Cheap Summer Side Dishes to Take to the BBQ

Don’t go to your next BBQ empty handed. Instead bring along food that’s both big on taste and short on cost with these cheap summer side dishes. (And no, a can of baked beans is not on the list!)

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks - This recipe comes from EatingWell.com and uses one of the most affordable items in the produce section during the summer. Zucchini may be low cost, but it’s super tasty with this recipe. And you probably have most of the other ingredients (flour, eggs, cornmeal etc) already in your kitchen.

Three-Bean Salad with Vinaigrette - Beans are both affordable and flavorful. This MarthaStewart.com recipe for Three-Bean Salad with Vinaigrette calls for three types of beans—you can either go with fresh or canned. Whip up the sauce with just a few simple ingredients that you may already have including Dijon mustard, red-wine vinegar and olive oil.

Bread Salad - Here’s a salad that calls for stale bread—how’s that for frugal? According to family.go.com you can cut up a crusty baguette, mix it with a few other ingredients like tomatoes, basil leaves and fresh mozzarella, and you’ll turn something destined for the trash into a tasty side dish for your BBQ.

Easy Pasta Salad - Pasta is one of the least expensive staples at the grocery store. Combine it with a package of frozen veggies, sliced ham, Italian dressing and a little parmesan cheese for this easy summer side courtesy of cooks.com.

Honey-Chipotle Grilled Corn - Think a buck doesn’t buy anything anymore? Well in the summer a dollar can buy you several ears of fresh corn. MyRecipes.com suggests throwing in some honey, butter, chipotle chilies and garlic to turn basic corn into a gourmet side dish everyone will love.

By Alison Storm

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