Need some inspiration for your 4th of July menu? eat well Whether you’re hosting a lavish barbecue, enjoying a picnic-style meal, or just hanging out casually at home, this collection has everything you need. From savory salads, grilled meats and vegetables to sweet desserts, there’s everything you need. Plus, eat well Readers love these recipes, which all have four- and five-star ratings. Enjoy a smoky Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket Sandwich or Elote Pasta Salad, sip on a fruity Lemon Blueberry Trifle and a delicious Frozen Pineapple Margarita, and enjoy your local fireworks display.
Smoky Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket Sandwich
Cooking brisket in your slow cooker results in a tender, delicious, flavorful brisket. Serve this BBQ brisket on hamburger buns for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
This Bacon Ranch Potato Salad is a versatile, crowd-pleasing side that pairs well with any meal, making it perfect for bringing to potlucks, barbecues, and family get-togethers.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado and Walnuts
Serve this summery strawberry spinach salad with soup or a half sandwich, or serve with grilled chicken or roasted salmon for an easy, healthy meal.
Crispy baked chicken topped with bruschetta
Breaded chicken cutlets topped with fresh tomatoes and basil make an easy meal perfect for family or casual entertaining.
Grilled black shrimp tacos
Juicy shrimp tacos are spiced up and quickly grilled on a hot grill for Cajun flavor, and an easy avocado mash adds creaminess and balances the spicy flavor.
Elote style pasta salad
Photographer: Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This zesty pasta salad is inspired by the flavor of elote, Mexican grilled corn smothered in a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese, and lime. The corn kernels are puffed up in a hot skillet and a sprinkle of smoked paprika brings out the flavor. If you can’t find cotija cheese, you can substitute grated Parmesan.
Lemon Blueberry Trifle
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling
This Lemon Blueberry Trifle is layered with lemon-flavored pastry cream, store-bought angel food cake, and fresh blueberries for a simple yet irresistible dessert. This easy dessert calls for freshly picked blueberries, but feel free to use whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand.
Balsamic mustard mixed grilled vegetables
This healthy dinner recipe is perfect for using up all the fresh veggies you have on hand. Just be mindful of cooking times: denser veggies like peppers and onions will take a little longer than softer veggies like zucchini and squash. Smaller veggies like cherry tomatoes may need to be cooked in the grill basket.
Light Lemon Meringue Pie
Smooth and comforting, it’s a great classic pie, right down to the crust, redefined with lots of lemon and reduced egg yolks in the filling.
Tomato and smoked mozzarella sandwich
Take a classic combination like fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, add a few flavorful ingredients like olives or sun-dried tomatoes, and serve it between crusty bread for a satisfying weeknight lunch or easy warm-weather dinner.
Sauteed corn with basil and shallots
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This sautéed corn recipe is a fresh and easy way to enhance this classic summer vegetable. Just a little butter, shallots, and fresh basil bring out the flavor of sweet corn straight from the cob.
Frozen Pineapple Margarita
This Frosty Pineapple Margarita tastes exactly like the frozen margarita you’d get at a restaurant, but without all the sugar, making it a simple cocktail you can easily make at home.
Strawberry fruit salad
This summer berry fruit salad recipe makes enough to feed a crowd: serve it with granola and yogurt for brunch, as a healthy potluck side, or halve the recipe to serve four.
Sweet potato and black bean burger
These vegan curried sweet potato and black bean burgers are easy to make. Mixed by hand for a soft, even texture, and cooked in a cast iron skillet for a crisp exterior. To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free oats and serve the patties wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
Whipped Frozen Lemonade
Whipped Frozen Lemonade combines the creaminess of a milkshake with the thirst-quenching tartness of freshly squeezed lemonade for an incredibly refreshing drink. This simple frozen lemonade requires just four ingredients and a mixer.
Chocolate zucchini cake
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors-Hall, Prop Stylist: Lindsay Lower
This chocolate zucchini cake celebrates the unexpected magic that happens when common ingredients like shredded zucchini, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips work together in perfect harmony.
Garlic Butter Campfire Corn
This flavorful corn is super easy to prepare: simply cover an ear of corn in garlic-chive butter, wrap in foil, and it’s ready to grill at home or over the charcoal fire at your campsite.
Grilled flank steak and tomato salad
Although it’s against the rules of meat cooking to cut steak immediately after cooking, this recipe does so intentionally to seal in the juices and allow them to mix into the dressing. This grilled flank steak recipe is best served with some crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.
Peach Raspberry Crisp
Fruit Crisp gives you the luscious flavor of fresh fruit pie without the hassle of making pie crust. Celebrate the arrival of late summer peaches with this richly flavored crisp. The nutty topping also works well with other fruit combinations.
Hot Honey Parmesan Carrots
Photographer: Bree Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This sweet side dish is made tangy and flavorful with hot honey and lots of crispy Parmesan chips. Try this easy method with other veggies like beets, turnips, or Brussels sprouts.
