Food
Recipes

27 Labor Day Recipes With Endless Summer Vibes

Celebrate late summer flavors for a season finale.

By

Jodie Kautzmann

Updated on July 25, 2024

Pollo Yucateco Asada (YucatÃ¡n-Style Grilled Chicken) — Photo:
Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva

Even though summer's official end isn't until the third week of September, Labor Day is widely considered the season's last hurrah. It's a great opportunity to gather some friends, show your grill some love, and relish all the fruits and vegetables that are ready to strut their stuff this time of year. Corn is at its sweetest, tomatoes are still succulent, melons and blackberries are full of flavor, and okra is just hitting its stride — among many others. From tomato pie bars and pimiento-stuffed burgers to miso caramel blondie sundaes, put together a menu of endless summer vibes with these recipes for Labor Day food.

01 of 27

Chorizo and Kimchi Dogs

Chorizo and Kimchi Hot Dogs — Victor Protasio

At chef Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins’ regional Mexican restaurant in San Diego, this dish is served as an homage to the Sonoran hot dog. Easy hacks like crumbled chorizo make this restaurant favorite easy to pull off for backyard entertaining.

02 of 27

Tomato Tarte Tatin

Tomato Tarte Tatin — Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

This savory take on a seasonal tarte tatin swaps apples for little colorful summer cherry tomatoes, which have the most poppable texture and sweet tomato flavor. The fruit tops crispy puff pastry, along with caramelized onions.

03 of 27

Lemony Polenta Cake With Peaches

Polenta Cake with Almonds and Lemon — Carson Downing / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco

This late summer treat is scented with lemon and almonds and gets its richness from sour cream.

04 of 27

Grilled Corn Salad With Coconut-Peanut Chaat

Grilled Corn Salad with Coconut Peanut Chaat — Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

Make sure you grill corn for this salad before summer ends. It combines sweet, lightly charred fresh corn with a topping that stars ingredients including flaked coconut, curry leaves, and peanuts. It's a side dish or main that's bursting with flavor and texture — salty, nutty, crunchy, juicy, sweet, savory, and crisp.

05 of 27

Grilled Burgers Stuffed with Pimiento Cheese

Grilled Burgers Stuffed with Pimiento Cheese — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

These decadent burgers are stuffed with pimiento cheese for an inside-out cheeseburger packed with flavor. One bite is all you need to see how different they are from the usual. If you like, prepare these burgers a few hours in advance of cooking, and store them, covered, in the refrigerator. Once they're grilled, you'll want to eat them immediately so the cheese inside is still warm.

06 of 27

Crunchy Eggplant and Corn Salad with Mint and Feta

Crunchy Eggplant and Corn Salad with Mint and Feta — Victor Protasio

Tossed here with hearty breaded and roasted eggplant, fresh mint, and tangy feta, fresh corn is one of the great joys of late summer. In this quick-cooking recipe, corn is just lightly charred to add a bitter note, offsetting its sweetness. A glug of hot chile oil drizzled on top finishes off each plate.

07 of 27

Chile Crisp Shrimp Rolls with Cucumber Salad

Warm Shrimp Roll with Chile Crisp with Cucumber Salad — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Toasted brioche buns are piled high with succulent shrimp and crisp celery slaw in this riff on a classic shrimp roll. Melted butter, chile crisp, and tangy rice vinegar coat the shrimp in color and flavor. A simple shaved cucumber salad rounds out the plate and offers a cooling finish.

08 of 27

Sugared Melon With Cardamom and Mint

Don't Forget The Melon — Cedric Angeles

Sugar, cardamom, and fresh mint are all you need to transform ripe melon into a memorable dessert. Muskmelons, such as cantaloupe and honeydew, are sometimes treated like an afterthought — that's why chef Vishwesh Bhatt sometimes calls this recipe Don't Forget the Melon. "If you have the right melon that's nice and ripe, it's just so good," he says.

09 of 27

Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie — Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

Juicy tomatoes, two types of cheese, mayonnaise, onion, and basil combine for a savory pie filling that’s a creamy taste of summer.

10 of 27

Potato Salad with Fresh Corn and Basil

Potato Salad with Fresh Corn and Basil Recipe — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Red baby potatoes are ideal for potato salad because their tender skins and creamy interiors hold together, even when cooked. Quickly soaking the onions in vinegar mellows their bite and allows the summery fresh herbs to shine in the dressing. Be sure to taste the salad after chilling and adjust the seasoning before serving.

