For years, when I thought of having a Labor Day Cookout, my cookout recipes always included hamburger and hot dogs. These days, my cookout recipes, consist of Pork Chops, Salmon, Tomato Orzo Feta Salad and a fun drink. By changing up my menu, I have actually simplified the time I spend prepping, setting up and cleaning up and I save money. Here’s the best part, everyone is always so impressed that I don’t serve them the same old, same old.
This year, my cookout recipes will consist of Lemon Sage Pork Chops, Tomato Orzo Feta Salad and we may even throw in a Honey Orange Bourbon Cocktail. I adore orzo pasta and this recipe is truly a favorite in our home. And at our house, a party wouldn’t be a party without a platter of Tomato Mozzarella Appetizer. How about you, what’s your favorite Labor Day Cookout recipes? Do you go traditional or mix it up? Would you try Tomato Orzo Feta Salad or do you always stick to a traditional Potato Salad or Greek Yogurt Potato Salad?
- 16 ounce package of Orzo Pasta
- 6 vine ripe Tomatoes chopped
- ½ Red Onion diced thin
- ⅓ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup of Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ cup crumbled Feta Cheese
- Sea Salt to taste
- Cook the orzo pasta, drain and let cool
- Mix the chopped tomatoes and diced onions with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt to taste
- Plate the orzo pasta and top with the tomato mixture
- Top with the crumbled feta cheese over the orzo pasta and tomatoes
Join us this week around the family table for our Labor Day Cookout #SundaySupper and we will share with you our favorite cookout recipes . We hope to inspire you with these fabulous recipes from our talented contributors. We will be sharing them all day long and would love for you to share your favorite cookout recipes during our #SundaySupper live chat at 7pm ET.
Labor Day Cookout Recipes:
Starters & Snacks
- Lobster Salad with Avocado, Corn and Tomatoes by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Grilled Vegetable Spread by Magnolia Days
- Toast Topper #8: Tomato Confit for #SundaySupper by Yummy Smells
- Honey BBQ Wings and Cool Ranch by Big Bears Wife
- Finger Lickin’ Chicken Drumettes by Noshing with the Nolands
Main Dishes
- Baked Shrimp and Pasta Caprese by Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Korean chili by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
- Newfangled Cowtown White Chicken Chili by Shockingly Delicious
- Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches by The Weekend Gourmet
- Spicy Seoulful Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Kimchi Mom
- Smoked Pork Butt (A How-To) from Juanita’s Cocina
- Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs by The Messy Baker Blog
- Stuffed Green Chili con Queso Cheeseburger Sliders by Damn Delicious
- Adana kebab by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
- Portabello Paninis by The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
- Bloody Mary Skirt Steak by From Fast Food to Fresh Food
- Tuna and Roasted Pepper Packets by Cindy’s Recipes & Writings
- Mint Marinated Beef Kabobs with Garlic Sauce by Sustainable Dad
- Creamy Latin Style Pasta by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Spicy Portuguese Style Sliders by Daily Dish Recipes
- Aromatic Glazed Salmon by Happy Baking Days
- Pork sliders by Basic ‘N Delicious
- Foil Packet Chicken by In the Kitchen with Audrey
Salads & Sides
- Mom’s Savory Pork’n’Beans by Webicurean
- Ranch Potato Salad by My Catholic Kitchen
- Gluten Free Penne hot salad with basil, asparagus, cherry tomatoes fresh mozzarella and chicken with a mustard vineagarete for #SundaySupper by Cooking Underwriter
- Southern Surprise Potato Salad by Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
- #SundaySupper Marinated Ginger Chicken & Spinach Salad by Kwistin’s Favorites
- Roasted Potato & Corn Salad w/ Bacon by GirliChef
- Vegan Caprese Salad by Galactosemia in PDX
- Picnic Friendly Grilled Vegetable Salad by Mama Mommy Mom
- Smokin Hot Caribbean Spiced Corn-On-The-Cob by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Potato salad with Stilton and bacon by Tora’s Real Food
- Tomato Feta Orzo Salad by Family Foodie
Drinks
- Frozen Sangria by Supper For a Steal
- Persian mint & cucumber cooler (sekanjabeen) by Family Spice
Desserts
- lightened lemon pound cake by The Meltaways
- Root Beer Float Cupcakes by Chocolate Moosey
- Strawberry Cream Squares by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Fresh Mango Pie by La Cocina De Leslie
- Brown Butter M&M Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Gluten Free Lemon Blondies by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
- Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake by Baker Street
- Strawberry Pie + White Sangria by Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Grilled Banana Splits by Diabetic Foodie
- Easy Desserts: Frozen Chocolate Bananas by Home Cooking Memories
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake by Comfy Cuisine
- Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies for a Holiday Cookout #SundaySupper by In the Kitchen with KP
Wine Pairings
- Labor Day Cookout Food And Wine Pairings by ENOFYLZ
Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite cookout recipes!
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us throughTweetChat!
We’d also love to feature your Cookout recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
September 2, 2012 at 8:04 amYour salad look amazing!!! Have a great rest of the weekend!!
Pam (@MrsMeltaway)
September 2, 2012 at 8:05 amSo simple and fresh looking! How delicious – what a great #SundaySupper we have this week!
Laura @ Familyspice
September 2, 2012 at 8:26 amBy Labor Day, we are so over burgers! Would much prefer this menu! Have a great weekend!
Liz
September 2, 2012 at 8:42 amWhat a fabulous salad…I adore orzo, too! I love to shake up my holiday menus…and I may be copying your ideas…those chops sound amazing, too. Happy #SundaySupper!
