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32 Recipes For Your Labor Day Menu

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ByLana Stuart Published:
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Are you ready for the holiday weekend? Got plans for a cook-out or maybe a picnic? No matter what your Labor Day menu plans are, I’m here to help! I have all the best recipe ideas for Your Labor Day Menu right here!

You can definitely count on one thing – our Labor Day menu will certainly have a Southern bent and many of the following recipes will be included. I’ve gathered some of the most popular southern summer recipes to choose from for the perfect spread.

Photo collage featuring some of the recipes from the post.

There’s enough variety here that I’m sure you’ll find at least one or two to add to your Labor Day menu! Let’s start with the main course, shall we?

Main Dishes

An always popular menu item here is my Slow Cooker Ribs! Followed closely by Slow Cooker Pulled Pork. Both of these are always a good choice for us because our weather can be really unpredictable this time of year!

If you’re not a fan of the barbecue, then how about a great grilled burger. BeeBop’s Bacon Cheeseburger is a fantastic choice.

1. Slow Cooker Barbecued Ribs

Slow Cooker Barbecued Ribs
These luscious, perfectly tender ribs are prepped in about 10 minutes and cooked long and low for maximum flavor.
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A platter of barbecued ribs with coleslaw and sauce on the side.

2. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Fool-proof recipe with 5-minute prep for making southern style Slow Cooker Pulled Pork. Great for feeding a crowd or dinner on busy days!
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A pulled pork sandwich on a serving plate with a slow cooker in the background.

3. BeeBop’s Bacon Cheeseburger

BeeBop’s Bacon Cheeseburger
A luscious burger topped with bacon and bleu cheese.
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BeeBop's Bacon Cheeseburger is a unique burger that has the bacon cooked right on top of the burger. It's totally delicious and really easy to make! https://www.lanascooking.com/beebops-bacon-cheeseburger/

4. Juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers

Juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers with Gruyere Cheese and Dijon Mustard
Juicy, delicious, lightly seasoned and grilled turkey burgers – an indulgent ground turkey patty made with gruyere cheese, tangy Dijon mustard and breadcrumbs to bind it all together.
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Finished turkey burger on a white serving plate.

5. Juicy Meatloaf Burgers

Juicy Meatloaf Burgers
Juicy Meatloaf Burgers are your favorite comfort food transformed into tender, juicy burgers served on toasted buns.
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A meatloaf burger on a white serving plate.

6. Air Fryer Taco Burgers

Air Fryer Taco Burgers
Change up your Taco Tuesday with these easy, juicy Air Fryer Taco Burgers! In less than 30 minutes you'll sit down to burgers full of flavor, perfectly juicy, and deliciously seasoned
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Finished taco burger on a wooden serving board.

7. Buffalo Chicken Dogs

Buffalo Chicken Dogs
Use purchased Buffalo chicken to make this quick and easy weeknight meal.
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These Buffalo Chicken Dogs make an easy and quick weeknight dinner. Brats topped with purchased Buffalo style chicken topped with blue cheese and celery. https://www.lanascooking.com/buffalo-chicken-dogs/

8. Perfect Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Perfect Baked Buffalo Wings
The Perfect Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings have all the classic taste with no messy frying and no added fat! Serve these at your next football party and enjoy the compliments.
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Finished buffalo wings on a serving plate.

Salads

You know you can’t have a summer cookout menu without including several salads, right? Some of my favorites are this Black Eyed Pea Salad, old-fashioned Copper Pennies, Fire and Ice Tomatoes, and my traditional Potato Salad.

And if you’re a born-and-bred Southerner (or just one at heart) you know you must include a congealed salad! Polly’s Pink Stuff fits that requirement very nicely.

9. Black Eyed Pea Salad

Black Eyed Pea Salad
Southern marinated Black Eyed Pea Salad is a versatile and effortless side dish for your next picnic or potluck dinner. 15 minutes to make!
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Black Eyed Pea Salad in a vintage serving bowl set on a kitchen towel.