11 of 27

Cevapi with Ajvar and Kajmak

Cevapi — Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Caleb Clark

These Balkan sausages made with beef and lamb have a wonderful subtle smokiness from the spices and grill. Chef Joe Flamm serves them with avjar, a sauce made from roasted peppers, eggplant, and garlic. A dollop of kajmak, a Serbian and Croatian fresh cheese, adds a bit of tanginess to balance the rich meat.

12 of 27

Peach, Tomato, and Feta Salad with Candied Jalapeño Dressing

Peach, Tomato and Feta Salad with Candied Jalapeno Dressing — Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Dana Beninati

Tangy, sweet tomatoes and peaches are one of our favorite combinations for late summer eating. Here, they star in a salad atop a bed of peppery arugula and basil. The salad gets even more zip with a sweet-spicy vinaigrette made with candied jalapeños or pepper jam. The feta and sliced onion scattered on top add more contrast and flavor, and the final sprinkle of za'atar lends this salad an extra level of texture.

13 of 27

Summer Squash Carpaccio

summer squash carpaccio — Jennifer Causey

"When summer squash is freshly picked, all it needs is a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe a hit of lemon juice," chef Marcela Valladolid writes. "Here, I've taken it to next-level magic by adding sweet dates, fresh mint, and toasted pepitas spiced with Tajín seasoning to the thinly sliced summer squash. For a gathering with friends in the garden or a light lunch, this has become a favorite of mine."

14 of 27

Plum Gin Fizz

Plum Gin Fizz — Photo by Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell

This fruity gin fizz isn't overly sweet, allowing the flavor of the caramelized plums to shine. A botanical gin works well with the fruit in this cocktail, adding herbaceous and fruity notes. To play up the deep color of the plums, try Empress 1908, a royal purple–hued, botanical-style spirit.

15 of 27

Pollo Yucateco Asado (Yucatán-Style Grilled Chicken)

Pollo Yucateco Asada (YucatÃ¡n-Style Grilled Chicken) — Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva

These juicy grilled chicken thighs are marinated in achiote powder and spiced orange juice, giving them a peppery and sweet aroma.

16 of 27

Tomatillo Salsa Cruda

Tomatillo Salsa Cruda — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva

Chef Fermín Núñez's raw tomatillo salsa combines tart, fresh tomatillos; jalapeño and serrano chiles; tender scallions; and pungent cilantro for a juicy, refreshing salsa perfect for topping tacos, eggs, or tortilla chips.

17 of 27

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Italian Beef Sandwich — Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

Topped with bright homemade giardiniera and roasted sweet peppers, these Italian beef sandwiches have lots of beefy flavor and a deeply satisfying jus.

18 of 27

Chile-Coconut Watermelon Crudo

Chile Coconut Watermelon Crudo Recipe — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This sweet, spicy, and punchy upgrade to classic slabs of salted watermelon is the palate-pleasing appetizer your cookout guests deserve. Fresh coconut water is much sweeter, and has a greater depth of flavor than bottled versions, so crack open a coconut if you can.

19 of 27

Grilled Halloumi Burgers with Citrus Tapenade

Grilled Halloumi Burger with Citrus Tapenade — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn

When grilled or sautéed, halloumi develops a charred crust that yields to soft cheese inside. Here, we cut the halloumi across the equator for the centerpiece of the burger, and season it with cumin, salt, and pepper. It's then topped with a citrusy olive tapenade with just enough crushed red pepper flakes to lend it a touch of heat.

20 of 27

Grilled S’mores Pie

Grilled S'mores Pie — Grilled S'mores Pie.
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee

This decadent pie with a chocolate ganache filling is topped with gooey toasted marshmallows, giving you all the flavors of s’mores but in a pie cooked on a grill.

21 of 27

Warm Puttanesca Pasta Salad

Warm Puttanesca Pasta Salad — Victor Protasio

Cherry tomatoes are the star of this vibrant dish, which also includes crispy prosciutto, fragrant herbs, anchovies, and punches of garlic. A couple tablespoons of petite capers pull their weight, lending an unmistakable briny goodness.

22 of 27

Tomato Pie Bars

Tomato Pie Bars — Photo by Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Kate Buckens / Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan

In his riff on tomato pie, food editor Josh Miller uses crushed saltine crackers and Parmesan cheese to give these tomato pie bars a crispy, savory bottom crust and enhances the rich, savory filling with mildly spicy curry powder and chipotle chile. A topping of juicy slices of tomato brings the finished tomato pie bars into perfect balance.

