Make the fathers and father figures in your life feel extra
special on Father's Day by preparing their favorite meal. Use these Father's
Day dinner ideas to help you plan your own celebration.
4 Tips for Creating a Father's Day Dinner Menu
Use these ideas to plan an unforgettable Father's Day
celebration for the fathers in your life.
1. Decide on a theme. A summer cookout is a popular Father's
Day dinner theme because it occurs in June, but you could also choose a Mexican
food menu or Italian classics, depending on what your father enjoys.
2. Consider the number of people. Choose dishes that
are simple to prepare for the size of your gathering. If you're hosting a large
group, grill or bake enough main dishes at once so you don't have to spend time
making extra plates.
3. Make it a celebration. Do something special to make
Father's Day feel more than just another weeknight meal. For example, if you
don't often grill but the father in your life adores barbecue, consider making
pulled pork.
4. Make your father's favorite foods. Father's Day is all
about honoring your fathers and father figures. Make their favorite dishes to
make them feel special.
Father's Day Dinner Ideas
Father's Day dinner is a unique occasion to honor the
fathers and father figures in your life. This list of recipes will help you
plan your Father's Day menu:
Barbecue sauce: If you decide to grill on Father's Day,
make barbecue sauce to go with the meat. Barbecue sauce ingredients vary
greatly, but most include varying ratios of tomato and vinegar as the base, as
well as any combination of liquid smoke, onion powder, garlic powder, and
spices.
Beef shish kebab: Middle Eastern shish kabob is an ideal
easy-to-prepare dish for outdoor grilling. Shish kebab is a dish consisting of
small pieces of grilled meat on skewers, sometimes with vegetables. Serve with
warm flatbread, such as pita bread. Serve with extra pita bread and a bowl of
hummus, tzatziki, or tahini.
Brisket: On Father's Day, impress your father by slow
cooking brisket. Brisket is a flavorful, juicy cut of beef that requires some
preparation time. Follow Aaron Franklin's brisket smoking tips and serve it
with a light side dish like pasta salad or grilled vegetables.
Brown sugar cookies: Brown sugar cookies are a variation on
traditional white sugar cookies that are made with brown sugar for a rich
molasses flavor. Brown sugar cookies can be formed into balls and baked as is,
or rolled out flat and cut into fun shapes for family gatherings.
Caprese salad: Caprese salad (insalata Caprese in Italy) is
an Italian salad with basil leaves, mozzarella, and summer tomatoes. When fresh
tomatoes are in season, a Caprese salad is the ideal summer appetizer.
Chicken Parmesan: Instead of grilling, try chicken parmesan.
Chicken Parmesan, also known as chicken parmigiana, is a crispy fried chicken
breast baked in a tomato sauce with melted mozzarella, Parmesan, or provolone
cheese on top.
Chicken wings: Bake chicken wings and slather them in mild
hot sauce, melted butter, garlic, white vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper
to make buffalo wings. This gluten-free dish is the best Father's Day wings
recipe. Serve the wings with your choice of blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Fried chicken: Fried chicken is a Southern favorite that
makes an excellent main course. Try Thomas Keller's fried chicken recipe as a
main course or as a sandwich with sides.
Grilled chicken: Juicy grilled chicken breasts cook quickly,
making them ideal for a large Father's Day cookout. Grilled chicken breasts
make an excellent sandwich as well. Toast slices of bread directly on the grill
before topping with mayonnaise, cooked chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes.
Lemon cheesecake: For dessert, finish your meal with a zesty
lemon cheesecake. A layered dessert with a buttery, crumbly crust and a rich
cheese-based filling, lemon cheesecake.
Meatloaf: Meatloaf is a hearty comfort food that can be
easily tailored to your father's preferences. Meatloaf is made with ground beef
and other ingredients to add flavor and texture. It is then topped with a
meatloaf sauce made with Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, chili sauce, Italian
seasoning, or even ketchup.
Peanut butter brownies: To round out your Father's Day
dinner, add a twist to classic brownies. Make peanut butter brownies for a
perfectly chewy, salty, and sweet dessert reminiscent of a classic peanut
butter cup.
Pear salad: A pear salad recipe is a quick way to use up
seasonal pears and other favorite mix-ins. To balance out the sweetness of the
pears, combine salty, earthy, and crunchy ingredients. Serve pear salad as a
side dish with barbecue chicken or as a main course salad with protein.
Pot roast: Pot roast is a classic comfort food and the best
way to feed a crowd. Simply combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and
set it to cook until your pot roast is done when your guests arrive for dinner.
Potato salad: As a side dish, serve potato salad. Potato
salad is a side dish made up of cooked potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, fresh
herbs, and crunchy ingredients such as pickles or crisp radishes.
Pork chops: Oven-baked pork chops are a simple main course.
Bake the pork chops after coating them with your favorite seasoning mixture.
Serve with potatoes, carrots, broccoli, or spinach as a side dish.
Pulled pork: Pulled pork is a traditional barbecue dish that
consists of slow-cooked, shredded pork topped with BBQ sauce. Pull pork can be
served on sandwich buns with coleslaw, sliced onions, additional barbecue
sauce, and pickles.
Red cabbage slaw: Red cabbage slaw, also known as cabbage
salad, is a combination of shredded red cabbage (or purple cabbage), carrots,
seasonings, and dressing. For Father's Day, serve your red cabbage slaw
alongside hot dogs or fish tacos.
Stuffed bell peppers: Stuffed peppers are a filling side
dish or a fun main course. Serve the stuffed peppers with a Mediterranean
chickpea salad or a Greek salad with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and kalamata
olives as a side dish.
Suadero tacos: For Father's Day, take your tacos to the next
level by making flavorful suadero tacos. Suadero tacos, also known as tacos de
suadero, are a popular Mexican dish that consists of braising and frying beef
before stuffing it into a warm corn tortilla.
