23 Memorial Day Recipes That Cost Less Than Catering the Cookout
Catering a Memorial Day cookout can drain the budget before anyone even reaches the dessert table. This collection focuses on the kind of cookout recipes that can build a full spread from homemade mains, sides, sauces, finger foods, and one holiday dessert. The lineup covers BBQ chicken, ribs, burgers, sliders, pasta salads, slaw, beans, wings, sauces, and cake, so the table has range without handing the menu to a catering tray. Use it when you want the cookout to feel planned, generous, and still realistic for a home kitchen.
Asian Slaw
In just 10 minutes, Asian Slaw brings a fast side to the Memorial Day table with purple cabbage, white cabbage, carrots, rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, peanuts, and sesame seeds. The recipe makes 10 servings, which helps stretch the side dish budget without leaning on another tray of store-bought salad. Serve it beside BBQ chicken, ribs, or sliders when the menu needs something crisp between heavier cookout plates.
Get the Recipe: Asian Slaw
Whole Baked BBQ Chicken
For a centerpiece that does not need the grill, Whole Baked BBQ Chicken uses a 5-pound chicken, BBQ sauce, low-sodium chicken broth, butter, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. The recipe takes 2 hours and 10 minutes and serves 5 people, giving the cookout a main dish that can be sliced for plates or pulled into sandwiches. It works well when you want one larger protein instead of ordering a pan of catered chicken.
Get the Recipe: Whole Baked BBQ Chicken
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Ready in 50 minutes, Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers fill halved jalapenos with cream cheese and Cheddar before wrapping each one in bacon. The recipe serves 8, making it a practical starter when people show up hungry before the main food is ready. Set them near the sauces and sliders so guests have something small to grab while the BBQ chicken, ribs, or burgers finish.
Get the Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Ham and Cheese Sliders
Baked in 25 minutes, Ham and Cheese Sliders layer Hawaiian rolls with deli ham, Swiss cheese, honey mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, dried minced onion, and melted butter. The recipe makes 8 rolls, so it covers an easy sandwich option without calling in a catering platter. These work especially well for kids, early arrivals, or anyone who wants something handheld before building a bigger Memorial Day plate.
Get the Recipe: Ham and Cheese Sliders
Beef Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce
On the grill, Beef Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce turn 1 pound of sirloin into 4 servings with red bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, olive oil, curry powder, and a parsley-based chimichurri. The 35-minute total time keeps the main dish from taking over the whole cookout schedule. Add these when the menu needs a beef option that looks planned but still uses straightforward ingredients and a short cook time.
Get the Recipe: Beef Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce
Cheeseburger
When the cookout needs a classic without a drive-thru bill, Cheeseburger takes 20 minutes and makes 2 servings from ground beef, buns, Cheddar, romaine, pickles, tomato, red onion, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. The short cook time makes it easy to scale in batches if more people are eating. Serve these with onion rings, slaw, and chipotle sauce for a plate that still feels like a full cookout meal.
Get the Recipe: Cheeseburger
Italian Pasta with Salami
After a 1-hour-25-minute total time, Italian Pasta with Salami gives the spread 8 servings built from tri-color rotini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, black olives, Colby cheese, salami, salad seasoning, and Italian dressing. The chill time helps it work as a make-ahead side instead of a last-minute scramble. Bring it out with the grilled mains when you need a sturdy pasta salad that fills plates without adding another hot dish.
Get the Recipe: Italian Pasta with Salami
Oven Baked Ribs
Low and slow in the oven, Oven Baked Ribs take 3 hours and 10 minutes and serve 4 people using baby back pork ribs, cumin, smoked paprika, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder. This gives the cookout a rib option even if the grill is crowded. Pair the ribs with baked beans and pasta salad when the menu needs the weight of catering without the catering order.
Get the Recipe: Oven Baked Ribs
Fresh Pasta Salad with Grilled Veggies
With a 40-minute total time, Fresh Pasta Salad with Grilled Veggies combines cavatappi with zucchini, red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, black olives, parsley, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The recipe serves 4, so it can be doubled when the cookout list grows. Use it as the lighter pasta side next to ribs, wings, or burgers, especially when the table already has several BBQ-heavy options.
Get the Recipe: Fresh Pasta Salad with Grilled Veggies
Boom Boom Sauce
In the dip slot, Boom Boom Sauce gives the cookout a condiment for fries, onion rings, sliders, burgers, and wings, but the recipe-card details need one final check before publishing. The linked page did not return time, serving count, or ingredients through the available fetch tools. Keep this item in the lineup as the extra sauce option, then confirm the recipe card so the final description can include verified facts before it goes live.
