Salad recipes for BBQ Sides

[Photographs: Joshua Bousel, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Lauren Rothman]

Meat tends to get all of the glory at summer grill-outs, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be accompanied by equally tantalizing side dishes. I'm talking flavorful grilled vegetables, cooling salads, and saucy baked beans. We've got 18 recipes to complete your Fourth of July feast that'll almost make your guests forget about those smoky, savory ribs.

Grilled Cabbage With Spicy Thai Dressing

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Deeply fragrant with smoky charred edges, cabbage takes on a nutty, sweet flavor when grilled over blazing hot coals. At once tender and crisp, its layered structure also picks up sauce especially well, like this spicy Thai dressing flavored with chili, garlic, fish sauce, and a ton of herbs.

Grilled Asparagus

Grilled asparagus with homemade aioli is the ultimate backyard finger food. Here we grill the stalks to perfection, and make a few different spiked aïolis for dipping: tarragon and lemon, sumac and mint, and harissa. Try it as an appetizer or a side dish.

The Best Barbecue Beans

[Photograph: Joshua Bousel]

Starting with dried beans may take longer, but it's worth the wait when you're making a batch of the best barbecue beans you'll ever have. A slowly reduced sauce packs a deep and complex barbecue flavor while the tender and creamy beans round it out.

Quick Barbecue Beans

If you don't have the time to make the top-of-the-line barbecue beans above, you can still make a great side dish with lots of flavor. Using canned beans with a sauce built from scratch delivers a lot of the depth associated with more time-intensive recipes.

Grilled Romaine Hearts with Buttermilk-Dill Dressing

[Photograph: Lauren Rothman]

Lettuce may be one of the few vegetables you haven't thought to put on the grill, but it can be really delicious after a quick trip over hot coals. Grilled romaine makes a smoky and crisp salad with a rich, tangy buttermilk dressing shot through with fragrant dill.