Keep it simple this Labor Day with solid salad and dessert recipes perfect for potlucks
For much of the country, Labor Day is all about backyard barbecues. But here in Arizona, it's still a little toasty to be standing over a hot grill. That said, having a Monday off work is reason enough to have a party.
Whether you're hosting or attending a potluck or party, there can never be too many salads or desserts on offer. These recipes from cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller are easy to make and tried-and-true crowd pleasers perfect for your next casual gathering.
And the best part — at least this time of year — they can all be made in the comfort of your air-conditioned kitchen.
Here's what we're cooking over Labor Day weekend.
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The ultimate Caesar salad
This classic salad is simple and since there aren’t many ingredients in Caesar salad, it's all the more important that you use high quality inputs since each one needs to bring a lot to the dish. The results are definitely more than the sum of the parts.
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the croutons:
3 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ French baguette, halved lengthwise and cut or torn into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons good-quality, grated Parmesan cheese
For the dressing:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 ½ small lemons or 1 large lemon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good-quality olive oil, if you’re using an electric blender, avoid extra-virgin
⅓ cup grated good-quality Parmesan cheese
For the salad:
3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed (and reserved for another use) and inner leaves rinsed, patted dry, and chopped or torn into bite-size pieces
⅓ - ½ cup shredded good-quality Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Start by making your croutons. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and chopped garlic cloves, then press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to creating garlic-infused olive oil.
Place the bread cubes in a large bowl, add the infused oil and Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Transfer the croutons to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Set aside.
To make the dressing in a food processor or blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Process until blended and smooth. With the food processor or blender running, gradually and slowly add the olive oil. Process until thick and creamy, then add the Parmesan cheese and pulse on and off until just blended. Season to taste with more salt and black pepper.
To assemble the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl, add about ¼ cup of the dressing and cup Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Add more dressing and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Top the salad with the croutons and serve with extra dressing on the side.
Refrigerate leftover dressing for up to four days.
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Better-than-P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce wraps
Makes: 4 servings as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar, regular or seasoned
1 tablespoon peanut butter, creamy or chunky
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons sweet chile sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon peanut oil, or oil of choice
1 pound ground chicken
½ cup diced carrots
⅓ cup minced white onion or spring onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving
Lettuce leaves, such as bibb, Boston, iceberg, or little gem, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, peanut butter, honey, chile sauce, garlic powder and ginger. If your peanut butter is firm and not blending, microwave the mixture for 30 seconds and whisk until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Set aside.
Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the carrots, onion, bell pepper and water chestnuts and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
Add the sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Serve with lettuce leaves and chopped peanuts. Enjoy by spooning the chicken mixture into the lettuce leaves and topping with the peanuts.
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Perfect pasta salad
This salad is great for entertaining as it's easy to double or triple to serve a crowd and it's prep-ahead friendly. You can make pasta salad up to two days in advance (it's better the second day). Simply store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Makes: 12 cups
Ingredients:
12 ounces spiral pasta, regular, gluten-free or tricolor (see note above)
2 cups seeded and chopped bell peppers, any color, or about 10 chopped sweet mini peppers
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, either mozzarella pearls or a block of fresh mozzarella, cubed
6 ounces hard salami, such as Genoa, Felino, or Sopressata, cut into bite-size pieces; you can also use pepperoni or ham
10 ounces (about 1 cup) grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
½ cup sliced black olives
⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil (if you are using dried, add ½ teaspoon to the dressing)
For the Italian dressing:
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, or ½ teaspoon minced dried garlic
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil (if not using fresh)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional
Preparation:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions in salted water. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
Transfer the pasta to a large rimmed baking sheet to cool for 15 minutes.
To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, oregano and basil (if using dried). Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the bell peppers, mozzarella, salami, tomatoes, black olives, red onion, parmesan, parsley and basil (if using fresh).
Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the dressing and whisk to combine. Add the dressing to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. If desired, add more pasta cooking water to the salad. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 days).
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The ultimate potato salad
Meet your new, go-to potato salad recipe. Feel free to make adjustments to seasonings and mix-ins to suit your taste.