Fennel-crusted pork chops with grilled apricots
Toasting and grinding your own flavorful spices is the quickest and easiest way to create guaranteed flavor in this easy pork chop recipe. Serve with a simple tossed salad and roasted sweet potatoes to round out the meal.
Big and beautiful summer salad
This beautiful and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with beautiful veggies like golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add volume and the herb-packed buttermilk avocado dressing really makes this salad special. Serve as is for a light vegetarian dish or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.
Lemon Blueberry Crisp
Photographer: Robbie Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This Blueberry Crisp hits the perfect balance of sweet summer blueberries and tart lemon flavor. Topped with a warm spice-infused streusel and baked to perfection, this crisp is the perfect summer dessert served with vanilla ice cream.
Cucumber, tomato and avocado salad
This vibrant cucumber, tomato and avocado salad is perfect for any barbecue or backyard party. It’s also incredibly easy to make, as the dressing is mixed in the salad bowl before adding the vegetables. Be sure to choose fairly firm avocados so they won’t lose their shape in the salad.
Three-ingredient pina colada
This alcoholic Pina Colada will transport you to a tropical island with every sip. Frozen pineapple gives this juicy drink just the right amount of sweetness, while canned coconut milk adds creaminess and that coconut flavor we love in Pina Coladas. Mix in a dash of dark rum and you’ve got yourself a tropical 3-ingredient cocktail.
Jalapeno Popper Burger
A simple burger recipe is jazzed up with this easy 3-ingredient jalapeño cheese topping. Sirloin mince is a lean mince made exclusively from the center loin, which means it has less connective tissue than regular mince, resulting in a super tender burger.
Creamy Roasted Potato Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Roasted potatoes hold their shape better than crumbled potatoes, and roasting concentrates the flavors in the potatoes, making them an especially delicious potato salad. We love the aniseed flavor of the tarragon in the dressing, but feel free to mix in any fresh herbs you like to personalize this easy side dish.
Blueberry Lemonade Slush
This super refreshing fruit slushie is easy to make and only requires three ingredients. Try it with strawberries or raspberries too. It’s perfect for a kids’ party but is just as fun for adults (especially with a splash of vodka or gin).
Double Chocolate Cupcake
This double chocolate cupcake recipe is perfect for the ultimate chocolate lover. Topped with chocolate frosting, these diabetic friendly cupcakes are delicious and hard to resist.
Strawberry Coconut Daiquiri
This refreshing strawberry coconut cocktail will make you feel like you’re traveling to a tropical destination. To serve it cold in warmer weather, freeze fresh berries for 30 minutes before stirring. Variations: For a non-alcoholic version, omit the rum and add an additional 1/2 cup strawberries.
Plenty of broccoli salad
This is a broccoli salad that gets special requests: the combination of bacon, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, and cheddar cheese will be hard to resist.
Peach Blueberry Pie
Sweet summer peaches and blueberries shine in this peach and blueberry pie recipe. Though nothing beats fresh fruit, you can use thawed frozen peaches and blueberries in a pinch. Just be sure to add more cornstarch (up to double the amount if using only frozen fruit) to soak up the excess moisture.
Frozen Key Lime Pie Margarita
This frozen margarita was inspired by the taste of cold, creamy key lime pie. Whip up a bowl of this easy frozen margarita for a sweet, refreshingly tart treat. Freshly squeezed juice tastes best, but bottled key lime juice is also available; however, if you buy packaged juice, be sure to buy unsweetened juice. If you prefer a mocktail, simply replace the tequila with water.
Zucchini salad with burrata cheese
Photographer: Robbie Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors-Hall, Prop Stylist: Lindsay Lower
This zucchini salad combines sun-kissed zucchini with creamy burrata cheese for seasonal bliss. Pink peppercorns have a sweet, fruity, and slightly floral flavor that pairs well with the citrus notes in the dressing, but you can also use freshly ground black pepper instead.
Chipotle chicken satay and grilled vegetables
With this grilled chicken recipe, plan ahead before you prep the grill: Marinating the chicken in a mix of peanut butter, lime, and chipotle peppers results in tender meat and rich flavor.
Non-alcoholic Strawberry Margarita
Frozen Virgin Strawberry Margarita is the perfect refreshing drink to cool down on a hot day. This margarita mocktail requires just five ingredients, including lime juice and a splash of agave syrup to balance the tartness of the fresh strawberries.
Chicken & Sweet Potato Grill Pack with Bell Peppers and Onions
Cook a packed meal on the grill with this easy veggie recipe. Mexican seasonings bring out the delicious chicken and veggies. Serve with warm tortillas and your favorite taco toppings for a healthy dinner.
Strawberry Shortcake
This easy cake features sweet strawberries sandwiched between layers of sponge cake and cream filling. To lighten the filling and add a little tartness, the whipped cream is mixed with nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt.
