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Guests of any backyard barbecue are usually tasked with bringing along a summer BBQ side dish. Some hosts will ask for specific sides, making your life a little easier. But some will leave thingsĀ wide open. When left to our own devices, many of us do the bare minimum: running to the grocery store around the corner to grab a vat of yawn-inducing pasta salad. But weād like to make an open plea. Can we all, for the love of god, stop doing that? It would beĀ fine if one or two guests showed up with pasta salad in tow. But when 10 barbecue guests show up with the same exact side, monotonyāand serious disappointmentāensues.
The thing is, there areĀ tons of summer BBQ side options that have nothing to do with pasta salad. And theyāre delicious. And much more interesting. And not at all hard to make. Want comfort food? Stir juicy brisket into a creamy bowl of mac and cheese. Are all your friends health nuts? A light Mediterranean chickpea salad is sure to delight. Street corn. Pineapple coleslaw. The list goes on.
Thereās no reason we should all resign to eating the same-old, same-old at every single summer barbecue we attend. Thereās too much incredible food out there for us to commit this culinary treason time and time again! So do your friendsādoĀ yourselfāa favor, and scroll down. There areĀ plenty of delightful summer BBQ sides for you to choose fromāsome so absolutely delicious they might just upstage the main course.Ā That should be the goal, after all. You shouldĀ want to turn every summer barbecue you attend into an absolutely decadent affairānot a staid one.

Salt & Lavender.
1. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
For a light, good-for-you side dish thatāll impress with not only its concoction of classic Greek ingredients and flavors, but also its assortment of colors, spend less than one hour throwing togetherĀ Salt & Lavenderās chickpea salad.

Leiteās Culinaria.
2. Asparagus and Herb Salad
Summer is the time to feast on as many herbs as possible, and this quick asparagus and herb salad lets you do exactly that. You can whip it up in a few minutes, and the herbs can be easily substituted if you have some extras in your fridge that you want to use up.

Recipe Runner.
3. Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Chimichurri
Another dish so pretty, you wonāt want to eat itāpsych!Ā Perfectly charred sweet potatoes drizzled with a bright, fresh cilantro chimichurri (made with parsley, jalapeƱo, garlic, onion, red wine vinegar and lime juice) seems simple but bursts with flavor.

Julieās Eats and Treats.
4. Grilled BBQ Pineapple Shrimp Bites
Make these grilledĀ BBQ shrimp bites paired with pineapple chunks before you head over, or grill āem up the second you get to the backyard BBQ. Either way, guests wonāt be able to resist an appetizer with the perfect balance of sweet (from the pineapple) and savory/salty (from the barbecue sauce seasoning).

Eat Well 101.
5. Corn Fritters
Youāre probably going to have extra corn lying around all summer, so might as well put it to good use. Corn fritters are super easy, and you can make a bunch at once and freeze them so you can enjoy these crunchy sides all season.

Top Recipes on the Internet.
6. Grilled Mexican Street Corn
You can never go wrong withĀ street corn. We repeat: You can never go wrong with street cornācoated with a thick layer of salty, garlic-y, cilantro-y, creamy cotija cheese.

Dude that Cookz.
7. Brisket Mac & Cheese
If youāre headed to a backyard barbecue where the majority of guests arenāt vegans, go full indulgence with this creamy macaroni and cheeseĀ that doesnāt skimp on the moist, juicy brisket.

Noble Pig.
8. Pineapple Coleslaw
Give plain, traditional coleslaw a fruity facelift with thisĀ easy, light pineapple coleslawĀ side dish thatāll take you just 15 minutes to make.

Crafty Morning.
9. Cauliflower Potato Salad
You wonāt find any potato in this potato salad recipeāthanks to the cauliflower substitutionābut you will find all the other usual suspects, including hard boiled eggs, celery, mayo, dill and more.

Omnivoreās Cookbook.
10. Cheesy Shrimp Baked Spring Rolls
Donāt get intimidatedāno deep-fryer is needed for this easy, cheesy, shrimp and mozzarella-stuffed spring roll. We canāt decide which part of this dish is the best. Is it the spring rolls themselves, or the sauce, made with ketchup, rice vinegar, Sriracha sauce and honey?
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