Makes: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds New/Baby potatoes, Red Bliss, or Fingerling potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup mayonnaise, regular or light
⅓ cup sour cream, regular or light
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
½ pound bacon, about 6 to 8 strips, cooked until chewy-crisp and chopped
½ cup chopped green onions
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
4-ounce jar pimentos, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Paprika, for serving
Preparation:
Place the potatoes in a large pot and pour over enough cold water to cover by about two inches. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium-high. Gently boil until the potatoes are just fork-tender, checking for doneness after 5 minutes of cooking.
Drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add apple cider vinegar and toss to coat. Transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Let cool for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
When the potatoes have cooled completely, add them to the mayonnaise mixture and stir gently to coat. Fold in the bacon, green onions, celery, pimentos and parsley. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour, and up to 24 hours, before serving. Finish with a sprinkle of paprika, if you like.
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Summertime peach galette
A galette is an easy alternative to pie and a great way to celebrate seasonal fruit. This recipe calls for peaches, but it would also be great with plums or pears.
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), preferably European butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 tablespoons ice-cold water
For the filling:
5 cups thinly sliced, pitted fresh peaches (about 5-6 peaches)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon heavy cream or 1 egg, whisked (for brushing on the crust)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional
Preparation:
Make the dough:
To make the galette dough, place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the butter is pea-size.
With the machine running, gradually add 4 tablespoons of the ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough hasn’t formed a ball by this point, add the remaining tablespoon of water and process until the dough comes together.
Transfer the dough to a flat surface, shape it into a 5-inch disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes (or up to 3 days).
Remove dough from the fridge 10 minutes before rolling out.
Make the filling:
While the dough is chilling, prep the peaches. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla and salt. Toss to coat.
Build the galette:
Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Working on a lightly floured surface (or large piece of parchment paper), roll the dough into a 12-inch round, about ⅛-inch thick. If necessary, mend any cracks or tears by pressing them back together with your fingers.
Carefully transfer the dough to the parchment paper on the baking sheet (if desired, use your rolling pin to roll up the dough so you can transfer it with ease). If you rolled out your dough on parchment paper, simply transfer the paper to the baking sheet.
Place a 9-inch pie pan in the center of the dough and press down gently to create a slight indentation — this step is optional, but it helps guide you when adding the peach filling.
Arrange the peaches in the center of the dough (using the indentation as a guide). For a decorative presentation, start arranging slices around the outside edge of the indentation — or 2-inches from the outer edge of the dough — and work your way in, slightly overlapping the slices as you go.
Fold up the edges of the dough, partially covering the filling and overlapping or folding the dough as needed as you work your way around the circle.
Brush the heavy cream (or egg) all over the dough and sprinkle the peaches and crust with the granulated sugar. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Ready, set, bake!
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is soft and bubbly.
Transfer the galette (still on the parchment paper) to a wire rack to cool. The galette will be soft, so be careful when transferring.
Once cooled, warm the apricot preserves in a small saucepan or in the microwave until thin enough to brush over the fruit. Brush the preserves all over the peaches.
Slice the galette into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
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No-churn 3-ingredient vanilla ice cream
Homemade ice cream? Now that's a flex. Just make sure your heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk are chilled before using. This ensures you'll get the most volume in your whipped cream. To be extra certain your cream whips up perfectly, you can also chill your mixing bowl and whisk.
Makes: About 2½ pints, more with mix-ins
Ingredients:
3 cups heavy cream, chilled
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: Mix-ins
Preparation:
Place cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the sweetened condensed milk. Add the vanilla extract and mix until just blended. Do not add additional ingredients at this point.
Transfer the mixture to a large zip-top freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Put the bag in the freezer, lying flat and freeze until firm, about three hours.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and break it into chunks. Working in batches to prevent overfilling, transfer the chunks to the bowl of your food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until smooth.
If adding mix-ins, fold them in by hand or add them to the food processor or blender and pulse until you reach your desired consistency.
Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.
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Questions or comments? Email the culinary team at cooking@azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Easy salad and dessert recipes to make for Labor Day potlucks
