Use These Grilling Menus for Your Next Party

By Kelly Vaughan
July 11, 2012
When you're hosting but can't decide what to serve, use these four-course menus for inspiration.
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Chris Simpson

While gathering family and friends together for a delicious meal is always fun, entertaining a group can also come with a bit of pressure. What will you serve? What sides complement the main you're grilling? What dessert can you make ahead? To help, we've put together 10, four-course menus. From impressive steakhouse-inspired menus to laid-back burgers, grilled fish to tacos, and both vegetarian and vegan ideas, there's truly something for everyone.

Each menu features an appetizer, main course, side dish, and dessert. You'll also find that all of our menus highlight seasonal produce: fresh corn on the cob, sweet stone fruits, crisp greens, and succulent tomatoes are staples throughout. Take our Grilled Heritage Pork with Plums, Farro Verde, and Summer Herbs, for example—plums hit their peak in August while you can stock up on herbs throughout the season. You can also highlight juicy berries atop this Lemon Olive-Oil Cake, or spotlight a lesser known berry, the gooseberry, in delicious crumbles. Use the menus here as a starting point; feel free to get creative by mixing and matching recipes to create your own custom menu.

Since summer is all about eating and entertaining outdoors, a menu with at last one grilled dish makes the most sense. While you'll notice that not every course is grilled—but at least one per menu is!—we think you'll be surprised to find that we also encourage you to use the grill appetizers (such as our prosciutto-wrapped melon) and dessert, too. After all, who said grilling is just for the main course?

Ahead, our best grilling menus. Try one or make them all for a series of epically delicious parties. They're sure to please—and they're easy, too!

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Grilled Tacos Menu

Sidney Bensimon

Here's a menu fit for a fiesta—or just for getting together with friends!

Appetizer

Guacamole with Toasted Pepitas and Cotija Cheese

Main Course

Grilled Pork and Pineapple Tacos

Side Dish

Grilled Corn with Chile-Lime Salt

Dessert

Lime Pudding Cups

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Grilled Chicken Menu

Petrina Tinslay
Our Greatest Grilled Chicken Recipes Ever

Upgrade basic grilled chicken with a fresh-herb dressing, add a seasonal side and make-ahead dessert and everyone will be happy.

Appetizer

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta​

Main Course

Grilled Chicken with Fresh-Herb Dressing

Side Dish

Hold the Cabbage Slaw

Dessert

No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake

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Vegan Menu

Chris Simpson
More Easy Vegan Recipes That Anyone Can Make in a Snap

Start the meal with a vegan take on green goddess dip served with with fresh, raw vegetables before the main event: tacos.

Appetizer

Vegan Green-Goddess Dip

Main Course

Mushroom Tacos with Charred Corn Salsa

Side Dish

Grilled Peas with Toasted Coconut

Dessert

Blueberry and Lemon Verbena Sorbet

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Grilled Fish Menu

Paola + Murray

This menu is an enticing mix of elevated ingredients with the laid-back feel of a casual cookout.

Appetizer

Creamy Artichoke Ranch

Main Course

Grilled Whole Fish with Lemon and Thyme

Side Dish

Succotash Salad

Dessert

Gooseberry-Raspberry Crumbles

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Grilled Pork Menu

Jake Stangel
Our Best Grilled Pork Recipes: Get Ideas for Chops, Ribs, Tenderloin, and More

Pork and plums are the main components of this bright menu from start to finish.

Appetizer
Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon 

Main Course

Grilled Heritage Pork with Plums, Farro Verde, and Summer Herbs

Side Dish

Shredded Brussels-Sprout Salad with Hazelnut Crunch

Dessert

Grilled Pound Cake with Peaches and Plums

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Grilled Mediterranean Menu

Paola + Murray

Make this Mediterranean-inspired meal with a summery dessert to top it all off.

Appetizer

Mixed-Olive Tapenade

Main Course
Grilled Lamb Loins

Side Dish
Roasted Tomatoes with Cheese and Thyme

Dessert

Pomegranate-Coconut Trifle

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Sausage and Peppers Menu

Lennart Weibull

A classic Italian pairing—sausage and peppers—gets a summer refresh in this menu.

Appetizer
Marinated Peppers with Mint and Sesame

Main Course

Grilled Sausage with Charred Tomato Relish

Side Dish

Mediterranean Three-Bean Salad

Dessert

Rustic Cherry-Apricot Tart

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Grilled Burgers Menu

Marcus Nilsson

Summertime eating is all about ease and flavor—and this menu is the epitome of both.

Appetizer

Guacamole Hummus with Crudités

Main Course

Steakhouse Burger

Side Dish

Summer Squash Slaw

Dessert

Blackberry Crisp

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Vegetarian Menu

Elizabeth Cecil

Enjoy our meatless menu for your next gathering.

Appetizer

Marinated Artichoke Hearts with Green Olives and Mozzarella

Main Course

Tofu with Ginger-Cilantro Sauce

Side Dish

Cucumber Salad with Herbs, Kumquats, and Sumac Dressing

Dessert

Lemon-Olive Oil Cake

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Steakhouse Menu

Elizabeth Cecil

Want to soak up the sun outdoors while enjoying the flavors of a classic steakhouse? Put together this impressive dinner.

Appetizer

Caesar Salad

Main Course

Rib-Eye with Jalapeno Butter

Side Dish

Grilled Potatoes

Dessert

Chocolate Chess Pie

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By Kelly Vaughan