We asked subscribers to share their best go-to gluten-free barbecue season side dishes to serve at summer gatherings—and this might just be the most delicious recipe swap we’ve witnessed yet!
From supersized sides that double as gluten-free mains (in case there’s nothing else safe on the menu) to simple standbys, here are some of the most delicious ideas subscribers shared to the Little Northern Bakehouse community recipe box!
Go for a scroll, or click from list to find the inspiration you crave:
- Calling All Corn Fans
- Potato and Pasta Pals!
- Tomatoes are the Tops!
- Super Satisfying Salads!
- Good for the Grill!
- Salsa with Style!
Calling All Corn Fans!
It might sound corny, but some subscribers were all ears when we asked for summer recipes! On or off the cob, corn was the star of several gluten-free sides.
Ben P’s Mexican Style Street Corn
“[Ingredients]
- Corn (either cob or niblets)
- Feta cheese [dairy-free option]
- Mayonnaise [egg-free option]
- Cilantro
- Chili powder
- Lime zest & juice
- Sea salt
[Instructions]
- Cook your corn as you normally would or reheat if frozen corn. Wash, pick and chop cilantro.
- Add mayo to the corn and season to taste with chili powder, lime zest and juice.
- Crumble feta over top and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!”
– Ben P
Barb’s Corn Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 6 ears of corn
- Red or yellow pepper
- Jalapeño pepper
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese [dairy-free option]
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes
- Lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
[Instructions]
- Cut the corn off the cob and lightly sauté, until a bit golden
- Add to a bowl with diced pepper, finely chopped jalapeño, crumbled feta and halved tomatoes.
- Mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour over salad”
Nina H’s Black Bean & Corn Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 2 – 3 ears of corn (cooled/cut after cooking about 5 minutes)
- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed well
- about ½ cup diced tomatoes
- 1 green and 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- Jalapeño pepper for kick
[Instructions]
- Combine [all ingredients in a bowl] and [season with] salt pepper to taste.
- Mix well let sit at least 10 – 20 minutes. Adjust to taste.”
Cindy G’s Hot or Cold Vegan Corn, Lentil, and Veggie Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 1 can green lentils, drained and rinsed,
- 1 can corn, drained
- Veggies:
- Sweet potato, diced small
- Eggplant (Asian is easiest), cubed
- Zucchini, chopped
- Carrots, chopped
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp tamari sauce
- ½ tsp cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper
[Instructions]
- Mix sauce ingredients
- Sauté onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil until soft, add salt and pepper to taste
- Add diced sweet potato andchopped carrots, then eggplant, then zucchini, then corn and sauté
- Add the sauce and mix it through. Add additional seasoning to your taste.
This can be served hot or cold or room temperature.”
Potato and Pasta Pals!
Summer barbecues wouldn’t be the same without potato sides and pasta salads—but the selection of recipes subscribers shared based on these humble, gluten-free ingredients are anything but boring!
Lindsay’s Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes
“[Ingredients (measure by need)]
- Sweet potatoes
- Oil (olive or avocado)
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- Salt
[Instructions]
- Wash a few sweet potatoes and slice them into spears. In a baking dish or cookie sheet, toss the spears with enough oil to coat plus a few glugs of maple syrup, a little more cinnamon than you think is enough, and a sprinkling of salt.
- Bake at 425°F until potatoes are soft and sugar starts to caramelize!
Not an intuitive pairing for summer with its fall flavour profile, but a super complement to your burgers and hot dogs!”
Shannon Stewart’s Triple Rosemary Fries
“[Ingredients]
- 3 golden potatoes, sliced and diced
- 3 red potatoes, sliced and diced
- 3 small or 1 large sweet potato, sliced and diced
- Olive oil
- Fresh rosemary
- Garlic, minced
- Monterey Steak Seasoning
[Instructions]
- Fry potatoes in olive oil [until cooked through], season to taste.”
A.P.’s Sweet Potato Hash
“[Ingredients]
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 sweet potatoes, cubed (1-inch)
- Green onion, finely chopped
- Oil
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Salt
[Instructions]
- In a pan with a little bit of oil roast the peppers and both types of onion until slightly softer. Add the sweet potatoes, stir and cover with a lid.
- Lower the heat to low-medium and cook for 15-ish minutes, until sweet potatoes soften.
- Season with salt, garlic powder and paprika [to taste]. (Serves 4)”
Lenore I’s Dilled Potato Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 5 lbs potatoes
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2/3 cup dill pickle, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp dill pickle juice
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 Tbsp prepared mustard
- 2 tsp fresh dill weed, chopped
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Fresh parsley, [chopped]
[Instructions]
- Boil potatoes until tender, drain, cool and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Combine all the rest and add the potatoes. Garnish with parsley.”
I’m kind of a Big Dill!’s Gluten-free Dill Pickle Macaroni Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 1 lb uncooked (2 cups cooked) gluten-free macaroni
- [2 cups] 8 oz [grated] cheese (cheddar cheese, goat cheese, vegan cheese! Any cheese!) [dairy-free option]
- 2 cups dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill
- 1 cup mayo [egg-free option]
- 1/2 cup sour cream (for dairy free, I remove the sour cream and add extra mayo!)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
[Instructions]
- Cook the macaroni until your desired texture (a little al dente is good as the topping will make the macaroni softer), rinse, and set aside to cool.
