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Healthy Summer Potluck Side Dishes & Desserts

Featured Recipes

EatingWell Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are a perennial potluck favorite. Our recipe replaces some of the egg yolks with nonfat cottage cheese—keeping the filling velvety and rich while reducing some of the fat. No one will know the difference.

» EatingWell Deviled Eggs

Bean & Tomato Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

This beautiful salad combines fresh tomatoes, green beans, red onions and dried heirloom beans. Recently harvested beans (and thus freshly dried) cook more quickly than the kind you buy year-round at the market. In the latter part of the summer, farmers' markets begin to sell a fresh crop of heirloom varieties that would be perfect for this salad.

» Bean & Tomato Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Country Potato Salad

This updated picnic potato salad gets subtle flavor from smoked ham. If you can find them, small, thin-skinned early potatoes are best in this salad.

» Country Potato Salad

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives

These chive-flecked cornmeal biscuits taste best made with extra-sharp Cheddar, but any type of Cheddar will work.

» Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives

Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust

For this tart a few tablespoons of maple syrup sweeten the blueberry topping and round out the flavor of the cream filling.

» Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust

Raspberry Bars

Tart raspberry filling is swirled into a low-fat cream filling in these beautiful bars. They're a festive treat for a summer picnic or party.

» Raspberry Bars

Seven-Layer Salad

This makeover of a Midwestern classic tops layers of lettuce, peas, bell pepper and tomatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing. The salad stays fresh underneath until it's served and gets even better when held overnight.

» Seven-Layer Salad


Delicious summer side dishes and desserts to share.

Summer brings lots of invitations to potluck cookouts, so you’ll need an arsenal of side dishes and desserts to share. Whether your al fresco meal is around a grill, on a sandy beach or under a shady tree, our favorite summer potluck sides and desserts will round out your meal. Made with fresh summer vegetables and the best fruits of summer, these dishes are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and swap unhealthy saturated fats with healthy monounsaturated ones. So say “yes” to all those invitations, whip up some of these healthy recipes and enjoy the best of the outdoors!

Buy our book, EatingWell in Season Cookbook.

Healthy Summer Potluck Side Dish Recipes

This beautiful salad combines fresh tomatoes, green beans, red onions and dried...
A picnic favorite, this salad combines broccoli, water chestnuts, cranberries and...
Finely chopped raw broccoli is tender and mild--here it's tossed with a creamy...
These chive-flecked cornmeal biscuits taste best made with extra-sharp Cheddar, but...
Crisp chilled snap peas with creamy tarragon dressing make a nice alternative to a...
Try this refreshing grain salad as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish....
This updated picnic potato salad gets subtle flavor from smoked ham. If you can find...
A versatile side dish to go with grilled meats or poultry. Crispy, crunchy and...
An easy salad to serve with grilled chicken or steak for supper or on a bed of...
The famous Waldorf Salad, full of apples, celery, raisins and walnuts, gets a...
Deviled eggs are a perennial potluck favorite. Our recipe replaces some of the egg...
This lightly dressed pasta salad gets lots of flavor from kalamata olives and basil...
Dressed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette and fresh mint, this invigorating—and dairy-...
Serve this tart, parsley-dominated tabbouleh at your next backyard gathering.
Molasses and chipotle pepper in adobo sauce add zest to this simple pinto bean...
This makeover of a Midwestern classic tops layers of lettuce, peas, bell pepper and...
This three-bean salad has far less sugar than typical versions. We opt for a...
We pack extra vegetables into this cheesy baked rice casserole. Plus we substitute...

Healthy Summer Potluck Dessert Recipes

Poaching the peach halves in their skins gives the syrup a rosy blush. It's...
For this tart a few tablespoons of maple syrup sweeten the blueberry topping and...
Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect—people think it's health food,...
Pound cake got its name from the original formulation: a pound each of sugar, flour...
We love that Bundt cakes don't demand frosting—just let a sweet lemon glaze run...
These updated lemon squares are sure to be the hit of any picnic or potluck. We...
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have the familiar flavors of brown sugar and...
A lightened pie crust plus the tart-sweet combination of peaches and raspberries is...
These miniature empanadas, tender pastry dough wrapped around pineapple filling, are...
Tart raspberry filling is swirled into a low-fat cream filling in these beautiful...
Rosy-pink rhubarb makes a particularly pretty upside-down cake. We balanced the...
Mangoes and strawberries make a magical marriage. Splashes of tequila, Triple Sec...
These delicious blueberry treats feature moist fruit filling with a crunchy topping...

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