13 Last-Minute Memorial Day Recipes You Can Still Pull Off This Weekend
Delicious shortcuts for easy entertaining.
Whether you realized it or not, Memorial Day is here! The long weekend calls for a celebratory cookout or two…but what if you totally forgot about it? Or what if you got an eleventh-hour invite and now feel like you’re scrambling to bring something that’s more thoughtful than a bag of chips? Don’t fret, because there are plenty of last-minute Memorial Day recipes you can whip up.
The Memorial Day recipes you’ll find here cut down on prep and rest time. You won’t find hours-long marinades or salads that take forever to assemble, for example. But you will find easy ways to make steak and chicken with just as much flavor, plus plenty of sides like potato salad and pasta salads that come together faster than you can say “Thanks for the invite.”
You’ll also find recipes that use kitchen staples that you probably have on hand or cut down on ingredient lists. For instance, you’ll be amazed at how easily a three-ingredient buffalo chicken dip comes together. That bag of chips you planned on bringing all of a sudden has a glow-up in just five minutes! So no matter how little time you think you have to plan, you can make last-minute Memorial Day recipes that are just as delicious as something you may have planned days or weeks ago!
Lemon-Pepper Grilled Rib-Eyes
Skip the wet marinades that take hours to soak into steak and make this easy dry rub instead. Just look for good marbling when you pick your steaks, and you’ll be set up for success.
Get Ree’s Lemon-Pepper Grilled Rib-Eyes recipe.
BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Grab a value pack of drumsticks from the store and feed a crowd. You can make these easily in the oven! And while you can make the easy BBQ sauce included, you can also just use your favorite store-bought kind.
Get Ree’s BBQ Chicken Drumsticks recipe.
Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
The beauty of this potato salad is that it comes together with pantry staples like mustard and vinegar. Plus, it can be served warm so you don’t have to wait for hours to let it cool.
Get Ree’s Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette recipe.
Bow Tie Pasta Salad
In the time it takes you to boil pasta, you can assemble the rest of the salad ingredients like cubes of deli ham, cheese, and veggies. Then toss it all in a big bowl with a creamy dressing and you’ll be done in 15 minutes.
Get the Bow Tie Pasta Salad recipe.
Sausage and Peppers
Who doesn’t love sausage and peppers? You only need ten minutes of prep and 25 minutes total to have a big platter ready. You can use mild or hot Italian sausage or bratwurst—whatever you have on hand or like best.
Get the Sausage and Peppers recipe.
Butter Burgers
Yes, they’re as delicious as they sound. As long as you have butter, ground beef, and an onion, you can throw these together in no time. Add some American cheese, pile on a bun, and serve!
Get Ree’s Butter Burgers recipe.
Classic Coleslaw
You can throw together homemade coleslaw in just ten minutes. The key is to grab cabbage slaw mix from the store and then toss it with a creamy dressing made from mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and a pop of fresh parsley and dill.
Get the Classic Coleslaw recipe.
3-Ingredient Buffalo Dip
Wait, just three ingredients? Yes! All you need is store-bought chicken salad, Buffalo-style hot sauce, and crumbled blue cheese. It comes together in just five minutes. Serve with veggie sticks or chips.
Get Ree’s 3-Ingredient Buffalo Dip recipe.
Cucumber Salad
This crunchy, cool salad is the perfect side to hot-off-the-grill chicken, hot dogs, or burgers, and it only takes ten minutes of prep. Bonus: It can hold up on a hot day since there's no mayonnaise or sour cream in it.
Get the Cucumber Salad recipe.
Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs
If the idea of hot dogs feels a little boring, wrap ‘em in bacon. Not only do they look fun, but they add so much flavor with one simple trick. Make a big batch, because people will want seconds.
Get the Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs recipe.
Classic Three Bean Salad
Traditionally, three bean salad would be made with all canned beans, and you can absolutely do that! Or, you can take one extra step and use fresh green beans. It makes a world of difference and still only takes 20 minutes to throw together.
Get the Classic Three Bean Salad recipe.
Black Bean Burger
Need something vegetarian? Crack open a couple of cans of black beans for Ree’s burgers. Grated white onion, chili powder, and a few dashes of hot sauce add a ton of flavor. Plus, they only need about five minutes on each side to cook.
Get Ree’s Black Bean Burger recipe.
Caprese Salad
If the tomatoes are looking nice and ripe at your market or in your garden, you are in luck. There’s nothing better than layering slices with mozzarella and fresh basil. A drizzle of balsamic is so easy and yet feels so fancy.
Get Ree’s Caprese Salad recipe.
Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad
Cookout Sides Beyond Potato Salad and Coleslaw
Chipotle Black Bean Veggie Burgers
Homemade Lemonade