10. Old Fashioned Copper Pennies

Old Fashioned Copper Pennies
This delicious vintage recipe for Old Fashioned Copper Pennies is a sweet-sour combination of carrots, onions, and peppers that will keep your guests coming back for more!
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Copper pennies salad in a serving bowl.

11. Fire and Ice Tomatoes

Fire and Ice Tomatoes
A sweet-tart salad with fresh summer tomatoes, bell peppers and sweet Vidalia onions .
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Finished fire and ice tomatoes in a glass serving bowl.

12. Southern Potato Salad

Southern Potato Salad
This Classic Southern Potato Salad Recipe is great to take to a potluck. It's made with tender, steamed potatoes and a mayonnaise dressing.
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Southern potato salad on a white plate with a hamburger and slice of watermelon.

13. Raspberry Jello Mold (“Polly’s Pink Stuff”)

Polly’s Pink Stuff (Raspberry Jello Mold)
A retro recipe for a festive raspberry jello mold. My grandmother's holiday specialty served for every Christmas and Easter dinner.
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Polly's Pink Stuff - A retro recipe for a festive raspberry jello mold. http://www.lanascooing.com/pollys-pink-stuff-raspberry-jello-mold/

14. Tomato and Avocado Salad

Tomato and Avocado Salad
The very essence of summer! A light, refreshing, and healthy Tomato and Avocado Salad. Ready for the table in just 10 minutes.
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The very essence of summer! Light, refreshing, and healthy Tomato and Avocado Salad. 10 minute prep time. https://www.lanascooking.com/tomato-and-avocado-salad

15. Southern Tomato Cracker Salad

Southern Tomato Cracker Salad
If you like a southern tomato sandwich, then you'll fall head over heels for this 15-minute Southern Tomato Cracker Salad recipe!
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A serving of tomato cracker salad on a white plate.

16. Layered Tortellini Salad

Layered Tortellini Salad
Layered Tortellini Salad with colorful layers of Greek ingredients is perfect for long summer days when it's just too hot to cook!
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Finished salad layered in a glass bowl.

17. Black Bean and Corn Salad

Black Bean and Corn Salad
Low in fat, high in flavor, with a healthy dose of protein from the beans, this Black Bean and Corn Salad is a tasty side for a picnic.
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Black Bean and Corn Salad in a glass serving bowl.

18. Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad
Great summer side dish with chicken, pork, burgers…you name it!
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Mexican Street Corn Salad in a blue bowl.

Side Dishes

Now, on to the sides! What better to go with the pulled pork or barbecued ribs above than a pot of Brunswick Stew? And, of course, Baked Beans are pretty much a given.

Also, if your crew doesn’t care for the mayonnaise type of potato salad, why don’t you try my Lemon-Dill Potato Salad? It’s nice and tangy and you can easily take it to a friend’s house or on a picnic without worrying about the mayonnaise!

And then there’s Deviled Eggs. One of BeeBop’s all-time favorite recipes. I think he could eat a dozen of them right by himself.

19. Copycat KFC Coleslaw

Copycat KFC Coleslaw
This Copycat KFC Coleslaw recipe is almost identical to the side from your favorite chicken restaurant. Great with barbecue, fried chicken and more!
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A glass serving bowl filled with coleslaw.

20. My Big Fat Greek Appetizer | Feta Dip

My Big Fat Greek Appetizer (Feta Dip)
My Big Fat Greek Appetizer is an easy to make layered Feta Dip with good olive oil, feta cheese, cucumber, green onion, tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. Scoop it up with a pita!
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Finished layered feta dip on a white platter.

21. Old Fashioned Brunswick Stew

Old Fashioned Brunswick Stew
A classic Southern barbecue side dish combining meat and a variety of vegetables.
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Brunswick stew in a vintage bowl.