- Mix together all other ingredients in a bowl. Once macaroni has cooled, mix the macaroni noodles in the mixture and place in fridge. You can eat right away, but its much better if it has time to sit overnight and absorb all of the sauce!
This recipe is very easy to make vegan swaps or add extra goodies as you see fit! I get asked to make this for every single get together I have with my friends. It is always a hit!”
Tomatoes are the Tops!
From classic to unexpected, two tempting tomato-based summer sides stood out from subscribers’ shares.
S.D.’s Gluten-free Tomato Bruschetta
“[Ingredients]
- 4 tomatoes, diced
- Red onion, finely chopped
- Fresh basil, ribboned
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dash of Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil (approximately)
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
[Instructions]
- [Mix all ingredients together]. Serve on toasted Little Northern Bakehouse gluten-free bread cut into 4s.
- Top with fresh burrata cheese [dairy-free option]”
Joyce Fisher’s Scalloped Tomatoes
“[Ingredients]
- 2 slices of your favourite Little Northern Bakehouse bread, toasted
- 3 lbs fresh tomatoes, skinned and cut up
- ½ onion, chopped
- Several ribs celery, chopped or sliced diagonal
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- Parmesan cheese [dairy-free option]
- 2 Tbsp of butter or [extra virgin olive oil]
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, [chopped]
[Instructions]
- In large skillet sauté chopped onion and celery until tender. Add fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer while cutting toast in cubes.
- Place all in greased baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.”
Super Satisfying Salads!
Salads with substance were popular shares! And of all the ingredients, ancient grain quinoa stole the salad spotlight—subscribers shared so many scrumptious-sounding quinoa salads, we could almost dedicate a cookbook to them! We chose two stunners for space, and rounded them out with a sweet selection from the next most popular salad star: watermelon.
Diana G’s Low FODMAP Easy Herby Quinoa Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1 block extra firm high protein tofu, finely chopped
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Cucumbers, chopped
- Kalamata olives, sliced
- Green onion (green part only), chopped
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- fresh mint, chopped
- fresh dill, chopped (optional)
- olive oil
- fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
[Instructions]
- Rinse and cook quinoa per package directions. Let cool.
- In large bowl mix veggies, herbs, tofu, and quinoa.
- Blend up olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa and stir.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.”
Joyce K’s Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango
“[Ingredients]
- 1 ripe ataulfo mango, peeled and diced small
- 1 red pepper, seeded and diced small
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (from your garden, if you have it)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (add bouillon cube to cooking water), cooled
- ¾ cup black beans, drained and rinsed (approximately ½ can)
[Instructions]
- Combine mango, red pepper, [green onions], and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add red wine vinegar, oil, and salt and stir. Add the quinoa and stir until everything is well mixed. Fold in the black beans.
- Refrigerate and let it sit for a bit to let the flavours meld.
I usually have my own green onions, cilantro and sometimes red peppers from my garden. Everyone loves this salad and my daughter even makes it (High praise!)”
Monica’s Watermelon Side Salad
“[Ingredients]
- 1 small watermelon or 1/2 large watermelon, diced
- 2 cups cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese [dairy-free option]
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
- Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp honey [or agave or maple syrup]
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
[Instructions]
- Combine watermelon, cucumber, feta and mint in a large bowl.
- Mix together ingredients for dressing and add to the salad when ready to serve.”
Good for the Grill!
Several subscribers suggested marinating your favourite veggies in store-bought gluten-free salad dressing overnight before grilling. But one shared recipe included a technique that stood out from the rest!
KLF’s Grilled Veggies
“[Ingredients (measure by need)]
- Veggies, cut into chunks:
- Bell peppers
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Olive or avocado oil
- Fresh herbs, chopped [(choose or combine to taste)]:
- Basil
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Chives
- Green onions
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
[Instructions]
- Put [veggies] all in a bowl and add some olive oil or avocado oil so they are decently coated.
- Then, I throw them in my wok that is specially made for the BBQ and stir-fry them on the pre-heated BBQ over medium-high heat until they’re all tender-crisp. This will take roughly 20 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables and the temperature of the BBQ.
- Once they’re ready, toss [grilled veggies] in a bowl and add a bit more oil, plus salt and a generous amount of Italian seasoning. Toss in a handful of fresh herbs.
This is a great accompaniment to grilled burgers… Leftovers keep well in the fridge and are good cold.”
Salsa with Style!
Puckery pickles showed up in plenty of recipes from pasta to potato salad, but the most unexpected spot made this gluten-free condiment truly sharable as the last recipe in collection of summer sides.
C•M°J•T’s Dilly Dill Pickle Salsa
“[Ingredients]
- 1 cup dill pickles, diced
- 1 cup cucumbers, seeded and diced
- 1 cup bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 cup tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced (I used the garlic in the pickle jar)
- 1 Tbsp dill, [chopped]
- 1/4 cup pickle juice from the pickle jar
- Sea salt to taste
[Instructions]
- In a large bowl, add the diced pickles, cucumber, tomato, red onion, minced garlic, dill and pickle juice.
- Mix everything together and season with a touch of salt to taste.
- Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for nachos, tacos, crackers and more. Enjoy!”
Thanks to all subscribers who made time to share their go-to gluten-free summer side dishes—the Little Northern Bakehouse Community Recipe Box wouldn’t exist without you!
Love trading tips and swapping recipes with others who live gluten-free, too? Keep an eye on your inbox for more opportunities to connect over delicious gluten-free food! And remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to keep the conversation going!