Jen @JuanitasCocina
September 2, 2012 at 9:09 amThis sounds fabulous! I LOOOOVE Orzo. I’ll eat it any way I can get it. I’m adding this to our menu for next week!
Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet)
September 2, 2012 at 9:55 amYum…I LOVE orzo and pasta salads. I always have these ingredients on hand, so I look forward to whipping this up very soon!!
writelane
September 2, 2012 at 10:07 amSounds yummy, Isabel! I love using orzo hot or cold! Cindy @ Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Renee Dobbs (@reneedobbs)
September 2, 2012 at 10:13 amOrzo is one of my favorite pastas for salads and soups. I love your recipe with the tomatoes and feta cheese. Super simple and super tasty all at the same time.
Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious
September 2, 2012 at 10:24 amIt’s a great #SundaySupper collection this week! Simply inspired.
Lane R (@supperforasteal)
September 2, 2012 at 10:39 amI love orzo and am always looking for new recipes. Looks perfect! Can’t wait to make it.
Patti
September 2, 2012 at 11:45 amI love orzo too and this recipe sounds delish Isabel! So many great salads to pick from!
Karen Hartzell (@InTheKitchenKP)
September 2, 2012 at 12:01 pmI’d be mixing all that delicious goodness together! YUM! Great alternative to traditional potato salad for a cookout! Happy Sunday Supper, Isabel!
Germanpdx
September 2, 2012 at 12:44 pmSo delicious!!! Orzo is such a fun pasta – we all love it! Happy Day to you! ~ Bea
Susan
September 2, 2012 at 1:01 pmWonderful salad! This is a favorite flavor combination for me!
Happy Baking Days (@HappyBakingDays)
September 2, 2012 at 2:35 pmYum, yum and yum! That looks so bright and pretty, I want to grab a fork!
Brandie (@HomeCookMemory)
September 2, 2012 at 2:59 pmI have a box of orzo that I picked up that I still haven’t known what to make with it. This sounds perfect and I agree with you about doing something different. While I love the old standby’s of hamburgers, etc, I’ve been craving something different for our grilling.
apapina
September 2, 2012 at 3:04 pmThis sounds wonderful–I can’t wait to try it!
Eileen Gross | Wine Everyday
September 2, 2012 at 3:42 pmI’ll take a pasta salad over potato salad any day, yours looks light fresh & easy to make.
Thanks for sharing it!
Cheers!
dadblunders
September 2, 2012 at 3:58 pmIt looks relatively easy to make. I like feta too! Will give it a whirl!
Aaron
Melanie @ FastFood2FreshFood
September 2, 2012 at 4:37 pmAnother great way to have orzo and feta— yummy!
Tara Noland
September 2, 2012 at 4:51 pmI love anything with feta, this would be great. Again, thanks for all your help this morning!!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen
September 2, 2012 at 6:00 pmI never had orzo but it always sounded like something I would like. With feta cheese and tomatoes it´s the perfect salad for a cookout! Happy sunday Isabel!
Baker Street (@bakerstreet29)
September 2, 2012 at 10:04 pmWhat a simple and delicious salad! I love everything with feta! Great pick, Isabel. 🙂
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
September 2, 2012 at 10:04 pmWhat a great salad. Love the sweet fresh tomatoes, and the feta!
Sheila Fretz
September 3, 2012 at 12:50 amThanks for including me you always amaze me when it comes to your recipes!
sunithi
September 3, 2012 at 1:23 amOnly just started using orzo and this looks delish & simple ! Love the flavors. Will make this ! Lovely picture.Always wondered if that is your deck in the background or a background ?
crazykwistin
September 3, 2012 at 2:54 amI love this!! 🙂
veronica gantley
September 3, 2012 at 8:28 amI am drooling that looks so good.
Laura Hunter
September 3, 2012 at 8:39 amI love pasta salads with balsamic vinegar I will have to give this a try at my next BBQ. Thanks for sharing and for hosting such a fabulous #SundaySupper. I have so many more ideas for BBQ’s now I just have to hope we have enough sunny days to actually have more BBQ’s.
Kendra at Fatback and Foie Gras
September 3, 2012 at 9:50 amGreat post! I love the combination of orzo and feta. Used to make something similar but added cooked shrimp. Look forward to following #sundaysupper each week.
Heather @girlichef
September 3, 2012 at 10:52 amDid you say honey orange bourbon cocktail!? Mmmmm…. This orzo salad sounds amazing, I love the Mediterranean flavors! Delicious side.
Sarah
September 3, 2012 at 3:03 pmThis side dish sounds amazing. I adore orzo too. I have to start eating healthier and this sounds like the perfect dish to start. BTW your photos look great!
Amy Kim (@kimchi_mom)
September 4, 2012 at 12:39 amLove a simple salad with great flavors! I bet it tastes awesome the next day…if there are any leftovers!
The sound of a honey orange bourbon cocktail sounds pretty refreshing and fun! Hope you had a great Labor Day cookout!
The Messy Baker
September 4, 2012 at 7:52 pmThis is one yummy looking salad, Isabel. You can’t go wrong with tomato and feta. Yum! That cocktail you mentioned also sounds delicious.
FamilyFoodie
September 6, 2012 at 7:27 amJennie~ I will be posting the recipe for this easy cocktail… you will love!
Tora Estep
September 5, 2012 at 8:20 pmLooks like a delicious salad!
FamilyFoodie
September 6, 2012 at 7:26 amTora~ It is so true that fresh simple ingredients are the key.