21 Fresh Sides For Your Labor Day Barbecue

It's time for one of the biggest grilling weekends of the year — a three-day affair with plenty of time to address all the barbecue greats: burgers, chicken, steaks, a whole dang suckling pig, you name it! No matter which meat is meeting its maker, you'll need an extensive selection of sides to go along with it. We've got 21 delicious veggie-based sides with the crunch, tang, umami and/or herbaceousness you need to round out your feast. Now, what are we drinking?

Add some Middle Eastern flair to your eggplant game.

Look no further than renowned culinary author David Lebovitz's My Paris Kitchen, the cookbook companion to his world-famous blog. Learn the classics right the first time or dive a little deeper to lesser-known French dishes influenced by countless ethnic cuisines. First up, a delicious and colorful Israeli couscous flavored with preserved lemons. 

Add some color to your summer dining line up.

World-renowned chef and author Maria Elia's new Greek cookbook, Smashing Plates, was inspired by the cuisine at her father's tavern in Cyprus. Greek pub food. Sound like a winning formula? We combed through this page-turner and came up with a few recipes to share, like this savory summer baklava. 

I love using buckwheat groats for cold salads — they have a unique and unexpected ultra-savory earthniess that just begs for something creamy and/or briny. I usually go with feta cheese. It's a natural pairing, and since I discovered goat feta, I've been crumbling it onto just about anything. This healthy summer salad is my picnic go-to. 

Sometimes when you go to the farmers' market in the summer, it gets the better of you. With so many awesome-looking fresh vegetables at their peak, it's easy to overpurchase. But now you have more vegetables than you know what to do with. What can you make with ALL those veggies? Veggie pie. 

Switch up your potato skins game.

Don't let your salad go limp.

We know soggy eggplant is the worst. This recipe avoids it at all cost.

Add some umami to your green beans with miso.

Go whole broccoli and this this dish for a spin.

Want something healthy but hearty? April Bloomfield's kale polenta at your service.

Dieterle puts typical Asian slaw to shame by amping up the flavor and grilling the cabbage.

Give your tomato salad some Egyptian flair.

Grilled stuffed endive halves are a smoky, juicy, umami-packed part of any complete grilling spread.

Citrusy, spicy and nutty veggies.

Substitute brussels sprouts for any of your favorite vegetables.

This ravishing salad will have you wanting more.