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Broccoli Salad
Ready in 15 minutes, Broccoli Salad makes 6 servings with broccoli, red onion, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, bacon, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. It brings a chilled side that can sit beside pasta salad and slaw without needing oven space. Add it when the cookout table needs something crunchy, creamy, and easy to portion, especially next to burgers, baked chicken, and ribs.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Salad
Chick-fil-A Sauce
Mixed in 3 minutes, Chick-fil-A Sauce turns mayo, barbecue sauce, honey, and mustard into 1 cup of dip for the cookout table. That small prep time makes it a smart add-on when you want more sauce choices without buying several bottles. Set it beside onion rings, wings, burgers, sliders, or chicken so guests can build their own plates instead of relying on one basic condiment.
Get the Recipe: Chick-fil-A Sauce
Patriotic American Flag Cake
For dessert, Patriotic American Flag Cake serves 24 and takes 1 hour and 5 minutes with a lemon cake base, cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, blueberries, and strawberries. The large serving count makes it a useful Memorial Day finish when the cookout has more guests than chairs. Bake it ahead, chill it, and bring it out after the ribs, sliders, and sides have done their part.
Get the Recipe: Patriotic American Flag Cake
BBQ Drumsticks
Oven-baked BBQ Drumsticks take 55 minutes and serve 4 with 10 to 12 chicken drumsticks, olive oil, barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and fresh parsley. The recipe keeps the grill free while still putting sauced chicken on the cookout table. Add these when you need a chicken option that can bake while the sides are being mixed, chilled, or carried outside.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Drumsticks
Avocado Salad
In 15 minutes, Avocado Salad serves 6 with avocado, tomatoes, red onion, English cucumber, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, honey, sea salt, and olive oil. It brings a no-cook side that cuts through the heavier parts of a Memorial Day spread. Serve it near burgers, kabobs, or BBQ chicken when you want a cool salad that is quick enough to make close to serving time.
Get the Recipe: Avocado Salad
Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe
Cooked in 35 minutes, Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe makes 20 servings from tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, light brown sugar, liquid smoke, yellow mustard, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and water. That batch size makes it useful for brushing chicken, spooning over ribs, or setting out with sliders. It also helps pull the whole cookout together without buying a stack of bottled sauces.
Get the Recipe: Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe
Baked Beans
With a 1-hour-20-minute total time, Baked Beans make 6 servings from navy beans, bacon, onion, garlic, brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, and smoked paprika. The long bake gives the sauce time to thicken around the beans while the mains are handled elsewhere. Set them beside ribs, drumsticks, or burgers when the cookout needs a side with more substance than chips.
Get the Recipe: Baked Beans
Grape Salad
Only 5 minutes of prep makes Grape Salad an easy cold side or sweet finish with 12 servings from cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, white sugar, red grapes, green grapes, brown sugar, and chopped walnuts or pecans. It helps fill the table without turning on the oven. Serve it chilled near the cake or alongside the main dishes when the menu needs something cool and scoopable.
Get the Recipe: Grape Salad
BBQ Wings
Baked instead of fried, BBQ Wings take 55 minutes and serve 4 with 2.5 pounds of chicken wings, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and barbecue sauce. The oven method makes them easier to manage when the grill is already full. Add them to the table as a saucy finger food beside slaw, pasta salad, and extra napkins.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Wings
Crunchy Onion Rings
In 30 minutes, Crunchy Onion Rings turn large onions into 8 servings with flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, egg, milk, optional breadcrumbs, and frying oil. They add a fried side that works with burgers, sliders, and dipping sauces without ordering a restaurant tray. Serve them in small batches so they stay crisp, then let the chipotle sauce or Chick-fil-A sauce handle the dipping.
Get the Recipe: Crunchy Onion Rings
Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings
Seasoned with smoked paprika, dried oregano, cumin, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt, Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings bake in 25 minutes and serve 4. The recipe uses 16 chicken wings and olive oil spray, giving the table a dry-rub option next to saucier BBQ wings. Add them when the wing crowd wants more than one flavor without turning the cookout into a takeout order.
Get the Recipe: Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings
Chipotle Sauce
Blended in 10 minutes, Chipotle Sauce makes 1.5 cups from mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle peppers in adobo, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt. It adds a smoky, creamy dip that fits burgers, onion rings, kabobs, and chicken sliders. Keep it chilled until serving, then set it near the other condiments so guests can add heat without changing the whole menu.
Get the Recipe: Chipotle Sauce
BBQ Chicken Sliders with Homemade Slaw
Done in 30 minutes, BBQ Chicken Sliders with Homemade Slaw make 6 servings from 12-count rolls, shredded cooked chicken, BBQ sauce, green cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots, sour cream, lemon juice, mayonnaise, paprika, and butter. They bring saucy chicken and slaw into one handheld item, which helps the cookout feel full without extra trays. Serve them with onion rings and the extra sauces for a complete small plate.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Chicken Sliders with Homemade Slaw
