries suspended within, it seemed like magic to us. Mom added a few clever flourishes to improve upon the classic, and I still use her tricks today." —Ivy Manning, Recipe Developer

09 of 20

Corn Oysters

Get Recipe: Corn Oysters

"This recipe is a more modern interpretation, with added seasonings for more flavor, a thicker batter for a heftier and taller fritter, and some baking powder added for extra lift and lightness. Think of these corn oysters as corn held together with a little batter, not batter with a little corn sprinkled in." —Afton Cyrus, Senior Editor

10 of 20

Margarita Grilled Chicken

Get Recipe: Margarita Grilled Chicken

"Since that a-ha, cocktail-to-grill crossover moment, this recipe has become my go-to grilled chicken breast recipe. It's so versatile, I serve it as an entrée with grilled veggies and salsa, chop it up for tacos, and slice it for salads and burrito bowls all summer long." —Ivy Manning, Recipe Developer

11 of 20

Caesar Potato Salad

Get Recipe: Caesar Potato Salad

"It's rich and savory, with that bold, garlicky Caesar tang soaking into tender, buttery potatoes. The toasted panko and parmesan on top mimic croutons, adding a crisp, nutty finish that contrasts beautifully with the creamy potatoes." —Theodora Kaloudis, Content Updates Editor

12 of 20

Best Tomato Pie

Get Recipe: Best Tomato Pie

"Here's one of the best-loved recipes on Simply Recipes—tomato pie! Perfect at the peak of summer tomato season. It's a savory pie, not sweet, filled with fresh garden tomatoes, sprinkled with basil, and held together with a mixture of mayonnaise and shredded cheese." —Elise Bauer, Founder

13 of 20

Alabama Fire Crackers

Get Recipe: Alabama Fire Crackers

"They're ideal for snacking—it's hard to stop once you have one. The good news is that they're easy to make, so it's OK if you go through the whole batch quickly." —Myo Quinn, former Associate Editorial Director

14 of 20

Texas-Style Pulled Pork

Get Recipe: Texas-Style Pulled Pork

"When developing a recipe for Texas-style pulled pork, I combined the love of tender pork I got from my Southern roots with the flavors of both Texas and Mexico. My pulled pork is rubbed with spices common to Texas brisket and is then cooked low and slow in a vinegar-spiked broth for pull-apart meat that has a lot in common with the carnitas of our neighbors to the South." —Cynthia Christensen, Recipe Developer

15 of 20

Cowboy Caviar

Get Recipe: Cowboy Caviar

"Cowboy caviar is a colorful jumble of delicious things and contrasting textures. Packed with black beans and black-eyed peas, plus corn, jalapeños, and bell pepper, it's the sort of thing you can improvise with. Sometimes I use only black-eyed peas; sometimes I finish it with chaat masala, an Indian seasoning. If I don't have canned chipotles, I use chipotle powder." —Sara Bir, former Simply Recipes Editor

16 of 20

Grandma Jean's Baked Beans

Get Recipe: Grandma Jean's Baked Beans

"I didn't want my baked beans to be overly sweet, so I made sure to balance the brown sugar and molasses with smoked paprika. That spice was never a staple in my grandmother's version, but it plays well with the smokiness of the bacon and adds a really nice mellow heat to the creamy beans." —Molly Adams, Recipe Developer

17 of 20

Zucchini and Tomato Salad

Get Recipe: Zucchini and Tomato Salad

"In my ever-evolving effort to get my family to eat more fresh produce, this no-cook zucchini and tomato salad has become a staple when it's too hot to turn on the oven or grill and the zucchini glut is upon us." —Lou Perseghin, Recipe Developer

18 of 20

Cowpoke Cookies

Get Recipe: Cowpoke Cookies

"If you love peanut butter, you'll love these cookies, because cowpoke cookies are dee-luxe peanut butter cookies. Loaded with chocolate and chopped peanuts, they get a playful crunch from a light cornflake coating, plus cornflakes in the dough. Cereal in cookies means you can eat them for breakfast, right?" —Sara Bir, former Simply Recipes Editor

19 of 20

Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri

Get Recipe: Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri

"Skirt steak is often the cut of choice for popular dishes like fajitas. However, considering its versatility and ability to take on robust flavors, it begs to be enjoyed with a tangy and herbaceous sauce like chimichurri." —Jessica Gavin, Recipe Developer

20 of 20

Shortcut Blueberry Cobbler

Get Recipe: Shortcut Blueberry Cobbler

"It takes less than five minutes to spread pie filling into a baking dish, top it with canned biscuit pieces, and sprinkle on some sugar. After about 35 minutes in the oven, you have a blueberry cobbler packed with nostalgic flavor that doesn't even require a mixing bowl! I like to serve it with scoops of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream for the classic warm-fruit-and-melty-cream combo we all love." —Jessica Furniss, Recipe Developer

Read the original article on Simply Recipes