23 of 27

Okra Mac and Cheese with Andouille Sausage

Okra Mac and Cheese with Andouille Sausage — Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Purcell

New Orleans chef Kevin Belton brings okra’s thickening power and a little Louisiana flair to his baked mac and cheese. It's loaded with andouille sausage, Creole seasoning, white cheddar and Gruyère cheeses, and of course, okra.

24 of 27

Miso Caramel Blondie Sundae

Miso Caramel Blondie Sundae — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

For this crunchy, nutty, sweet-and-salty ode to the iconic hot fudge brownie sundae, white miso tempers the ripple of sugary caramel in the cakey blondies with a savory undertone. Use our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream recipe to make your own over store-bought.

25 of 27

Grilled Short Ribs with Smoky Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

Grilled Short Ribs with Smoky Blackberry Barbecue Sauce — © Christina Holmes

This delicious barbecue sauce gets its smoky flavor from berries that are grilled in a perforated pan; you can use sturdy foil or a foil pan with holes punched in instead. Chipotle chiles packed in adobo amplify the smokiness of the berries.

26 of 27

Bacon-Wrapped Cherry Peppers

Bacon-Wrapped Cherry Peppers — © Lucas Allen

This genius hors d'oeuvre from 2005 F&W Best New Chef Colby Garrelts calls for just three ingredients. The recipe comes together in only half an hour and can be made ahead of time, so it's great for parties.

27 of 27

Layered Blackberry and Turmeric Lemonade

Layered Blackberry-and-Turmeric Lemonade — Charles Masters

This spritzy, summery drink is a showstopper with its distinct pink and yellow layers. It's also incredibly versatile: Swap in raspberries or strawberries for the blackberries, double the recipe for a crowd, or serve the homemade soda and the turmeric-spiked lemonade on their own.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

Related Articles

Key Lime Pie with Chocolate-Almond Crust

Key Lime Pie with Chocolate-Almond Crust

Lemon-Cranberry Pie Bars

Lemon-Cranberry Pie Bars

Green Bean Slaw

Green Bean Slaw

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Plum Galette

15 Labor Day Desserts for Savoring Every Last Bit of Summer

Best Labor Day Sales to Stock Up on Cookware, Appliances, Grills, and More Tout

The 23 Best Labor Day Sales to Stock Up on Cookware, Appliances, Grills, and More

Roundup: Amazon Fall Camping LDW Deals Tout

Amazon Is Taking Up to 40% Off Bestselling Camping Gear for Labor Day—Shop the 11 Best Deals Now

Target Kitchen and Home Labor Day Weekend Sale Tout

Target Slashed Prices on 10,000+ Kitchen Items for Labor Day Weekend, Including These 30 Up to 69% Off

Fellow Labor Day Sale Tout

This Simple Tool Has Made My Morning Coffee Taste Better Than Ever—and Right Now It's on Rare Sale

Roundup: REI Best LDW Deals Tout

REI Is Throwing a Massive Labor Day Weekend Sale—and Prices Start at Just $5

End of Season Outdoor Furniture LDW Deals Food & Wine

The Biggest Outdoor Furniture Deals on Amazon This Labor Day—Up to 63% Off

Roundup: Amazon Editor-Loved LDW Deals (first-person) Tout

From Wüsthof to Le Creuset and All-Clad, These Are the 8 Kitchen Deals I’m Eyeing During Amazon’s Massive Labor Day Sale

FREELANCE: FIREPITS tout

Amazon Is Slashing Prices on Bestselling Fire Pits for Labor Day Weekend—and We Found the 9 Best Deals

Amazon's Hidden Outlet Has Deals on Staub, Henckels, and More Up to 74% Off Before Labor Day

Amazon's Hidden Outlet Has Deals on Staub, Henckels, and More Up to 74% Off Before Labor Day

Roundup: Amazon Best LDW Deals Tout

There Are Thousands of Kitchenware Pieces on Sale at Amazon This Weekend—Shop 25+ of the Best, Up to 67% Off

Hurry! Amazon Just Slashed Prices of Top-Notch Knife Brands by 62%, Including Henckels and Shun Tout

Hurry! Amazon Just Slashed Prices of Top-Notch Knife Brands by 62%, Including Henckels and Shun