22. Mama’s Southern Baked Beans with Bacon

Mama’s Southern Baked Beans with Bacon
Everybody loves Mama's Southern Baked Beans with Bacon! Their sweet, smoky flavor makes them ideal for cookouts and potluck dinners!
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Baked beans and bacon on a plate with a hamburger.

23. Lemon Dill Potato Salad

Lemon Dill Potato Salad
Lemon Dill Potato Salad – a warm potato salad dressed with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, lemon, and dill. No mayo makes it safer for picnics!
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Lemon Dill Potato Salad - A warm potato salad dressed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon, and dill. No mayo makes it safer for picnics! https://www.lanascooking.com/lemon-dill-potato-salad/

24. Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs

Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs
Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs are just about perfect for any party, barbecue, or holiday. This classic recipe is easy and delicious!
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A finished deviled egg on a white plate.

25. Alabama Fire Crackers

Alabama Fire Crackers
Alabama Fire Crackers, soaked through with butter, red pepper, and hot sauce are always a hit at parties and perfect with salads and soups.
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Finished crackers in a white serving bowl.

26. Refrigerator Kosher Dill Pickles – Claussen Copycat Recipe

Refrigerator Kosher Dill Pickles
Delicious, crispy Refrigerator Kosher Dill Pickles without the canning process! You'll love my copycat recipe of the famous Claussen brand of dill pickles found in your grocery store's refrigerator case.
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Glass jars of refrigerator dill pickles.

Desserts

No celebration would be complete without a delicious dessert, right? One of my favorites and one which I haven’t made in quite some time is good Old-Fashioned Southern Teacakes. Not exactly a cookie but not a cake either and not too sweet, they’re just perfect for a light treat after a big meal.

Or maybe you could go for something cold? Like my Homemade Peach Ice Cream. But if cake is what you’re craving, choose one of these Southern specialties – Caramel Layer Cake or Chocolate Little Layer Cake. Both are delicious and very, very Southern.

27. Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes
Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes is a classic, vintage recipe. A cross between a cookie and cake, not too sweet, and utterly delicious.
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Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

28. Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Southern summers wouldn’t be complete without a churn of homemade peach ice cream.
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Creamy, cold and delicious homemade peach ice cream with sweet, fresh Georgia grown peaches and rich with eggs, heavy cream, and whole milk. https://www.lanascooking.com/homemade-peach-ice-cream

29. Old Fashioned Southern Caramel Layer Cake

Old Fashioned Southern Caramel Layer Cake
This old fashioned southern Caramel Layer Cake with an easy homemade caramel frosting tastes like a little slice of heaven!
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Southern caramel layer cake on a white cake stand.

30. Chocolate Little Layer Cake

Chocolate Little Layer Cake
This heritage recipe for Chocolate Little Layer Cake consists of tiny layers baked individually and topped with a boiled chocolate icing.
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Completed Chocolate Little Layer Cake on a cake stand.

31. Easy Strawberry Jello Pie

Easy Strawberry Jello Pie
This easy, no-bake Strawberry Jello Pie is full of delicious fruit flavor and the perfect ending for a summer party!
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A slice of strawberry jello pie on a white serving plate.

32. Blueberry Pie Cookies

Blueberry Pie Cookies
Easy to make Blueberry Pie Cookies use purchased pie crust and canned pie filling to make a unique dessert that all ages will love!
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Finished blueberry pie cookies on a wooden board.

So there you have it! A recap of some of the very best recipes from Lana’s Cooking for your Labor Day celebration.

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Lana Stuart is the cook, writer, and founder of Lana’s Cooking. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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3 Comments

  1. Thanks! I think I’ve decided to make pulled pork for our Independence Day. With coleslaw and potato salad. Don’t know about dessert yet, but maybe teacakes :-)

    Reply

    1. I, too, wish you and yours a great Holiday. I neglected to mention your recipe recap…I’ll have some of everything…!!!

      Reply